Pats Pulpit
Ekuale will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
The New England Patriots have already restructured their coaching staff for the second consecutive offseason. Now it is time for the real work with an expected overhaul of the roster coming.
Free agency will be a key part of this process. And while adding external players to the mix will undoubtably happen with over $125 million in projected cap space, there are also a few in-house free agents to be taken care of. Following a series of moves, 14 remain in need of a new contract prior to free agency.
Among them is defensive lineman Daniel Ekuale, the next player in our free agency profile series.
Name: Daniel Ekuale
Position: Defensive tackle/Interior defensive line
Opening day age: 31 (1/13/1994)
Size: 6’3”, 310 lbs
Jersey number: 95
Free agency status: Unrestricted free agent (UFA)
NFL teams: Cleveland Browns (2018-19), Jacksonville Jaguars (2020), New England Patriots (2021-2024)
Following a five-year career at Washington State, where he appeared in 51 games with 22 starts, Ekuale did not get selected in the 2018 NFL Draft. He joined the Browns as a rookie free agent and went on to spend two seasons with the organization; the first on the practice squad, the second as a member of the active roster and injured reserve.
Ekuale was let go by the Browns the following year and was picked up by the Jaguars. After one season that saw him move between the practice squad and active roster, he joined the Patriots in 2021.
Ekuale began his career in New England on the practice squad as well, but he did see regular action as a game-day elevation. By his second year with the club, he had established himself as a valuable rotational piece along its interior defensive line — a role he continued to play through his 2024 campaign. In total, he has seen action in a combined 58 regular season and playoff games, including 42 as a Patriot.
Ekuale has six career sacks and a forced fumble on his résumé.
Stats: 16 games (16 starts) | 722 offensive snaps (64.6%), 55 special teams snaps (12.6%) | 52 tackles, 2 missed tackles (3.7%), 2 TFLs | 8 quarterback pressures (1 sack, 1 hit, 6 hurries)
Season recap: Coming off a season-ending biceps injury that limited him to only three games in 2023, the Patriots relied heavily on Ekuale during their 2024 campaign. They had, after all, lost starting defensive tackle Christian Barmore to blood clots early in training camp and therefore found themselves with a massive hole to fill up front.
Ekuale played a prominent part in those efforts, which resulted in the most active season of his career. His 722 defensive snaps more than doubled his previous total as a Patriot (516), and started more games (16) than in his first six seasons (5) combined.
Despite the heavy workload, the 2024 season was a challenging one for Ekuale. While the numbers...
