The Patriots had a very successful first season in the first year with head coach Mike Vrabel and Quarterback Drake Maye. As the team made the Super Bowl despite going 4-13 the season prior. Although they suffered a relatively embarrassing Super Bowl loss, the future still looks bright in New England. On the offensive side of things, Drake Maye finished 2nd in the MVP voting and New England had the #2 scoring offense in the league. The offense and Maye, however, were completely flustered in the Super Bowl against arguably the league’s best defense. Heading into next season the Patriots will be among the favorites in the AFC, but it remains to be seen if they can take the next step and be on the level of a team like Seattle. On the offensive side of things, they will return offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels who is arguably the most decorated coordinator in the NFL along with star quarterback Drake Maye. Below I will go into detail assessing New England on the offensive side of things as the 2026 draft approaches.
Last season the Patriots had one of the better offensive lines in the sport. New England was 6th in pass blocking efficiency, 5th in pass blocking grade, and 16th in run blocking grade according to Pro Football Focus. However, the offensive line was still relatively young and there was absolutely room for improvement for it to be truly amongst the elite lines in the sport. The Patriots started two rookies on their offensive line this past season which contributed to the youth of the unit. 2025 first round rookie Will Campbell had a strong rookie season but was far from being in peak form, as Campbell had an abysmal Super Bowl for the Patriots allowing 14 pressures against Seattle. Campbell as a first rounder has a bright future in the NFL and despite a poor Super Bowl showing had a strong rookie season, grading above average among players at his position despite being a rookie. If Campbell can continue to improve and move past his poor Super Bowl outing, I don’t see why he cannot be one of the premier left tackles in the sport.
At left guard the Patriots are currently set to start veteran Aljiah Vera-Tucker who is amongst the better if not the best starting guards in the NFL. At center, 2025 third rounder Jared Wilson is set to start coming off a disappointing rookie season playing at guard. Wilson had a subpar rookie season at guard, but the team is optimistic he can improve now that he is set to play at center in his 2nd year onwards. At the other guard spot, veteran Mike Onwenu is set to start, who is also among the better if not the best overall starting guards in the NFL. At right tackle, veteran Morgan Moses is set to start, Moses despite his advanced age had a strong year last season and is an above-average starter as of now at tackle.
The Patriots do however lack depth on the offensive line and addressing the reserve offensive line should be a priority in the rest of the offseason cycle for New England. The only high-level backup as of now is interior offensive lineman Ben Brown, Brown can be a solid interior offensive line starter and could even threaten for a starting job and at worst will provide New England with a high-level backup. Unfortunately, outside of Brown the Patriots lack depth on the offensive front as they do not have another surefire NFL caliber player in their reserve unit as of now. Perhaps 2024 third rounder Caedan Wallace can emerge as a strong reserve player, although Wallace in limited snaps has looked very subpar in the league so far. But given his high draft selection and lack of playing time thus far, he is absolutely a solid choice to emerge as a strong player.
New England had a very good B+ top 10 caliber offensive line this past 2025 season. However, the youth on their offensive front in starting two rookies kept them from being a truly elite offensive line. The youth on their offensive front was their undoing in the Super Bowl as well as the failures of rookie Will Campbell at left tackle in particular cost them in a big way in the Super Bowl. If New England can see their two rookie starters from 2025 improve heading into next season, then the Patriots can certainly field an elite caliber line in 2026.
From a skill position player standpoint, the Patriots have some concerns but still some talent. Stefon Diggs was the Patriots top player in that regard last season and was still amongst the premier wide receivers in the sport. Diggs, barring an unforeseen circumstance, will not be on the team next season as New England has cut him. This is concerning heading into next season as Diggs was the Patriots only true elite skill position player. New England has since signed former Packers’ veteran Romeo Doubs to replace Diggs. Doubs is not a true #1 wide receiver and may not even be a true #2 wide receiver either, so replacing Diggs in the wide receiver core will be a big concern for the Patriots in the remainder of the offseason cycle.
In the remainder of the wide receiver unit the Patriots have some bright spots, but in totality with Diggs no longer being on the roster, the unit is below average if not amongst the weakest in the NFL. 2023 6th rounder DeMario Douglas is likely the most talented wide receiver on their roster as of now but has never even accumulated 700 receiving yards in a season. 2025 third rounder Kyle Williams showed some promise as a rookie, averaging a remarkable 20.9 yards per reception albeit catching just 10 balls. However, Pro Football Focus graded Williams below average among players at his position, and it remains to be seen if he is more than just a gadget deep threat at this point. Kayshon Boutte and Romeo Doubs are currently listed as the #1 and #2 wide receivers on the roster as of now, but both are likely better suited as high end #3 wide receivers. New England’s wide receiver unit is likely amongst the weakest in the NFL currently. The Patriots should look to available veterans such as Tyreek Hill and Stefon Diggs to address the concerns. While also keeping their eyes on a potentially available A.J Brown and the NFL Draft to bolster the wide out unit as well.
At tight end the Patriots are led by standout veteran Hunter Henry who is amongst the better if not the best overall tight ends in the NFL. However, Henry is not quite in the elite tier 1 tight end group in the sport in my estimation. The Patriots also lack depth in the unit outside of Henry as the remaining three tight ends on the current depth chart are not even surefire NFL caliber players. The Patriots will need one of the remaining tight ends to step up their game for New England to have viable depth at the position. Or New England will need to acquire another viable commodity in their tight end unit to supplement Henry.
At running back, the Patriots have some talent but still some concerns. Veteran running back Rhamondre Stevenson leads the unit and is a good if not a very good player, but certainly not amongst the premier backs in the NFL. 2025 2nd rounder Treveyon Henderson is the team’s current #2 back coming off a decent rookie season. Given his high draft selection and solid rookie campaign, Henderson will be in line to be one of the premier #2 backs in the sport going forward and could even threaten to be New England’s #1 back. Elijah Mitchell is also on New England’s running back depth chart as of now and is one of the premier supplementary backs in the NFL.
From an offensive personnel perspective the Patriots have some talent but still some concerns. The offensive line was very good last season, but their youth was their undoing. As the two rookie starters become veterans, New England could certainly have one of the premier offensive lines in the sport next season. From a skill position player standpoint, the Patriots have some concerns. Their wide receiver unit is amongst the weakest in the NFL as of now and the Patriots’ front office will likely need to address the unit in the remainder of the offseason cycle. The Patriots have a highly capable tight end in Hunter Henry but lack depth in their tight end unit. The Patriots have a solid and deep running back room but lack star power at the position.
The Patriots were 2nd in the NFL in points scored last season and will likely be among the premier offensive teams next season as well. However, they need to address the wide receiver unit which as of now is amongst the weakest in the NFL. They also lack a truly elite skill position player now that star wide receiver Stefon Diggs has departed the team. They lack depth at tight end as well and do not have a surefire NFL starter at center either. The offensive line as of now is inarguably very good but certainly not great. The duo of star quarterback Drake Maye along with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is amongst the premier QB + offensive coach combinations in the sport. The two will likely improve as they go into their 2nd year together under head coach Mike Vrabel. If New England can just add a capable wide receiver or two and see improvement from young players in positions of need then I think New England’s offense can rank up there with anyone in the AFC if not the NFL next season.
