New England Patriots
New England has already added multiple positions of need in the first week of free agency.
Bobby Okereke is one of the top remaining free agents on the defensive side of the ball. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola, File)
Fresh off a Super Bowl appearance very few saw coming, the Patriots have spent a significant chunk of money attempting to improve their roster in the first week of free agency.
Adding Romeo Doubs, Dre’Mont Jones, Alijah Vera-Tucker, and Kevin Byard was a good start for New England. But Eliot Wolf still has the cap space to make more moves if he and Vrabel have their eyes on additional free agents.
With many of the bigger names already off the board, here are five unsigned free agents that could fit in on the Patriots:
Tyreek Hill
Hill might be the biggest gamble of free agency in 2026, which is likely why there hasn’t been much noise regarding him since the window opened on Monday.
However, if Hill’s legal troubles don’t get in the way and his injury recovery goes well, he could be the missing piece New England’s receiver room needs.
Hill’s deep threat capability would be welcome for Drake Maye, who led all quarterbacks in deep ball completion percentage last season. He’d also free up room in the offense for Romeo Doubs, another new signing in 2026.
There won’t be any way to know if Hill will return to form following his gruesome-looking leg injury that ended his 2025 season. But he’s a former All-Pro and one of the fastest wide receivers in the NFL. He’d complement Doubs, Mack Hollins, Kayshon Boutte and Kyle Williams well.
Marquise Brown
If the Patriots deem Hill’s potential upside isn’t worth the risk, Brown could be a similar fit schematically.
Also a smaller-bodied receiver known for his speed, Brown’s career never quite took off the way it was expected to coming out of Oklahoma. His best season came with the Ravens in 2021, when he caught 91 passes for 1,008 yards and six touchdowns.
Since then, Brown has been more of a gadget receiver, still flashing big play capability on occasion but not being utilized on an every down basis. And since Kansas City also has Xavier Worthy serving a very similar role, Brown’s role was diminished there.
Still, Brown scored five touchdowns in 2025 and totaled 587 receiving yards. He wouldn’t be a huge needle mover, but if added into the receiver room with Doubs and company, he could thrive.
Jonnu Smith
Given that New England already has Hunter Henry back for 2026 and already signed Julian Hill to a three-year deal, tight end may no longer be a position of need at this stage.
But if New England were to add someone else to the room, it’s unlikely to be a big name like David Njoku. Smith has history in New England, joining the Patriots at the same time as Hunter Henry did back in 2021. But he also has familiarity playing for Mike Vrabel.
Smith was drafted to the Titans and arguably had the best years of his career in Tennessee. He hasn’t done much over the last two or three years, meaning his price tag wouldn’t be incredibly high on a one or two year deal.
And with the way Josh McDaniels utilizes tight ends in his offense, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see the Patriots add multiple free agents at the position.
Bobby Okereke
Okereke is the kind of linebacker Vrabel seems to gravitate towards. He’s solid against the run, can rush the passer without struggling too much in coverage.
Okereke is one of the better defenders left in the free agent class, but with the uncertainty surrounding New England’s current linebacker group, adding a big name like him would go a long way towards solidifying its front seven.
In 2025, Okereke had 143 tackles (78 solo), six passes defended, two interceptions and a sack. His best season (2023) saw him record 10 pass breakups, two interceptions, four forced fumbles, 11 tackles for loss and six QB hits, along with 149 total tackles.
Combining Okereke with Robert Spillane would make the Patriots much stronger in the middle of their defense.
Kenneth Murray
Murray has similar traits to Okereke, even if he’s a little less proven as a standout linebacker.
He has only eclipsed 100 tackles twice in his career (2023, 2020) and had only 81 (38 solo) in 2025. He did have four tackles for a loss as part of that. Murray has shown effectiveness when blitzing throughout his career though. In 2024, he had 3.5 sacks, five QB hits, eight TFLs and one forced fumble.
Murray would likely provide less value than Okereke if signed, but he’d also be on a cheaper contract. He could definitely add value to New England’s linebacker group.
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