The Patriots have the best secondary in the League.\u00a0 \u00a0If the Patriots can generate consistent pressure against opponents’ QBs, they should have a significant increase in the number of interceptions and improved field position in 2026.<\/p>\n
Cornerbacks<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Christian Gonzalez <\/strong>\u2013 Gonzalez has been the talk of the off-season because he is due a new contract.\u00a0 After 3 seasons, players can re-negotiate their rookie deals.\u00a0 Gonzalez is due a big raise.\u00a0 He has already been selected as an All-Pro and one of the top 3 DBs in the NFL.\u00a0 This isn\u2019t just me saying this; it\u2019s ESPN’s Chris Fowler who polled NFL GMs and Scouts.\u00a0 They listed Gonzo as the #3 CB in the league.\u00a0 He is probably going to get a contract in the 35M AAV for 4 years.\u00a0 Don\u2019t be shocked at what he gets.<\/p>\n
Marcus Jones <\/strong>\u2013 Jones is a terrific Punt Returner and took 2 punts back for TDs last year.\u00a0 Those are game-breakers.\u00a0 However, he is also one of the best slot corners in the league.\u00a0 When matched up against opponents\u2019 slot corners, he has the mobility and speed to keep up with them.\u00a0 It\u2019s when he gets matched up against bigger WRs and TEs that he has trouble.\u00a0\u00a0 He is small at 5\u20198\u201d, 188 pounds and received a 69.2 overall PFF defensive grade in the 2025 season, 26th among 114 qualified cornerbacks. His PFF coverage grade of 72.2 ranked 25th among 114 qualified cornerbacks.\u00a0 Put that in perspective: there are 32 #1 CBs in the league.\u00a0 He is better than 6 teams’ #1 CBs.<\/p>\n
Carlton Davis <\/strong>\u2013 Davis saved his best for the playoffs with two interceptions in the win versus the Texans.\u00a0 He was managed well by the Patriots.\u00a0 He played in all 21 games, and that was the first time in his career that he played an entire season without missing games because of injury.\u00a0 In 2025, he was given a 67.8 overall PFF defensive grade, 34th among 114 qualified cornerbacks. His PFF coverage grade of 65.1 ranked 49th among 114 qualified cornerbacks. His run-defense grade of 77.8 ranked 14th at the position.\u00a0 As with Jones, he was 2 spots out of a #1 CB grade.<\/p>\n
Charles Woods <\/strong>\u2013 Woods emerged as the replacement for Christian Gonzalez when he missed the 1st<\/sup> three games.\u00a0 He did an adequate job when asked to play.\u00a0 Woods went undrafted in 2024 but signed with the LA Rams and made their 53-man roster.\u00a0 He played in three games and was cut in December, then re-signed to their Practice Squad.\u00a0 He went to camp with the Rams but was waived at the final cutdowns, where the Patriots swept in and claimed him.<\/p>\nPatriots CB Marcellas Dial Jr. (PHOTO: Eric Canha-Imagn Images)<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Marcellas Dial \u2013 <\/strong>Dial had a lost season last year with a knee injury.\u00a0 He had a torn ACL in camp and was put on IR, ending his season.\u00a0 He was a 2024 6th-round\u00a0draft pick (180th<\/sup>) by the Patriots and was active for all 17 games and had 12 Tackles and 1 start.\u00a0 In 2026, Dial is expected to push for a roster spot as a backup and special-teams player.\u00a0 He is one to watch in camp as he comes back from the knee injury.<\/p>\n
Kobee Minor \u2013 <\/strong>Mr. Irrelevant was the last draft pick in the 2025 draft.\u00a0 Minor was cut at the final cutdown and re-signed to the Practice Squad.\u00a0 He spent nearly the entire year on the PS only to be elevated to the 53-man roster on January 1st<\/sup> and spent the entire playoff run on the roster.\u00a0 He had 1 Tackle in the 4 games he played.\u00a0 Minor is 5\u201911\u201d, 188, and ran a poor 4.56 40 at his Pro Day.\u00a0 I was quite surprised he was drafted at all.\u00a0 I think he is fighting for another turn on the Practice Squad.<\/p>\n
Brandon Crossley <\/strong>\u2013 The 2025 UDFA played 79 snaps on defense during his rookie preseason on the way having a hand in six tackles, one forced fumble, and one pass breakup.\u00a0 He was released at cutdown date and resigned in November to the Practice Squad.\u00a0 He was released from the PS on January 6th<\/sup>.\u00a0 After the season, he signed a futures contract with the Patriots and will be in camp.\u00a0 He will be fighting for a Practice Squad spot.<\/p>\n
