The New England Patriots got decent 2025 defensive line play on their way to the Super Bowl. Yet decent wasn't enough to beat a better Seattle team. The Seahawks won the sack duel in a landslide, 6-1. That disparity, coupled with three Patriots' offensive turnovers, sealed the deal for Seattle.
One clear area of need was the defensive front, and Pro Football Focus unsurprisingly ranked the Patriots' D-line only the NFL's 16th-best.
The edge was seen as the biggest deficiency, and the team signed free agent edge Dre'Mont Jones to help. Yet, they ill-advisedly allowed edge K'Lavon Chiasson and his 7.5 sacks to leave while starter Harold Landry III remains out injured.
While they also drafted Illinois' edge Gabe Jacas in the second round, he's well behind the curve, having held out for most of the offseason before summer camp. Elijah Ponder is their best backup.
Yet, the Patriots' depth at edge is still shaky at best. They are also thin at defensive tackle, having ill-advisedly allowed surprising 2025 third defensive tackle, Khyiris Tonga, to leave in free agency. These are prime reasons why the Patriots' defensive front is being downplayed, and PFF's flat rating is entirely justifiable.
PFF is right with their mediocre ranking of the Patriots' defensive line ahead of the 2026 season
The 2026 offseason has been a mixed bag for the Patriots, and the defensive front still isn't where it needs to be. With Landry's health situation still up in the air, Jones and second-year edge Elijah Ponder, who had four solid sacks in 2025, may be the starting edge tandem against Seattle on September 9, in the Super Bowl rematch.
It's not too late for a trade, but we're getting close. The depth behind Landry, Jones, and Ponder is the rookie Jacas.
PFF's ranking overstates the good and basically ignores the depth issue.
"Milton Williams didn’t match the heights of his 2024 season with the Philadelphia Eagles, when he earned a 90.4 PFF pass-rush grade, but he still generated 36 pressures in his first season with the Patriots. Alongside Christian Barmore and Cory Durden, he gives New England a strong group on the interior.
The Patriots replaced K’Lavon Chaisson with Dre’Mont Jones in free agency, adding a versatile piece who can move around the defensive front in obvious passing situations. Getting Harold Landry back from the PUP list in time for the start of the season would provide another boost after he generated 48 pressures in his first year with New England."
PFF's description of the defensive front may mask an even more ominous reality. The two starting defensive tackles, Williams and Barmore, are one of the NFL's best duos. But top backup Cory Durden is an unknown who notched zero sacks, with only five tackles for loss and one quarterback hit last season in 17 games.
2025's fourth-round pick, Joshua Farmer, is next in line. Yet he too had zero sacks in 13 games. Weakening the D-line by letting Tonga go may come back to haunt them.
Mike Vrabel and his staff did some good things this offseason, including trading for A.J. Brown and signing free agents: receiver Romeo Doubs, safety Kevin Byard III, and (if he's healthy) guard Alijah Vera-Tucker.
But one area in which they dropped the ball is the defensive front. An injury to Williams, Barmore, or Jones could be catastrophic for a team with limited depth along the D-line, at positions where injuries abound. If everyone stays healthy, they may be OK, but it's a very big "if."
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