Patriots links 7/15/26: Summer spotight on OL, TE, FB

TEAM TALK

• Evan Lazar’s Patriots Position Snapshot: Offensive Line.
• Evan Lazar’s Patriots Position Snapshot: Tight ends/Fullbacks. “…Due to the unfortunate injury to Julian Hill in the spring, there’s some uncertainty at tight end for the Patriots behind Hunter Henry that will need to be sorted out in camp.“
• Training Camp Preview: Tight Ends (7 min. video) and Offensive line (8 min.) Mike Dussault, Evan Lazar and Paul Perillo break it all down.
• Patriots Unfiltered: Offensive Line position snapshot, Training Camp storylines to watch, offseason hot topics. (2 hours)

LOCAL LINKS

• Khari Thompson’s 2026 position review: Offensive line. “The Pats‘ OL had a much better showing in 2025 than it did in 2024, but it remains one of the team’s biggest question marks.“
• Ryan O’Leary notes how ESPN left Mike Onwenu off it’s rankings of ‘top Interior Offensive Linemen.’ He didn’t get a single vote, “ignoring the undeniable value he brought to the Patriots during last year’s run.“
• Matt Legros notes Pats promising C Jared Wilson was named to NFL’s 2026 All-Breakout team.
• Michael Hurley talks about Albert Breer’s feeling that Drake Maye could be ‘best player in football’ within a few years.
• Hector Longo wonders if the Patriots would ever consider a receiver trio of A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs and Stefon Diggs.
• Mike D’Abate spotlights LB Namdi Obiazor as the Patriots rookie with the best chance to surprise everyone
• Ethan Hurwitz explains why the Patriots are so excited about rookie CB Karon Prunty.
• Hector Longo profiles a hungry Brenden Schooler, who’s again gunning for special teams greatness.
• Patriots On SI ranks the top 25 Patriots of 2026. No. 11 Marcus Jones is a true dual-threat superstar.
• Jerry Thornton calls out Chris Simms for his insane grudge against the GOAT, after he ranked Tom Brady ninth among all QBs in their primes.
• All-32 NFL podcast: Mike Giardi and Andy Hart discuss what Patriots player will take the biggest step back this season? (18 min.)

NATIONAL NEWS

• Charean Williams (ProFootballTalk) Kevin Byard: A.J. Brown shifts your philosophy on how you play defense.
• Jeremy Fowler (ESPN) Execs, coaches, scouts rank top NFL wide receivers for 2026. No. 9 A.J. Brown.
• Eva Geitheim, et al (SI) Ranking the 10 best NFL defensive tackles for 2026. No Pats.
• Jared Dubin (CBS Sports) 2026 NFL ‘Triplets’ rankings: Where every team’s QB, RB, pass catcher combo stands. Patriots 9th. “… The single-biggest riser among voters, the Pats rocketed up from 26th.”
• Jordan Dajani (CBS Sports) Ranking the 5 best and worst QB situations for 2026. Jets, Dolphins among 5 worst. No Pats or Bills.
• Nick Shook (NFL.com) Ranking all eight NFL divisions entering 2026 season. AFC East 7th.
• Gilberto Manzano (SI) Super Bowl LXI Road Map: Chargers, Justin Herbert are running out of excuses.
• Frank Schwab (Yahoo! Sports) Offseason power rankings: No. 16 Jaguars had a fun breakout and a very quiet offseason. -...