The New England Patriots are opening the 2026 season with Dre’Mont Jones and Elijah Ponder starting on the edge, because Harold Landry III is beginning the year on the PUP list after knee surgery. Landry is set to miss at least the first four games, leaving the Patriots to lean on a thinner pass-rush group than they wanted.
That is the reason Landry’s name is driving attention now. He was the player the Patriots expected to anchor that side of the defense, and his absence matters because New England entered the season with a glaring weakness on the defensive edge. Mike Vrabel said after the preseason victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Aug. 22 that he did not think the Patriots had a deep roster, a comment that framed the work ahead as much as the win itself.
The depth chart tells the story. New England added Jones in free agency, did not re-sign K’Lavon Chaisson and let Anfernee Jennings walk, then chose to carry just four outside linebackers on the initial 53-man roster. Those four are Jones, Ponder, Gabe Jacas and Quintayvious Hutchins, a seventh-round draft choice who projects strictly as a special teams contributor entering his rookie season. Ponder brings some production after posting four sacks last year, but he has not yet established himself as an every-down presence.
Vrabel later tried to soften the idea that the roster was being left exposed. On WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show, he said his earlier comments were meant to stress the development of the team’s young players. He also said, “I wasn’t anticipating them being out there … I think the plan was that this is not unexpected.”
That leaves the Patriots with a defense built around players who are still sorting out their roles. Jacas adds another layer of uncertainty because his contract situation and delayed start to offseason workouts slowed his early-season preparation. The team can cover the first four games without Landry, but it cannot hide from the larger issue: the edge group is thin, and the replacement plan depends on Jones and Ponder holding up until Landry is cleared to return.
Landry’s absence is not a one-game detour. He suffered his initial knee injury during Week Six against the New Orleans Saints, aggravated it in Week 12 against the Cincinnati Bengals, missed the previous two playoff contests and was limited to 14 defensive snaps at the Super Bowl in February. After the surgery earlier in the offseason, the Patriots’ opening month now becomes a test of survival on the outside, not a luxury period to ease into the season.
