FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Patriots open the 2026 regular season at the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 9 at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC, and must trim their roster to 53 players by 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, according to the projection. One final preseason game at Cleveland precedes the cuts.
The projection lists three quarterbacks: Drake Maye, Tommy DeVito and seventh-round pick Behren Morton, with Morton credited for strong preseason play and developmental promise. The backfield projection keeps two running backs, Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson, while veteran Reggie Gilliam is the lone fullback. The tight end group is projected at three: Hunter Henry, Eli Raridon and undrafted rookie Tanner Arkin, who has stepped in after Julian Hill sustained a season-ending knee injury in the spring.
One of the roster’s most compelling questions is wide receiver depth. Most teams carry five or six receivers, but the Patriots are projected to keep seven: A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs, DeMario “Pop” Douglas, Mack Hollins, Kayshon Boutte, Kyle Williams and Efton Chism III. Coach Mike Vrabel has identified the position as a strength of the team, and the projection notes Boutte’s regular offensive role in training camp; the team could consider a trade if another club offers sufficient value.
The offensive line is projected to feature 10 players: Will Campbell, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Jared Wilson, Mike Onwenu, Morgan Moses, Caleb Lomu, Marcus Bryant, Greg Van Roten, Ben Brown and Dametrious Crownover. The projection notes injuries that could affect openings: Ben Brown was sidelined after a preseason opener injury, leading to the signing of veteran Greg Van Roten on Aug. 18, and Marcus Bryant suffered a left ankle injury in the Week 2 preseason game.
On defense the projection lists six defensive linemen — Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, Cory Durden, Joshua Farmer, Leonard Taylor III and Eric Gregory — and eight linebackers — Dre’Mont Jones, Elijah Ponder, Gabe Jacas, Harold Landry III, Robert Spillane, Christian Elliss, Khalil Jacobs and K.J. Britt. Christian Barmore has been in and out of practice with an undisclosed issue, and the team’s visit with free agent DaQuan Jones is noted. A remaining roster question is whether Harold Landry will open the year on the physically unable to perform list, which would leave the edge group thin.
