Gonzalez was not the player we all expected after an All-Pro second year, but his recent playoff performance cannot be overstated. Gonzalez was dominant in the playoffs, and aside from a few regular-season mishaps, he has been a good corner. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said he saw a “Different Gonzo” around week 14, and from the outside looking in, I would have to agree. 

Harold Landry’s start to the 2025 season was remarkable, ashe was at the top of the leaderboard in sacks for the first three to four weeks., After suffering a knee injury in New Orleans, though, he was never the same player. While Landry was able to return to that specific game, it was evident that he never had the same “juice” off the edge he possessed in the early-season contests, and his production fell off a cliff after week six.

The Carlton Davis experience was in full effect in the Patriots Divisional round win over the Texans, with Davis picking off two passes, but also getting beaten and being called for penalties in the win. Davis struggled with penalties and getting beaten all year long, but he did have enough positives to keep him at an above-average grade. 

You can make a case for Robert Spillane being the most important player on the Patriots’ defense, and for a unit that is probably top 10 that is a badge of honor. Spillane stepped in and was a leader from day one, commanding the middle of the defense. He is a great run defender, which was evident when the Patriots couldn’t stop the run without him and Milton Williams, and he flies around the field making tackles. When trying to watch other Raiders players’ highlights last year, it was also a mini Robert Spillane highlight tape because he was involved in every play and tackle. The same can be said about this season. He was another great free agent picked up by the Patriots.

The third-year Patriots linebacker played a career low 114 snaps this season, and looks like a guy who will not be on the team next season. Mapu was a third-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and looked like a solid player just a year ago, when he came in and was the defensive signal caller in his first game back from injury, but this year, he has clearly taken a step back. Mapu’s main role has been the punt protector, and his two memorable plays from this year were his, essentially, game-sealing interception in week two, and his horribly executed fake punt disaster.

Bryce Baringer has a fantastic leg, but other than that, he is a bad punter. He shanked more than half of his punts in the AFC Championship game against the Broncos; it was snowing, but shanks have been a common occurrence for Baringer. He has also outkicked his coverage many times this season.

2025’s “Mr. Irrelevant” failed to make the Patriots roster, but was eventually signed to it late in the season. He has contributed on special teams and on defense late in blowout wins. 

Hawkins was a guy who had an okay 2024, but nobody expected this kind of year from him. Last season, Hawkins started just seven games and was a non-factor on a bad Patriots team; this year, he started every game he wasn’t hurt and showed he is a valuable asset and starter in this league.

Another guy who primarily played on special teams, but when his number was called to play on defense, he was good. Typically, players who are claimed off waivers in August are not thought of as guys that you want playing significant snaps on defense. While Woods didn’t play significant snaps, I think this coaching staff would be comfortable with him playing a limited role on that side of the ball. He’s also been strong in his role as the gunner. I expect Woods to be back next season.

Dell Pettus has been described by many as a “niche” role player, and in his role this year, he was fantastic. The second-year Undrafted Free Agent made game-saving plays against the Falcons and Jets this year. He played his role extremely well all year long and contributed on Special Teams as well. 

Marcus Jones is not only the best punt returner in football, but he’s also a Pro Bowl caliber cornerback. Jones had a great season defending passes early in the year and even racked up a few major interceptions. On special teams, the fourth-year corner provided a spark to the team early in games with his elite punt return abilities. Not only that, but there is no better situationally aware returner in the game right now. He has helped the Patriots out in so many phases of the game over his time in New England.

Alex Austin had shown promise in the two previous seasons, making a few plays on the football in 2023 and gaining a larger role down the stretch of the 2024 season. This year, with star cornerback Christian Gonzalez out for the first few games, Austin was given an opportunity to step up. Unfortunately, he was not able to do so and ended up losing his “4th string corner job” to Charles Woods.

Many questioned the pick when the Patriots decided to take Cal safety Craig Woodson in the fourth round, but there was no need to do such a thing. Woodson has looked like a veteran NFL starter all year long, and his mistakes have been few and far between. Woodson has been around the ball all year long, recovering a few fumbles and picking off CJ Stroud in the Patriots’ divisional round matchup against the Texans. This continued in the Super Bowl, as he arguably had the best performance on the Patriots during the game.

Jennings is a player that many people thought had no real role in a Mike Vrabel and Terrell Williams-led defense. There were speculations of trades late in the summer, but luckily for the Patriots, none went through. Jennings arguably had the best season of his career this year. Although the stats do not say so, Jennings was fantastic, setting the edge all year long, and is a pivotal part of the Patriots’ dominant run defense.