Kindle Vildor <\/strong>\u2013 The veteran Vildor gives the Patriots a potential backup player with experience as a starter.\u00a0 He was a 2020 5th-round pick (163) by Chicago.\u00a0 He was the starting CB to begin the 2022 season but was felled by an injury late in the season and put on IR.\u00a0\u00a0 He accumulated 46 Tackles while starting 12 games in 2021 and 34 Tackles with 9 starts in 2022 before the injury.\u00a0 \u00a0Vildor has bounced around the league, signing a one-year contract with Tampa Bay last season before inking a one-year deal with the Patriots this Spring.\u00a0 Vildor will be in stiff competition for that last DB spot on the team, barring injuries.<\/p>\n
Kayron Prunty \u2013 <\/strong>The Prunty selection was generally deemed to be a reach by Draft experts.\u00a0 He was taken in the 5th<\/sup> round (171).\u00a0 Most draft experts didn\u2019t have a write-up on him and didn\u2019t expect him to be drafted.\u00a0 The Athletics Dane Brugler, a Draft Expert that I depend upon to give me great coverage of prospects, had Prunty ranked 57th<\/sup> of draft eligible CBs in this year\u2019s draft. \u00a0\u00a0I think he made a mistake.\u00a0 Prunty ran a 4.45 40 and a 6.82 3-cone drill.\u00a0 He stands 6\u20191.4\u201d, 190-pounds.\u00a0 He has a knack for disrupting plays with his 8 Pass Break Ups in 2025.\u00a0 The Demon Deacon was selected to the 3rd<\/sup> Team All-ACC last year.\u00a0 He is one to watch in training camp and I expect him to make the team.<\/p>\n
Channing Canada \u2013 <\/strong>Canada is an interesting UDFA.\u00a0 He ran a 4.36 40 at his Pro Day and added 7.05 3-cone drill.\u00a0 He stands 5\u201911.4\u201d, 1990-pounds and played at TCU with Namdi Obiazor. I am excited to see what he can do on Special Teams to see if he has a legit chance to make the team.\u00a0 At the very least he is a candidate for the Practice Squad.\u00a0 Canada signed a very lucrative $3.12M three-year contract with the Patriots that includes $267,500 in guaranteed money.\u00a0 That guarantee is equivalent to being on the Practice Squad all year.<\/p>\n
Kenneth Harris – <\/strong>Harris impressed scouts during the pre-draft process with his exceptional strength, recording 22 bench-press repetitions. Had he participated at the NFL Scouting Combine, that total would have led all cornerbacks. Oklahoma State highlighted the performance on social media, showcasing his physicality and work ethic.<\/p>\n
On the field, Harris was a productive defensive back for the Cowboys, finishing his final season with 33 tackles, one sack, and six pass breakups. He also contributed on special teams, a skill that could improve his chances of earning a roster spot in New England. His combination of strength, versatility, and special-teams value makes him an intriguing player to watch during training camp.<\/p>\nSafety Kevin Byard III (PHOTO: Eric Canha-Imagn Images)<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Safeties<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Kevin Byard <\/strong>\u2013 Byard was an All-Pro last season at age 32 and led the NFL with 7 Interceptions.\u00a0 His signing during Free Agency was immense.\u00a0 \u00a0What could this defense be with Byard patrolling the middle of the field?\u00a0 He will turn 33 in mid-August but has shown no signs of slowing down.\u00a0 The 5\u2019 11\u201d, 212-pound Safety was a 3rd<\/sup> round pick (64) of Tennessee in 2016.\u00a0 Byard played for Vrabel in Tennessee and wanted to play for him again.<\/p>\n
Craig Woodson <\/strong>\u2013 Woodson was an unheralded 4th<\/sup> round (104) draft choice of the Patriots last season.\u00a0 Many draft experts said it was a reach.\u00a0 They are not saying that now after Woodson won the starting job and made Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers expendable.\u00a0 Woodson steadily progressed throughout the season.\u00a0 He received a 63.8 Grade from PFF and was ranked 53rd<\/sup> of 98 Safeties.\u00a0 However, in the 4 playoff games he had an 84.3 grade with an Interception. \u00a0Playing with Byard should help the young player develop even more and I expect a big jump from him in year two.<\/p>\n
