Forget all the hype about the New England Patriots making the Super Bowl in 2025 and upgrading their offense with A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs. While their 2026 season *should* be good, there’s one massive red flag already waving, and it’s something ESPN’s Mike Reiss called the Patriots’ “biggest concern”: their pass rush production. Seriously, if you’re looking for a glaring issue, it’s their edge rusher group, and it couldn’t come at a more interesting time for us Seattle fans.
Is This Edge Rush a Disaster Waiting to Happen?
This isn’t some minor tweak either. Reiss hit it on the head, questioning the move to trade away K’Lavon Chaisson, who put up a team-high 7.5 sacks last season, and bring in Dre’Mont Jones to take his place at outside linebacker. Is that an upgrade? Reiss doesn’t think so, and neither do I. Chaisson was *good* for them, and Jones, while decent, is a total unknown when it comes to replicating that kind of production. How do you replace a guy who led your team in sacks with a player whose output is basically a coin toss? That swap alone should have Patriots fans sweating, but that’s only part of the problem.
Relying on Rookies and the PUP List? No Thanks.
Adding to the edge rusher woes, Harold Landry III is kicking off the year on the PUP list. That immediately raises another huge question from Reiss: is 2025 undrafted free agent Elijah Ponder ready to just step in and fill that void? C’mon. Relying on an unproven undrafted guy to be a key part of your pass rush right out of the gate feels like a massive gamble, and frankly, a mistake. Then you’ve got rookie edge Gabe Jacas, who missed a ton of time in what they call “this spring and summer” because of a knee procedure and a contract holdout. Missing all that practice and development? Not ideal for a rookie needing to contribute immediately. Besides Jones, Ponder, and Jacas, the Patriots are counting on Quintayvious Hutchins to step up and see “some real work” early on. This whole room is screaming “questionable” at the top of its lungs.
This “questionable edge-rusher room” *needs* to get off to a strong start for the Patriots and head coach Mike Vrabel. Otherwise, it’s not a matter of if, but when, they’ll have to scramble and trade for a new edge rusher mid-season. That all starts on Wednesday for them, with their opening game against our Seattle Seahawks. You know our boys are going to be ready to put that Patriots’ defensive weakness to the test from the very first snap. Get ready, 12s, this could be a fun one to watch.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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