The New England Patriots went into the offseason with edge rusher expected to be one of their biggest needs. Now, merely days away from the start of training camp, edge rusher is still the biggest need on the roster.
One of the more unpopular moves during the offseason was the team’s decision to move on from K’Lavon Chaisson, who outplayed his initial perceived value on the one-year deal he signed with the Patriots in 2025.
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He finished second behind Harold Landry III with 7.5 sacks and was one of the most productive defenders on the field over the four-game playoff stretch, racking up three sacks, one pass defended, one forced fumble, 10 quarterback hits and four tackles for a loss.
And yet, despite clear upside being shown by Chaisson, the Patriots decided to shift their entire focus to Dre’Mont Jones in free agency. It’s a move that might come back to haunt the team given the current state of the edge position.
Landry is reportedly opening training camp on the physically unable to perform list. It’s a concerning designation for a 30-year-old player who consistently dealt with injuries last season. There are no guarantees that Landry can serve as a full-time player on the edge anymore at this point in his career. Perhaps he’d be better off contributing in a part-time rotational role on defense.
But as currently constructed, the Patriots are too desperate for that to be an acceptable option.
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Gabe Jacas was supposed to be the emergency Plan B option for the team, but he has yet to sign his rookie deal. Even more concerning is the fact that he missed all of the spring work on the field and in the classroom. There are no guarantees he’d even be up to speed to contribute in full force even if a deal came together.
That leaves the Patriots with two second-year players in Elijah Ponder and Bradyn Swinson, along with Jones, Jesse Luketa and rookie Quintayvious Hutchens. On paper, the Patriots have one of the worst edge rushing groups in the NFL. Perhaps Elijah Ponder and Swinson break out as top contributors, or Hutchens could miraculously turn out to be the diamond of the 2026 seventh-round draft picks.
Or maybe, just maybe, the Patriots should have re-signed Chaisson.
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Unpopular offseason move coming back to haunt Patriots