Dell Pettus <\/strong>\u2013 I like Pettus.\u00a0 \u00a0He earned a 78.6 overall PFF defensive grade in the 2025 season. \u00a0His PFF coverage grade was 73.9 and he had a run-defense grade of 74.0.\u00a0 In 2024 the unheralded UDFA had a strong season in limited play.\u00a0 His PFF Defense grade was 73.9 overall, and his run-stopping grade was 83.9.\u00a0 The Patriots have found a gem amongst UDFAs and he is now a solid backup and Special Teams player.<\/p>\n
Mike Brown \u2013 <\/strong>Brown signed a 1-year contract with the Patriots to be re-united with Mike Vrabel.\u00a0 Brown played for Vrabel at Tennessee.\u00a0 Initially he was a 2022 UDFA and didn\u2019t get any significant playing time until he signed with the Titans in 2023.\u00a0 He will contribute on Special Teams and was seen during the OTAs and Mini Camp as the personal protector on the punt team.\u00a0 To me that is an indication that Brown will be on the team and a significant part of the special team units.<\/p>\n
Peter Manuma <\/strong>\u2013 Manuma made a great impression at Patriots Rookie Mini Camp as an un-signed invitee.\u00a0 I was quite surprised that Manuma never received a UDFA contract offer.\u00a0 The Patriots gain!\u00a0 Manuma, listed at 6\u20190\u201d and 199\u2013205 lbs., ran a\u00a04.47\u20134.49 40-yard dash\u00a0at the combine and pro day, with a vertical jump of 35\u00bd inches and a broad jump of 10\u201900\u201d. Over four seasons at Hawai\u02bbi, he recorded\u00a0280 tackles, 11 TFL, 2 sacks, 5 INTs, 3 forced fumbles, and 15 passes defensed, earning All-Mountain West honorable mention four times.\u00a0 He has an outside chance to make the team but is more likely going to on the Practice Squad.<\/p>\n
John Saunders \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>The Patriots signed Saunders off the Dolphins practice squad in October and spent just the 3 weeks on the active roster required when poaching a player off another teams Practice Squad, then was release and re-signed to the Patriots Practice Squad.\u00a0 In 2024 the 6\u20192.3\u201d 211-pound safety had 45 Tackles for Ole Miss.\u00a0 In 2023 at Ole Miss, he had 65 total tackles, 2 TFL, 3 INT, 5 PBU.\u00a0 Saunders played 5 years in college and had 11 total INTs.\u00a0 He is a longshot to make the team and is probably fighting to make the Practice Squad.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Patriots positional analysis breaks down the ‘best in the league’ secondary, detailing Christian Gonzalez’s contract, Marcus Jones’s role, and Kevin Byard’s 2026 impact.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":68672,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_pfeai_meta_description":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[10],"tags":[24768,1302,23702,23269,24729,24347,23742,23544,802,24765,1679,23537,22987,664,1967,8,24122,23966,24767,24766,24348,24009,319,24108,24087],"class_list":["post-72616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-patriots-news","tag-acl-injury","tag-all-pro","tag-carlton-davis","tag-christian-gonzalez","tag-contract-negotiations","tag-cornerbacks","tag-craig-woodson","tag-dell-pettus","tag-free-agency","tag-kayron-prunty","tag-kevin-byard","tag-marcellas-dial","tag-marcus-jones","tag-mike-vrabel","tag-nfl-draft","tag-patriots","tag-pff-grades","tag-practice-squad","tag-punt-returners","tag-rookie-deals","tag-safeties","tag-secondary","tag-special-teams","tag-training-camp","tag-undrafted-free-agents"],"yoast_head":"\n
MORSE: Patriots Positional Analysis - Secondary<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Patriots positional analysis breaks down the 'best in the league' secondary, detailing Christian Gonzalez's contract, Marcus Jones's role, and Kevin Byard's 2026 impact.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/07\/14\/morse-patriots-positional-analysis-secondary\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"MORSE: Patriots Positional Analysis - Secondary | PatsFans.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Patriots positional analysis breaks down the 'best in the league' secondary, detailing Christian Gonzalez's contract, Marcus Jones's role, and Kevin Byard's 2026 impact.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/07\/14\/morse-patriots-positional-analysis-secondary\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"PatsFans.