Pats Pulpit
Before the 2025 season, the Nnew England Patriots were given odds of anywhere from +8,000 to +10,000 to get to Super Bowl LX. Certainly understandable for a franchise that was coming off matching 4-13 seasons under Bill Belichick and Jerod Mayo. New head coach Mike Vrabel was generally seen as an upgrade over Mayo, but to what degree? When defensive coordinator Terrell Williams was diagnosed with prostate cancer in September, to be replaced by inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr, those odds probably looked pretty good in comparison to reality.
Of course, we know what actually happened. Drake Maye became the quarterback the team dreamed of in 2025 after a very tough rookie season in 2024. The offense came together in ways nobody imagined. And the defense under Kuhr (now the full-time DC, while Williams remains with the team as an Assistant Head coach) started dominating as the season progressed in ways that, frankly, blew my mind.
Yes, the 29-13 loss in SBLX was a disappointment. But now, these Pats expect, and are expected to, contend for a return trip to the NFL’s biggest game. Which is a rather large glow-up from where things had been. Going from what seemed like a from-the-studs rebuild to the top tier of one’s conference usually takes longer, but here we are.
“I think expectations should always be high,” Vrabel said at the scouting combine back in February. “They were high when we started this thing just a little over a year ago. Everything’s a different challenge, but that’s a little far out. I think right now it’s about, from a coaching standpoint, what we did well, how we can enhance it, the new ideas. We have to have fresh ideas to what we’re doing in all three phases. That’s been my direction to the staff is to go through and focus on what we can do to enhance the core concepts, but also, I need to see some new ideas that maybe force us to push ourselves in a different direction.
“Not a wholesale change, but things that we feel like can help us, but that are also new.”
The Patriots have all kinds of talent — both old and new — to help them realize those visions. And here are three players who are flying under the radar on the 2026 roster who deserve more praise. One veteran, one free agent, and one draft pick.
Here are your Patriots Hidden Gems for the new season.
Safety Jaylinn Hawkins was another Secret Superstar in this defense last season, but the Patriots lost him to the Baltimore Ravens in free agency. That turned out to be not a problem, as the team responded by signing veteran Kevin Byard to a one-year, $7 million contract. If Byard stays healthy and plays at his peak, this may give New England one of the best safety duos in the NFL, because we already know that second-year man Craig Woodson is up for...
