Patriots links 7/02/26: Stevenson-Henderson RB duo in Top 5

TEAM TALK

• Patriots Catch-22: QB tiers, NFL over/unders. (2 hours)

LOCAL LINKS

• Hector Longo ranks all the Patriots road trips for 2026: From a Super Bowl rematch in Seattle to Monday Night at Arrowhead, New England’s away schedule is loaded this season.
• Ethan Hurwitz explains why the Patriots should already be overjoyed with Kevin Byard signing.
• Ethan Hurwitz notes defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr’s motivation stems from two important things.
• Ethan Hurwitz looks at Justin Melo’s re-ranking of the 2026 rookies and why the Pats’ were given more stick than carrot.
• Richard Lewis relays an article from The Athletic, listing the biggest questions on all 32 teams in the NFL. For the Patriots, the question was about the defensive line.
• Hector Longo weighs the pros and cons of the Patriots taking a flyer on TE Jonnu Smith.
• Sara Marshall suggests the Patriots need to keep a close eye on a potential trade target, Cardinals TE Trey McBride.
• Stephen Sheehan thinks the NFL’s 100 best players in the league list will disappoint Patriots fans.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Matt Verderame (SI) Ranking the five best running back duos ahead of the 2026 season. No. 5 Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson.
• Jared Dubin (CBS Sports) 2026 NFL WR dynamic duo rankings. No. 7 A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs.
• Gilberto Manzano (SI) Ranking the NFL’s five best wide receiver duos for 2026. No Pats.
• Bill Barnwell (ESPN) Which U.S. area has best NFL players? Eight teams, Cup winner. Pats included.
• Justin Melo (NFL Draft on SI) 2026 NFL Draft: Way-too-early re-ranking of the top 50 prospects.
• Nick Shook (NFL.com) Which NFL players should improve in 2026?
• Bobby Kownack (NFL.com) Top 100 Players of 2026: Nos. 90-85. No Pats.
• Zachary Pereles (CBS Sports) NFL sophomore QB outlook: Biggest 2026 questions for Cam Ward, Jaxson Dart and Tyler Shough.
• Matt Verderame (SI) Super Bowl LXI road map: Bengals are dangerous, but there are potential pitfalls.
• Staff (SI) Ranking America’s best athletes from all 50 states.
• The Breer Report (SI) Rams the best in the NFL? Joey Bosa done? Bears Edge rushers. (7 min. video)
• The Breer Report (SI) Lions release Terrion Arnold, Aiyuk’s drama, Chris Johnson’s ALS diagnosis. (10 min. video)

EXTRACURRICULAR

• Jerry Thornton writes about the ‘Mexican Batman’ who has been running around the city, catching motorbike thieves and leaving them taped to poles for the police.
• Chris Bumbaca (USA Today) The questions the NFL couldn’t afford to ask about Brendan Sorsby, a gamble it wouldn’t take.
• Ben Koo and Brendon Kleen (Awful Announcing) ESPN analyst Matt Miller’s charitable efforts face scrutiny amid life-threatening car crash.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Report: Jonathan Jones is in “advanced talks” to leave CBS for The Athletic. The role of the insider vs. traditional reporting.
• Michael David Smith (ProFootballTalk) NFL Network-Comcast standoff enters its third month.