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pfans\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-14T09:00:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-06-09T191457Z_1832292263_MT1USATODAY29159506_RTRMADP_3_NFL-NEW-ENGLAND-PATRIOTS-MINICAMP-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mark Morse\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@patsfans\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@patsfans\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/14\\\/morse-patriots-positional-analysis-secondary\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/14\\\/morse-patriots-positional-analysis-secondary\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Mark Morse\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0875cc85178886af95675a008e5fca25\"},\"headline\":\"MORSE: Patriots Positional Analysis – Secondary\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-14T09:00:39+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/14\\\/morse-patriots-positional-analysis-secondary\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1634,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/14\\\/morse-patriots-positional-analysis-secondary\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/2026-06-09T191457Z_1832292263_MT1USATODAY29159506_RTRMADP_3_NFL-NEW-ENGLAND-PATRIOTS-MINICAMP-scaled.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"ACL Injury\",\"All-Pro\",\"Carlton Davis\",\"Christian Gonzalez\",\"Contract Negotiations\",\"Cornerbacks\",\"Craig Woodson\",\"Dell Pettus\",\"free agency\",\"Kayron Prunty\",\"Kevin Byard\",\"Marcellas Dial\",\"Marcus Jones\",\"Mike Vrabel\",\"NFL Draft\",\"Patriots\",\"PFF Grades\",\"Practice Squad\",\"Punt Returners\",\"Rookie Deals\",\"Safeties\",\"Secondary\",\"Special Teams\",\"Training Camp\",\"Undrafted Free Agents\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Patriots News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/14\\\/morse-patriots-positional-analysis-secondary\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/14\\\/morse-patriots-positional-analysis-secondary\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/14\\\/morse-patriots-positional-analysis-secondary\\\/\",\"name\":\"MORSE: Patriots Positional Analysis - Secondary\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/14\\\/morse-patriots-positional-analysis-secondary\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/14\\\/morse-patriots-positional-analysis-secondary\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/2026-06-09T191457Z_1832292263_MT1USATODAY29159506_RTRMADP_3_NFL-NEW-ENGLAND-PATRIOTS-MINICAMP-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-14T09:00:39+00:00\",\"description\":\"Patriots positional analysis breaks down the 'best in the league' secondary, detailing Christian Gonzalez's contract, Marcus Jones's role, and Kevin Byard's 2026 impact.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/14\\\/morse-patriots-positional-analysis-secondary\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/14\\\/morse-patriots-positional-analysis-secondary\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/14\\\/morse-patriots-positional-analysis-secondary\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/2026-06-09T191457Z_1832292263_MT1USATODAY29159506_RTRMADP_3_NFL-NEW-ENGLAND-PATRIOTS-MINICAMP-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/2026-06-09T191457Z_1832292263_MT1USATODAY29159506_RTRMADP_3_NFL-NEW-ENGLAND-PATRIOTS-MINICAMP-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707,\"caption\":\"Eric Canha-Imagn Images\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/14\\\/morse-patriots-positional-analysis-secondary\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Patriots News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/category\\\/patriots-news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"MORSE: Patriots Positional Analysis – Secondary\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"PatsFans.com\",\"description\":\"Patriots Blog with News and Analysis\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"PatsFans.com\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/PF_Social_Logo.