The New England Patriots enter the 2026 NFL season with depth questions at several positions after an offseason that left much to be desired. The team'sprimarye objective this offseason was to improve several units exposed in the team's convincing loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX.
They didn't do nearly enough at several of them.
Positions still in question include the edge, offensive and defensive tackle, inside linebacker, and guard. In addition, while the team has made a concerted effort to bolster the tight end room, a season-ending injury to free-agent signee blocker Julian Hill put the position back in jeopardy.
Fortunately, they drafted Notre Dame's tight end Eli Raridon in the third round, but Hill's injury decimated their depth there.
Now, the team will seemingly ride with reliable veteran tight end Hunter Henry, Raridon, and second-year rookie undrafted free agent Tanner Arkin. It's not an optimal situation, and an injury to Henry will wreak havoc on the offense if he's out of the lineup for any significant time.
The New England Patriots' offseason was just not good enough
While the Patriots' starting 11 on both offense and defense entering the season is solid, inevitable injuries will quickly hurt the team's 2026 prognosis.
This is a failure of the personnel management to take the appropriate steps to provide the all-important depth necessary to withstand the rigors of a 17-game regular season and playoffs, if things go well.
Tight end is now a position where an injury to Henry would be catastrophic. While some commentators attempt to gild the lily by locking onto Raridon as an immediate contributor, the reality is that, while he has potential, he's still a rookie who only caught a meager 32 passes in 2025, with no touchdowns to his credit for the Fighting Irish.
The team's initial strategy was sound as long as Hill was around, but after he went down, a significant move was required, and the team punted.
An injury to Henry will leave the position in the hands of two totally untested rookies with zero NFL games under their collective belts. Additionally, the top backup, Raridon, has a history of major injuries that makes the situation even more precarious.
These include two ACL tears in his right knee. The current situation is untenable and smacks of personnel mismanagement, if not outright incompetence.
Hill's injury required a significant trade for an NFL battle-tested tight end immediately, preferably a young veteran, and the team has essentially done nothing to replace him. Worse still, Hill's injury happened relatively early in the team's offseason, leaving plenty of time to take appropriate action. They still failed to act decisively.
The overall 2026 offseason performance is reminiscent of the gross ineptitude of the entire 2024 offseason. Absent drafting Drake Maye, it delivered basically nothing. Conversely, the 2025 offseason, with Mike Vrabel clearly pulling all the levers, was a masterclass in roster rebuilding.
The Patriots will now naively enter the 2026 season with depth holes across the roster, including the glaring one noted at tight end. Pollyannas can point to the very solid starting 11s at the outset of the season to present a counterargument.
Yet the fact remains: injuries will happen, and if and when they do at tight end or at several other positions, they will leave the Patriots' 2026 season hanging by a thread.
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