Patriots found unexpected weapons that are reshaping their season

The New England Patriots made some marquee additions this offseason, as evidenced by the signings of the highest-paid player in team history, Milton Williams, and the additions of Carlton Davis and Robert Spillane. They also added veteran tackle Morgan Moses to the right tackle position. No. 4 pick Will Campbell has been sound, and rounds two and three also saw them select offensive players.

Despite all these additions, some players have emerged as real contributors through the first four weeks that most people wouldn't have expected.

At 2-2, the team still has work to do to get back to being playoff-bound, but being relevant a month into the season hasn't been the case through the past few years, so that has been a nice change.

To maintain the momentum from their dominant win over Carolina, these players will need to continue their rise throughout the rest of the season.

These players have been surprise contributors for the Patriots

RB/KR Antonio Gibson

For one reason or another, Antonio Gibson always finds a way to make plays. Be it in the run game or on special teams, he's found a way to stay relevant despite a new coaching staff. Rhamondre Stevenson's fumbling issues have persisted, but he's at least back to the 4.0 yards per carry mark, and he had a career high 88 receiving yards in Week 2.

Rookie TreyVeon Henderson looked sure to be the RB2 after a stellar preseason, but he's averaged just 3.7 yards per carry and is under 100 total rushing yards for the year.

Enter Gibson, who has been a productive player through a season and four games in New England. He rushed for only 538 yards last year, but had 4.5 yards per carry and 23 catches. He had some nice kick returns in the preseason and was able to parlay that momentum into a kick return touchdown in Week 2 against the Dolphins to regain a Patriots lead.

He's had just 19 carries for 85 yards this year, but 18 of those have come in the last three weeks. While it seemed Vrabel and company didn't want to use him, Gibson has forced their hand as an efficient runner. When he's got a head of steam, good things tend to happen. Look for the former Memphis Tiger to continue to be involved.

WR Mack Hollins

Mack Hollins has seven catches in four games. You're probably thinking, given that stat, he hasn't been all that involved. Well, two of those catches have been touchdowns, and his snap counts show he plays a vital role as a blocker. Through the first three weeks, Hollins played more snaps than all but one Patriots wideout.

Carolina marked the first game in which he played less than 50% of the snaps. While this could be an indication that his role in the offense is fading, I don't think anyone expected him to play as much as he has up to this point in the year, and given his pair of touchdowns, he has. Given proven to be a red zone threat for this offense.

LB Marte Mapu

After the last preseason game, it seemed like Marte Mapu's time as a Patriot was over. His position had been changed to linebacker, and with seemingly no flexibility in the safety depth chart, it seemed to be a sure thing that they would move on. Despite that sentiment, he managed to make the roster, nd despite limited snaps, has proved to be a sound role player.

Robert Spillane is the top linebacker, but Christian Elliss has struggled immensely this year. Jack Gibbens, signed from Tennessee, is primarily a special teamer, and with Jahlani Tavai only returning from IR on Wednesday, there's been an opportunity.

The Sacramento State alum has recorded his highest single-season PFF grade of his career to this point, and he'll be hoping to continue his success. After what seemed to be the end, Mapu may have found a new beginning with his position change.

S Craig Woodson

Craig Woodson was the first defensive player picked by the Patriots in the 2025 Draft, a fourth-round pick. While he's an excellent athlete, people questioned if he was selected too high, as some analysts had him in the sixth-round range. The thought was that the Cal player would be a depth piece and special teamer before taking over full-time, but he's been thrown into the fire.

Vrabel's staff completely abandoned the Jabrill Peppers and Kyle Dugger safety pairing from last season, releasing the former and burying the latter deep in the depth chart. Veteran Jaylinn Hawkins starts in one safety spot while Woodson nabbed the other over Dugger and Dell Pettus.

At six feet, 210 pounds, Woodson has the build to be an immediate contributor. That's exactly what he has been, sporting an above-average 61.1 overall PFF grade. His 74.0 grade against the run is also impressive, ranking 25th among safeties. He's averaged 59 snaps a game so far, a figure that would have seemed impossible just five weeks ago.

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