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/PF_Social_Logo.webp\",\"width\":300,\"height\":300,\"caption\":\"PatsFans.com\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/pfans\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/patsfans\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/patsfans\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.com\\\/patsfans\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/patsfans\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tiktok.com\\\/@patsfans.official\"],\"foundingDate\":\"2000-06-17\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0875cc85178886af95675a008e5fca25\",\"name\":\"Mark Morse\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/edac4d42d2c985795df98560d6b4a8771bc8502406d21e7a8ee977393412af3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/edac4d42d2c985795df98560d6b4a8771bc8502406d21e7a8ee977393412af3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/edac4d42d2c985795df98560d6b4a8771bc8502406d21e7a8ee977393412af3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Mark Morse\"},\"description\":\"Merrimack Valley native and lifelong fan of the New England Patriots. My earliest memories of the Patriots were attending as a child with my dad, the off-season practice at Phillips Academy. I was at the Patriots game at Harvard Stadium in 1970 where Bob \u201cHarpo\u201d Gladieux was called out of the stands by the stadium announcer over the PA to play in the game. Analyzing the draft since ESPN first started to televise it in 1980 and former writer for the Lowell Sun Newspaper.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/markmorse5\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"MORSE: Patriots Positional Analysis - Secondary","description":"Patriots positional analysis breaks down the 'best in the league' secondary, detailing Christian Gonzalez's contract, Marcus Jones's role, and Kevin Byard's 2026 impact.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/07\/14\/morse-patriots-positional-analysis-secondary\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"MORSE: Patriots Positional Analysis - Secondary | PatsFans.com","og_description":"Patriots positional analysis breaks down the 'best in the league' secondary, detailing Christian Gonzalez's contract, Marcus Jones's role, and Kevin Byard's 2026 impact.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/07\/14\/morse-patriots-positional-analysis-secondary\/","og_site_name":"PatsFans.com","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pfans","article_published_time":"2026-07-14T09:00:39+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1707,"url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-06-09T191457Z_1832292263_MT1USATODAY29159506_RTRMADP_3_NFL-NEW-ENGLAND-PATRIOTS-MINICAMP-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Mark Morse","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@patsfans","twitter_site":"@patsfans","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/07\/14\/morse-patriots-positional-analysis-secondary\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/07\/14\/morse-patriots-positional-analysis-secondary\/"},"author":{"name":"Mark Morse","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0875cc85178886af95675a008e5fca25"},"headline":"MORSE: Patriots Positional Analysis – Secondary","datePublished":"2026-07-14T09:00:39+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/07\/14\/morse-patriots-positional-analysis-secondary\/"},"wordCount":1634,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/07\/14\/morse-patriots-positional-analysis-secondary\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-06-09T191457Z_1832292263_MT1USATODAY29159506_RTRMADP_3_NFL-NEW-ENGLAND-PATRIOTS-MINICAMP-scaled.jpg","keywords":["ACL Injury","All-Pro","Carlton Davis","Christian Gonzalez","Contract Negotiations","Cornerbacks","Craig Woodson","Dell Pettus","free agency","Kayron Prunty","Kevin Byard","Marcellas Dial","Marcus Jones","Mike Vrabel","NFL Draft","Patriots","PFF Grades","Practice Squad","Punt Returners","Rookie Deals","Safeties","Secondary","Special Teams","Training Camp","Undrafted Free Agents"],"articleSection":["Patriots News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/07\/14\/morse-patriots-positional-analysis-secondary\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/07\/14\/morse-patriots-positional-analysis-secondary\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/07\/14\/morse-patriots-positional-analysis-secondary\/","name":"MORSE: Patriots Positional Analysis - Secondary","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/07\/14\/morse-patriots-positional-analysis-secondary\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/07\/14\/morse-patriots-positional-analysis-secondary\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-06-09T191457Z_1832292263_MT1USATODAY29159506_RTRMADP_3_NFL-NEW-ENGLAND-PATRIOTS-MINICAMP-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2026-07-14T09:00:39+00:00","description":"Patriots positional analysis breaks down the 'best in the league' secondary, detailing Christian Gonzalez's contract, Marcus Jones's role, and Kevin Byard's 2026 impact.