‘Playmakers’ should be a focus for Patriots defense in 2026

As the 2026 NFL offseason gets underway, a lot had been made about how the New England Patriots can upgrade their offense. That's warranted, after the unit struggled in the playoffs and was a non-factor in the team's Super Bowl loss.

But, what about the defense?

Big picture, the Patriots' defense had a strong year in 2025. They ranked fourth in scoring (18.8 points per game) and eighth in yards (295.2) in the regular season. They doubled down on that effort in the playoffs allowing just 12 points per game.

Basically, the Patriots did a really good job preventing opposing offenses from making plays in 2025. As they turn their attention to 2026 though there should be added focus on helping the unit make more of its own plays.

That's where the Patriots' defense wasn't as dominant last year - beyond the preventative element of the game. They ranked 19th in total takeaways and 22nd in sacks, and 11th in total tackles for loss. Situationally, when the biggest plays happened, they had their issues ranking 12th in third down defense (38.5%) and fourth in red zone defense (67.5%).

Failing to make plays of their own didn't burn the Patriots too much in the regular season, but in the Super Bowl it came back around. In fact, it's something head coach Mike Vrabel noted after the game despite the unit's overall performance.

"I thought they battled. I thought they played well in the red zone," Vrabel said when asked to assess how the defense did against Seattle. "We didn’t create any turnovers and missed some sacks, missed some tackles. So not well enough for us to win, just like everybody else, whether that’s coaching or playing. But they competed. We needed to find a turnover somewhere in there with the way that the game was going."

As the Patriots face a tougher schedule in 2026, they'll likely see more rock fight games like they did in the Super Bowl. As they look to improve the defense this offseason, adding more true 'playmakers' should be a focus to help prepare for that. That could be through free agency for the draft.

Those additions can come in any number of ways, including overlapping with existing needs. Improving the pass rush off the edge, for instance, will naturally help the defense become more explosive.

At the second and third levels, the team does need to add rotational, situational players at both linebacker and safety (and potentially a starting safety if Jaylinn Hawkins doesn't re-sign). Given the preventative defenders the team already has in place, focusing on players with more of a 'playmaker' profile who have proven they can get their hands on the football could make sense as they look to fill those roles. Players that have a track record of getting to the football and forcing fumbles and interceptions should get a little extra notice.

Cornerback is another position where the Patriots could make this kind of investment longer-term. The Patriots only had three interceptions by a cornerback this year, and all three came from Marcus Jones. On the boundary though, Carlton Davis is entering the final year of his contract with guaranteed money and with a significant contract likely looming for Christian Gonzalez, the Patriots could look ahead on getting his replacement.

There are a number of cornerbacks in this draft, especially on Day 3, with good on-ball production. The Patriots could draft a player who ideally would step into the third boundary cornerback role this year, then develop into a guy who can play opposite Gonzalez down the road.

As the offseason goes on, there will be plenty of talk about adding playmakers on offense to help Drake Maye and that unit reach the next level. Again, that's all fair - but the Patriots shouldn't lose sight of adding one or two playmakers to the defensive side of the ball as well, to help that unit achieve the same thing.