The New England Patriots are absolutely in line to be one of the premier teams in the NFL next season as the defending AFC Champions. If you read my offensive team preview of them before the 2026 draft, you could see that I felt they had what it takes to repeat as an elite offensive team next season. Here I will go into detail explaining how I feel about the team from a defensive perspective heading into the 2026 season. The Patriots were among the premier defensive teams in the NFL last year ranking 4th in the NFL in points per game allowed. With Mike Vrabel now going into year 2 as the head coach of the team with a defensive background, the team can continue to expect to see improvements. However New England’s was very good to great, but it did not feel as if it was a defense that had a next gear to it. It did not feel as if it was an intimidating defense that was in the discussion for being the best in the sport like the Texans’, Seahawks’, and Eagles’ defense felt like this past season. Whether or not New England’s defense can take that next step and reach that level will be crucial for New England’s Super Bowl aspirations.
From a defensive coordinator standpoint under Vrabel, former Patriots’ player Terrell Williams commanded the position last season as a rookie in the role. Headed into the 2026 season, Williams has been promoted to the assistant head coach role, with Zak Kuhr taking over the defensive coordinator role who will also be a rookie in the position next season. From a coaching standpoint on defense, the Patriots can expect to see improvement with Vrabel going into year 2 as head coach of the team with Kuhr/Williams both working under him as well as all head into their second season together.
From a personnel perspective the Patriots are in good shape and have one of the better and deeper defensive rosters in the sport. In the front seven, Christian Barmore is set to start at the edge rusher position and is a solid player who I graded to be in the B- range. At nose tackle, 2025 4th rounder Joshua Farmer is set to start after a meager rookie season. Perhaps as Farmer is likely to improve, heading into year 2, he can become a solid starter. At the other defensive end position, Milton Williams is set to start, Williams is a very good player who I graded to be in the B to B+ range. The Patriots run a 3-4 defense with four linebackers; the first starter at linebacker is Harold Landry who is very productive. Based on his career statistical production and subjective grades given to him by Pro Football Focus over the years, I graded Landry III to be in the B to B+ range as an overall player. The second starting linebacker in Christian Elliss is a solid starter who I graded to be in the C+ to B- range. The third in Robert Spillane is very productive and I graded him to be in the B to B+ range. The fourth and final starting linebacker on New England’s current depth chart is Dre’mont Jones who I graded to be in the C+ range as an overall player. New England’s starting front seven is solid but not spectacular, the lack of high-end star power in their front seven is what keeps it from reaching the next level. As New England’s current starting front seven is currently only comprised of very good B players to solid starters, without having a definitive star. From a depth standpoint in the front seven, the Patriots have a good amount of depth, and it is perhaps the deepest front seven in the sport as of now. New England currently has six players in their front seven who are capable starters and three others who maybe could become capable starters and are at the very worst good backups.
New England’s secondary is among the premier back-end defenses in the sport as Pro Football Focus graded New England as the #2 coverage team in the NFL during the 2025 season. Starting at the first cornerback spot is veteran Carlton Davis III who is among the better overall corners in the NFL, I graded Davis III to be in the B to B+ range as an overall player. At strong safety, 2025 4th round rookie Craig Woodson is set to start as of now. Woodson had a decent rookie season that he is in line to improve off of and could mold into a solid starter. At free safety, Kevin Byard III is set to start and is among the better if not the best overall safeties in the NFL, I graded Byard to be in the B+ to A- range as a player. At the other cornerback spot, 2023 first rounder Christian Gonzalez is set to start and is also among the better if not the best overall players at this position. At the nickel corner spot, veteran Marcus Jones is set to start and is a very good B to B+ level player at the position. From a talent standpoint in New England’s starting secondary the Patriots are in among the best shape in the NFL as of now. They have two proven very good B+ level starters in Davis III and Jones while also having star power in Byard III and Gonzalez as well. The only real weakness in New England’s starting secondary is their current starting safety in 2025 4th rounder Craig Woodson. However, Woodson had a decent respectable rookie season and could become a solid if not more than that starter in the NFL.
From a depth standpoint in the front seven the Patriots have depth as they have multiple players who are more than capable of starting. 2024 undrafted free agent Dell Pettus has looked borderline elite in limited snaps since entering the NFL. Given the Patriots’ need at the position and Pettus’ elite caliber player in a limited sample size, Pettus could eventually transition to a starting role and at the very least will be an elite level backup. A similar narrative could be written about safety Mike Brown who has looked very good in limited snaps. While 2025 7th round cornerback Kobee Minor looked good in very limited rookie snaps and could prove to be a strong player.
Overall, the Patriots had a borderline elite defense this past 2025 season, but it was not a defense that striked fear into me and felt as if it had a next gear to it like a few other defenses in the NFL. With Mike Vrabel going into year 2 as the head coach of the team with his defensive background, perhaps New England can find that next gear to their defense. New England’s defense will be at the very worst a top 5-10 caliber defense that is borderline elite. It remains to be seen if the unit can find a next gear to it, however and be in the discussion for being the best defense in the sport.