The year really couldn’t have started worse for the former Miami kicker, with Borregales missing multiple extra points in Miami. However, following Mike Vrabel giving him the game ball that same day for being resilient, Automatic Andy has lived up to the nickname. Borregales has been great when called upon in clutch moments this year and has largely been good in the cold. Without a few more missed kicks that happened throughout the year, Borregales would be an easy A. 

Schooler is one of the best “pure teamers” in the league; however, he needs to work on his penalty issues. Schooler didn’t flash like he did last year, which is why he was not an All-Pro this year, but he did have a good year. He’s one of the players who got better in the bigger situations. For example, when the Patriots were up against one of the top punt returners in the NFL, Marvin Mims, Schooler rose to the occasion, having his best game of the season. I also believe that Schooler is one of the most valuable players on this team, with his leadership and the impact he makes every single game.

Many fans were ecstatic when the Patriots took Bradyn Swinson in the fifth round of the draft this year, but throughout the entirety of training camp and the preseason, Swinson made little to no plays. He was cut by the team, but later signed back to the active roster late in the season.

The Patriots took a shot on the former first-round pick in free agency, and it paid off big time. Apart from a few offside penalties early in the season, Chaisson has been great. When the Patriots have needed him the most, he has stepped up. There is no doubt in my mind that Chaisson has earned himself a large contract this offseason.

From a long snapper, the worst thing you can do is be noticed, and I don’t know if a broadcast ever mentioned his name. Snaps were good all year, made a few tackles on special teams, and had no real blunders. This was a great rookie season all around for Ashby.

Tavai played the lowest amount of snaps in his four-year Patriots career and was reverted to more of a role player. Tavai was alright this year, but didn’t have any impact plays all year long. In the previous two seasons, he was playing around the ball and had a few interceptions. That trend did not continue over and I wouldn’t be shocked if Tavai is replaced this offseason.

Muma was a late-season waiver claim and has played a majority of his snaps on special teams.

Jack Gibbens was released by the Titans earlier last year, and when he signed with the Patriots, his expectations were set to a low bar. Although he had limited playing time, Gibbens exceeded all expectations that I had for him. When filling in for starting Linebacker Robert Spillane, Gibbens played at an above-average level. There is no doubt in my mind that Jack Gibbens is a starting-caliber linebacker in the NFL.

A little over two years ago, Christian Ellis was released by the Eagles. Today, he is a starter for a Super Bowl team. Ellis had a solid 2025, playing over half of the snaps on defense and coming second in tackles on the team despite not playing in three games. Ellis’s physicality was on display all year long and was a great player in this defense.

Eric Gregory’s season was cut short after being placed on injured reserve, but he made a few plays throughout the season. He did not appear enough on the field to warrant a grade. 

As Mike Vrabel said to his team, “Big dogs come out in January,” and Christian Barmore did just that. Barmore played his best football in the postseason, wreaking havoc in opposing teams’ backfields during each game. While I do think Barmore had a good season, he wasn’t consistent enough early in the season.

Elijah Ponder was labeled one of the best undrafted free agent signings by his positional coach, Mike Smith, during the summer, and Ponder lived up to the title. In his rookie season, he had 4.0 sacks and played a significant role on the edge. Ponder showed off his unique athletic abilities in the pass rush this season, but he does need work in the run-stopping game. Overall, he had a fantastic season as a rookie out of Cal Poly.

Joshua Farmer was having a solid rookie season before it was cut short due to an injury. He made a few splashy plays; however, he was far from perfect, committing a costly penalty in a game in Buffalo this season. 

The Patriots probably would not have been in the Super Bowl without Taylor’s game-saving field goal block against the Broncos in the AFC Championship game. For a waiver claim, Taylor played consistently and well.

Cory Durden was a pleasant surprise for the Patriots this season. He generated great pressure all year long and was good in the running game. Another one of Mike Vrabel’s great “late” additions who ended up playing a significant role for this team.

Tonga was brought in on a one-year contract that was worth three million dollars this offseason. I, like most Patriots fans, dismissed the signing, but it was evident early in training camp that nobody should dismiss anything about the nose tackle. Tonga was not only a fantastic run stuffer all year long, but he also helped the Patriots out on offense, playing fullback in short-yardage situations.

The highest-paid Patriots player of all time lived up to the contract in year one. He was essentially the 2025 Patriots closer. Whenever this team needed a big play, Milton Williams was there to make it. He was great all season long, rushing the passer and stopping the run. When he went down with an injury in a Thursday night game against the Jets, the team regressed significantly. His value can’t be overstated.