**PATRIOTS FREE AGENT:** K'Lavon Chaisson
**NOTABLE EXTERNAL FREE AGENTS:** Trey Hendrickson CIN, Jaelan Phillips PHI, Jadeveon Clowney DAL, Haason Reddick TB, Arden Key TEN, Odafe Oweh LAC, Boye Mafe SEA.
**POSITION ANALYSIS:** This is the biggest need on the roster as the 2026 league year begins. K'Lavon Chaisson had an outstanding year on a one-year contract and will now get plenty of attention in free agency. The Patriots will have competition trying to sign him, but even with Chaisson back in the fold, there are significant questions along the edges of the defense.
Harold Landry III will have surgery this offseason to repair a lower leg injury that limited him starting in mid-October. Even if he can return to the form of early 2025, Landry turns 30 in July, adding another long-term question to the position group.