Now that the initial rosters for the 2026 season have been set, including the most desirable players signed from free agency or picked up from the waiver wire, the Patriots had another chance on Tuesday to pursue one of the best remaining players who was shockingly cut over the weekend, who would easily boost their questionable defensive line.
Because they'll be without Harold Landry to start the season, who was set to be their leading pass rusher once again, there was hope from fans that they would do all that they could to fill the void that is inevitably left in his absence. Outside linebacker Zach Harrison looked like the perfect one to go after.
Despite being just drafted just three years ago by the Falcons and having an impressive junior season in 2025, Atlanta continues to revamp their roster to the fullest and chose to move on from the 25-year-old in one of the most unexpected cuts in the entire league.
The Patriots have a massive need at linebacker, and since they want to build a young and hungry roster, and Mike Vrabel loves aggressive players, there was no reason for them not to be in on Harrison once he hit the waiver wire.
Although it was unlikely they'd land him, since they were No. 31 on the list, it was worth a shot.
For some reason, they didn't do that, and now Harrison is a free agent, and from what they've done with the roster over the last 48 hours, including signing more players to the 53-man roster and the practice squad, it doesn't appear they're interested in what Harrison could do for their defense.
That might be a mistake.
Zach Harrison going unclaimed is a missed opportunity for the Patriots
In just three seasons, Harrison has recorded 81 combined tackles, 12 for a loss, 11 quarterback hits, a safety, 4 passes defended, 2 forced fumbles, and 8.5 sacks. Sure, it's not the flashiest stat line we've ever seen, but he only started in 8 games and played in 40.
Clearly, if he had more opportunities, we would've seen more production from him.
Regardless, he's shown a lot of potential to the point that outlets around the country took notice of the Falcons cutting him. If he wasn't on the radar as a potential star in the making, then he wouldn't have been discussed at all.
The Patriots are a team that has far too many question marks at linebacker, mostly because they're set to rely on rookies other than Robert Spillane at the start of the season to be their main performers: Quintayvious Hutchins, Gabe Jacas, and Namdi Obiazor.
All showed strong potential during the summer, and if the coaching staff feels comfortable going with unproven, inexperienced players, they must have seen something during practice to reach that conclusion.
So, although it's a bit unsettling as an outsider, we have to trust they made the correct decisions, right?
No matter what, Harrison would bring borderline veteran assurance to the current group and appears to have a high ceiling, which is exactly what Vrabel has shown he wants for his roster.
At just 25 years old, the linebacker has a lot to learn, but has already shown a lot of good play, so pairing him with players like Landry and Spillane could help him reach the next level. And because of that, if he remains unsigned this week, they need to take a look at what he can add to their defense ahead of a very difficult game against the Seahawks.
Otherwise, they might learn to regret it fairly quickly.
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