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Overview of the New England Patriots Defense
This year's EOTG series started with the Super Bowl Champions. It closes out with the team that lost the final game of the season. The Patriots' last dynasty ended with the departure of Tom Brady in 2020. Many excellent moves kept the team on top for nearly two decades. When it came to an end, it was time to pay the piper. After years of drafting at the end of rounds and sometimes not at all on the first day, it took a while to climb out of salary cap purgatory and rebuild the rundown roster. The Patriots were back in 2025.
New England focused on offense first, resulting in a dismal defensive performance in 2024. The 2025 version left room for improvement in some areas, but looked much more like some of the teams that brought home championships. They need to create more turnovers than the 19 from last year, and the pass rush was tied for 22nd with 35 sacks. When a defense holds opponents under 18 points per game, those mediocre numbers are easily overlooked. The pass defense and the run defense ranked among the top 10 in yards per attempt and yards per carry, and neither gave up many long plays. With a few tweaks and no major personnel losses, the Patriots are poised to be right in the thick of it again this coming January.
The organization did not spend heavily in free agency, but they spent wisely, adding two starters. Kevin Byard III was arguably the best safety on the market, and certainly the premier playmaker at the position. Journeyman edge Dre'Mont Jones is not a star, but he is an upgrade. The team went offensive tackle with their first pick, but selected edge Gabe Jacas in the second. They didn't come back to the defense until day three, when they picked up a corner, linebacker, and another edge in rounds 5, 6, and 7, respectively.
New England Patriots Defensive Line
Much like the Patriots of old, last year's unit was void of superstars on the defensive line, and very thin on IDP value. Edge Harold Landry III was the best the team had to offer. His numbers were down a bit compared to what we had come to expect during his seven years with the Titans. Some of that can be attributed to the knee injury he suffered in Week 16, which kept him out of the last two games and limited him throughout the playoffs.
In his last five full seasons with Tennessee, Landry never fell short of 41 solo stops or 22 assists, and he had at least 9 sacks in four of those years. His 2025 numbers of 27-16-8.5 with a forced fumble would likely have been on par had he played those last two plus games.
Landry looks to be the best fantasy option of the group again this year, that is, if he is ready to play. The knee remains an issue, casting doubt on Landry's availability early on. He opened training camp on the PUP, and head coach Mike Vrabel says his availability for the start of the season is uncertain. This is a situation we need to watch closely throughout August. At this point, Landry is worth picking up late in the draft as an extra. Stick him on IR if he's not cleared and use the roster spot to grab one of those productive week-one surprises.
Dre'Mont Jones replaces K'Lavon Chaisson, who had somewhat of a breakout season in 2025. Both players recorded a career-high seven sacks in 2025, but Jones has displayed more consistency over his career. He is stronger against the run and will make a few more tackles, but unless he tops his career best of 26 solos and 23 assists set in 2023, his IDP value will be marginal.
If Landry is not ready, the next man up would likely be Elijah Ponder, who made the team last year as an undrafted free agent. Ponder is an interesting prospect in that he went 14-10-4 and recovered a pair of fumbles on 215 plays. Those numbers are strong for such a small role. With Landry's situation, they are enough to put Ponder on the watch list.
The next most experienced edge defender on the current roster is 2025 third-day draft pick Bradyn Swinson, who played 27 snaps as a rookie, which brings us to Gabe Jacas. The rookie's biggest assets are play strength and versatility. He can hold his ground at the point of attack and can work with his hand in the dirt or from a two-point stance. Versatility is important because the Patriots like to bounce back and forth between three- and four-man fronts. Having an edge who can play either gives the play caller options without substitutions. That can be an important factor in the play-calling chess game of today's NFL.
When it comes to rushing the passer, Jacas is more of a mauler than a polished technician. Interestingly, he draws comparisons to former Patriots great Matthew Judon, who had a similar skill set and play style.
Possibly the most intriguing thing about Jacas is his college production. He was a stand-up linebacker/edge over his first three years at Illinois. In that role, he recorded 74 tackles, 8 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and a recovery as a junior in 2024. Jacas played with his hand down as a senior. His tackle numbers suffered, dropping to 43, but he got to the passer 11 times and forced 3 more fumbles.
Jacas opened camp on the non-football injury list, though he is expected to come off early and be ready for the season. If the team had more options, I would expect a limited role. Under the circumstances, I can see Jacas getting on the field quickly and potentially landing a starting spot if Landry misses time. I like him as a deep sleeper, especially in dynasty leagues.
There was a time when the Patriots gave us decent value at the interior positions. That was certainly not the case last year when Milton Williams was the best the team could offer at 15-15-3.5. There are no sure targets for us, but there is reason to be optimistic about Williams and Christian Barmore.
Before landing in New England last offseason, Williams served as the third man in the Eagles' rotation for four years. Considering the limited role, he was rather productive, totaling 131 tackles and 11.5 sacks. Williams missed five games in 2025, so his overall numbers were skewed. However, even his per-game production was way down the list. Working over 60% of the snaps on the season, Williams saw enough action to be fantasy productive. The playing time is there, and his skill set fits the team's aggressive scheme. All things considered, Williams should make a bigger impact in 2026. Only time will tell if it is "bigger" enough to make a splash in the fantasy pool.
When the Patriots drafted Christian Barmore in round two back in 2021, he came with high expectations as both an NFL player and an IDP prospect. He had a decent rookie campaign, but instead of taking the next step in year two, his season was sidetracked by nagging injuries that cost him some games. We finally saw what was expected of him in 2023 when Barmore exploded for 64 combined tackles, 8 sacks, a forced fumble, and 6 batted passes, finishing in the top five.
Instead of building on the breakout season, Barmore's 2024 was a medical disaster. Not because of injuries, but due to a career-threatening situation with blood clots that cost him nearly the entire season. Barmore was back in action in 2025, but the production did not come with him. Despite leading the team's interior linemen with 667 snaps, he managed just 15-14-2. At a position thin on quality options, there is enough potential to make Barmore worthy of a late-round pick in leagues that start two tackles. Just don't count on him as a starter.
After taking the job away from Khyiris Tonga midway through last season, Cory Durden rounds out the starting lineup at nose tackle. He is tough to move and holds up well against double teams, but there is no wiggle to his pass rush. Durden could approach 50 combined stops; however, more than a sack or two would be a surprise.
Several young and inexperienced guys will compete for backup snaps on the inside. If the Patriots lose a starter, it might be a problem.
- Edge Harold Landry III – solid starter when healthy, but he may not get there this year
- Edge Dre'Mont Jones – Potential depth with marginal upside
- Edge Gabe Jacas – Dynasty target with sleeper potential as a rookie
- Edge Bradyn Swinson – No impact expected
- Edge Elijah Ponder – Watchlist worthy if Landry is not ready
- NT Cory Durden – No fantasy impact
- DT Christian Barmore – Sleeper with high potential
- DT Milton Williams – Possible depth
- DT Joshua Farmer – No impact
- DT Jeremiah Pharms Jr. – No impact
- DT Leonard Taylor – No impact
