Drake Maye is poised to build on his NFL-leading 72 percent completion rate from 2025 with A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs now catching his passes. The Patriots' franchise quarterback has everything he needs for another MVP-caliber season.
Michael DeVito
MORE BY MICHAEL DEVITO
The Patriots have an improved offense over 2025 and Drake Maye's production could actually increase with A.J. Brown around. Mike Reiss is right, with the brilliant Maye and Brown leading the way, don't count out the Patriots as AFC East winners in 2026.
There's great anticipation over A.J. Brown's Patriots debut He's never had a passer like Maye throwing him the ball and he's in his prime entering his age 29 season. Expect 100 plus catches for 1300 yards or so and 10 touchdowns from Brown in 2026.
TreVeyon Henderson's game is exploding through a gap to try to take a carry or catch to the house. He should tasked only to try to run to daylight on every possession. Anything else, e.g. blocking, is altogether too risky and silly waste of his talents.
With Drake Maye, A.J. Brown, and Romeo Doubs, the Patriots are poised to score points and to win. Both Brown and Doubs are upgrades over 2025. That's bad news for the Bills and anyone else the Patriots face. Don't bet they won't win the AFC East again.
After missing his rookie season, Lan Larison could be one of the Patriots' biggest training camp surprises as he battles for a spot in the backfield.
Milton Williams is listed among the NFL's Top 10 defensive linemen in an ESPN survey and a lot is expected from the talented defensive tackle in 2026.
If safety, Craig Woodson adds interceptions to his game by working with Kevin Byard III, it will be a double win for Coach Mike Vrabel. He'd not only have signed a first-team All-Pro safety, but also set the stage for Woodson's further development.
If his O-line actually opens some holes in 2026, expect 1250-yards plus maybe 40 catches for another 400 or so through the air, along with a bunch of touchdowns scored on big plays. After all, that's what TreVeyon Henderson does.
The 2026 season will be challenging for Zak Kuhr and the Patriots' defense. They need to shore up the edge. Mike Vrabel needs to add to the position before the season starts. Regardless, Kuhr seems well-motivated to deal with any and every eventuality.
For Patriot Nation there is a silver lining to this seemingly incessant barrage of disrespectful rankings for the Patriots star quarterback. He and his teammates will be well-motivated to prove CBS Sports and that disrespected Maye wrong.