Here's the New England Patriots' initial 53-man roster for 2026 season
The New England Patriots have finalized their initial 53-man roster after making a final round of cuts and also adding offensive line depth with a trade Sunday afternoon.
There were no major surprises as the Patriots whittled down their roster by the NFL's 6 p.m. deadline.
Offensive tackle Marcus Bryant will start the season on injured reserve, edge rusher Harold Landry will remain on the physically unable to perform list, and special teams standout Brenden Schooler will remain on the non-football injury list. That means all three players will miss at least four games.
In a trade with the Minnesota Vikings just before the deadline, the Patriots added offensive tackle Walter Rouse in a late-round pick swap.
Here's a look at the initial Patriots roster by position.
Quarterback
It's no surprise that Drake Maye made the roster after finishing second last year in MVP voting.
He is joined by Tommy DeVito and Behren Morton, selected in this year's NFL draft.
Running back and fullback
Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson were roster locks for the backfield. The real battle was for the third running back position.
On Saturday, the Patriots executed a trade with the Arizona Cardinals to acquire running back Corey Kiner. He made the roster as the third back, beating out Lan Larison, draft pick Jam Miller and others.
Reggie Gilliam, who left Buffalo to sign with the Patriots in the offseason, is the team's only fullback.
Wide receiver
After trading Kayshon Boutte to the Houston Texans, it was an uneventful day of cuts in the wide receiver portion of the roster.
The team starts the year with six receivers - A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs, DeMario "Pop" Douglas, Mack Hollins, Kyle Williams and Efton Chism.
Tight end
The Patriots will carry three tight ends, led by freshly extended veteran Hunter Henry.
Rookie Eli Raridon and undrafted rookie Tanner Arkin round out the tight end room.
Offensive line
Ben Brown, a depth piece who suffered an injury in the preseason, made the initial roster and was not placed on injured reserve. That means he'll have a chance to miss less than four games.
Will Campbell, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Mike Onwenu, Morgan Moses and Jared Wilson will be the team's expected starting line.
Also making the roster were first-round pick Caleb Lomu, Dametrious Crownover, Greg Van Roten and the newly acquired Rouse.
Defensive line
The Patriots have some size up front.
Milton Williams and Christian Barmore return this year to lead the way. They'll be joined by Cory Durden, Joshua Farmer and Leonard Taylor III.
Linebacker
Linebacker is one area the Patriots appear to be thinner in.
New free agent addition Dre'Mont Jones leads the way, joined by rookie Gabe Jacas, K.J. Britt, Christian Elliss, Khalil Jacobs, Namdi Obiazor, Elijah Ponder and Robert Spillane. Rookie Quintayvious Hutchins, who faced criminal charges not long after the team drafted him out of Boston College, made the team.
Cornerback
Christian Gonzalez's contract situation remains up in the air, but he leads the cornerback room heading into the season.
Carlton Davis, Channing Canada, Marcus Jones, Karon Prunty and Charles Woods round out the position.
Safety
Veteran addition Kevin Byard is one of four safeties. Craig Woodson returns for a second season after a standout rookie campaign.
Dell Pettus also returns, joined by Jaylen Reed, who was added from Houston in the Boutte trade.
Special teams
Bryce Baringer is dealing with an injury, but made the team as the only punter.
Long snapper Julian Ashby and second-year kicker Andy Borregales complete the special teams unit.
The Patriots open the season on Wednesday, Sept. 9, in Seattle in a Super Bowl rematch that serves as the NFL's showcase game to start the year.