Jerod Mayo is hopeful Titus Leo will be able to help the New England Patriots in more ways than one.

New England signed Leo to its 53-man roster this week. The 2023 sixth-round pick previously was on the Indianapolis Colts practice squad.

“Just a versatile player,” Mayo told reporters at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday, per a team-provided transcript. “He has good size (6-foot-3, 245 pounds), good athleticism. Hopefully, he can help us on defense and really special teams as well.”

Leo’s addition came as the Patriots revamped their linebacker corps. New England placed linebacker Curtis Jacobs (head) on injured reserved...

The Patriots threw a wrinkle in their gameplan on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams.

New England incorporated cornerback Marcus Jones on a pair of offensive snaps in the third quarter, lining him up in the slot on two boomerang motions that ended one handoff for five yards and a decoy to help set up a screen pass to Rhamondre Stevenson.

Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt was originally credited with the plan, but it didn’t actually come about until he received a text from Jones.

Yes, it’s apparently that easy.

“I got a text from Marcus Jones,” Van Pelt...

The Pro Football Hall of Fame narrowed their list of Modern Era candidates for the Class of 2025 to 50 last month. On Wednesday, that group was cut in half. The Hall of Fame announced their 25 semifinalists to be included among the inductees next year. The New England Patriots were well-represented on the list. […]

The post Patriots Legends Among Pro Football Hall of Fame Seminfinalists appeared first on Patriots Football Now.

The Patriots desperately need help on the offensive side of the football.

New England’s offensive line needs to be improved, as protecting quarterback Drake Maye should be a franchise priority for years to come. Maye’s development also could be accelerated with better weapons in his arsenal.

However, one NFL draft analyst believes New England will go defense with its first pick in next year’s draft.

The Patriots are in line to pick early in 2025, as it owned the sixth overall pick coming out of Week 11. With that first-round position in mind, ESPN’s Matt Miller projected New England to...

The Patriots have something special in Drake Maye.

We know it. You know it. Patriots tight end Hunter Henry knows it, going as far as to compare the rookie quarterback to Los Angeles Chargers star Justin Herbert on Wednesday.

“There’s a lot of similarities in a lot of ways,” Henry said when asked about Maye and Herbert, per Mark Daniels of MassLive. “They’re different but similar in a way, too. Justin’s a special player, but Drake is a very special player, too. The size always helps. Drake’s a big guy and Justin is obviously a very big guy. The mobility...

Daily news and links for Thursday.

TEAM TALK

• Patriots-Dolphins initial Injury Report.
• Mike Dussault’s 10 to Watch: Patriots look to break through vs. Tua, Dolphins.
• Mike Dussault’s Patriots Notebook: Strange back in mix as Pats prepare for Miami.
• Press Conferences: Jerod Mayo - Drake Maye - Hunter Henry.
• Game Preview: Key matchups and players to watch against the Dolphins. (5.34 min. video)
• Patriots Playbook with John Rooke: Rams recap, Dolphins preview. (2 hours)

LOCAL LINKS

• Karen Guregian writes, Jerod Mayo is still working out the kinks and needs to figure out who he...

The Patriots appear to have put themselves in a great spot at the most important position in all of sports.

Now, the onus is on New England to keep building around its franchise quarterback.

The Patriots failed to do so after selecting Drake Maye with the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. New England didn’t bolster its receiving corps and inexcusably failed to improve its offensive line. To Maye’s credit, he’s managed to show superstar potential despite a weak supporting cast.

But now that the Patriots know what they have in the North Carolina product, the front office...

The Patriots didn’t make a blockbuster trade before the NFL’s deadline, but they apparently had an opportunity to.

In an ESPN column published Wednesday, league insider Jeremy Fowler revisited New England’s inactivity leading up to the deadline. The Patriots didn’t sell to accrue future assets or bring in any players to accelerate their rebuild.

Fowler provided insight into the Patriots’ unexpectedly quiet approach, and in doing so, he revealed an inquiry that Eliot Wolf and company vehemently shut down.

“They did nothing at the deadline, suggesting this isn’t as big of a roster teardown as most thought. Well, it is...

How the Rams used play-action to dominate New England on early downs in Week 11.

Through the first 15 minutes at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, DeMarcus Covington’s defense held the upper hand on Sean McVay. The New England Patriots held on two third-down stops at midfield, forcing the Los Angeles Rams to punt twice.

Then, the dam broke.

The Rams scored touchdowns on four of their next five possessions and missed a field goal from the 8-yard line on the other. A 7-0 New England lead quickly became a 28-13 deficit.

Sean McVay exploited a league-worst pass defense on early...

McDaniel’s Dolphins will try to slow down Maye on Sunday.

Less than a week after earning praise from Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay, New England Patriots rookie quarterback received positive reviews from Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel ahead of their Week 12 matchup.

“I saw a true quarterback who has the ability to gain the confidence of his teammates and lead and orchestrate an offense. I saw guy who can make plays in a multitude of ways,” McDaniel told Miami reporters on Wednesday when asked about his evaluation of Maye.

“The Patriots are kind of feeling that...

New England took a look at two free agents this week.

The New England Patriots offensive line received a boost this week: former first-round draft pick Cole Strange, a 27-game starter at left guard who also might factor into the center mix, returned to practice on Wednesday. It was his first time back on the field since tearing his patellar tendon last December.

What the future has in store for Strange, and how quickly he can return to game shape, will be seen. That uncertainty might be why New England keeps looking for help along the offensive line even with...

Thornton joined the Chiefs following his recent release from the Patriots.

Former second-round draft pick Tyquan Thornton never worked out with the New England Patriots, leading to his eventual release last week. Since then, he has joined the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad and promptly earned some praise from his new quarterback.

“Obviously, in season haven’t watched a ton of film on him, but just from the highlights that I have seen: a ton of big-play ability,” Patrick Mahomes told reporters on Wednesday.

“Someone that has a big frame. I didn’t realize how tall he was until he got in...