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/07\/14\/morse-patriots-positional-analysis-secondary\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/07\/14\/morse-patriots-positional-analysis-secondary\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/07\/14\/morse-patriots-positional-analysis-secondary\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-06-09T191457Z_1832292263_MT1USATODAY29159506_RTRMADP_3_NFL-NEW-ENGLAND-PATRIOTS-MINICAMP-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-06-09T191457Z_1832292263_MT1USATODAY29159506_RTRMADP_3_NFL-NEW-ENGLAND-PATRIOTS-MINICAMP-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1707,"caption":"Eric Canha-Imagn Images"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/07\/14\/morse-patriots-positional-analysis-secondary\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Patriots News","item":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/category\/patriots-news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"MORSE: Patriots Positional Analysis – Secondary"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/","name":"PatsFans.com","description":"Patriots Blog with News and Analysis","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#organization","name":"PatsFans.com","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/PF_Social_Logo.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/PF_Social_Logo.webp","width":300,"height":300,"caption":"PatsFans.com"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pfans","https:\/\/x.com\/patsfans","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/patsfans","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/patsfans\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/patsfans","https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@patsfans.official"],"foundingDate":"2000-06-17"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0875cc85178886af95675a008e5fca25","name":"Mark Morse","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/edac4d42d2c985795df98560d6b4a8771bc8502406d21e7a8ee977393412af3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/edac4d42d2c985795df98560d6b4a8771bc8502406d21e7a8ee977393412af3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/edac4d42d2c985795df98560d6b4a8771bc8502406d21e7a8ee977393412af3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Mark Morse"},"description":"Merrimack Valley native and lifelong fan of the New England Patriots. My earliest memories of the Patriots were attending as a child with my dad, the off-season practice at Phillips Academy. I was at the Patriots game at Harvard Stadium in 1970 where Bob \u201cHarpo\u201d Gladieux was called out of the stands by the stadium announcer over the PA to play in the game. Analyzing the draft since ESPN first started to televise it in 1980 and former writer for the Lowell Sun Newspaper.","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/author\/markmorse5\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-06-09T191457Z_1832292263_MT1USATODAY29159506_RTRMADP_3_NFL-NEW-ENGLAND-PATRIOTS-MINICAMP-scaled.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72616","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72616"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72616\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":72628,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72616\/revisions\/72628"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68672"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Marcellas](\"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2024-11-22T035530Z_657302813_MT1USATODAY24818781_RTRMADP_3_NFL-LOS-ANGELES-RAMS-AT-NEW-ENGLAND-PATRIOTS-1024x683.jpg\")
![\"Kevin](\"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-06-09T202817Z_1028863713_MT1USATODAY29160126_RTRMADP_3_NFL-NEW-ENGLAND-PATRIOTS-MINICAMP-1024x683.jpg\")