The New England Patriots’ first two games of the season have started the same way: rookie Namdi Obiazor making a tackle on the opening kickoff.
Obiazor hasn’t stopped there.
After becoming the first Patriots player since at least 2000 to record three special teams tackles in his very first NFL game, Obiazor recorded two more in Week 2 against the Steelers. Through two weeks, his five special teams tackles are tied for second in the NFL.
“Taking advantage of his opportunities, man. And he’s playing to our identity,” special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer said Thursday. “He’s full tilt to the tackle. He’s finishing on the guy with the ball. He’s making great decisions. He’s being detailed his technique and fundamentals. He’s being disruptive at the ball. So all the things I think Coach Vrabel talks about from a team culture, he’s doing that right now.
“Just want to continue to progress him, keep him confident, and that’s his role right now, and I hope he continues to take advantage of that and do what he’s doing.”
Despite taking on a limited special teams role over his final few seasons at TCU, New England’s special teams coaches identified the athletic Obiazor as a potential fit ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Patriots went on to select Obiazor in the sixth round with the 212th overall pick, where he then assumed a top special teams role for the majority of training camp to earn a spot on the 53-man roster.
“He’s just being a pro. I mean, he’s taken every rep — like we just had a walk through [Thursday morning] and he’s very locked in and focused on the things he needs to do to win the game,” Springer said. “He’s watching the film. He’s paying attention to the scouting report and, yeah, he’s doing everything a pro should do in a job that he has right now. That’s his role. That’s what he’s doing.
“He’s taking full ownership of that and I think he’s doing a great job with that. He’s just got to continue to progress through the season.”
The Patriots saw major turnover on their special teams units this season. Seven of the 12 players to log more than 100 special teams snaps last season did not start the year on the Week 1 roster, including ace Brenden Schooler, who began the year on the reserve/non-football injury list.
That opened the door for younger players like Obiazor to take on larger roles across multiple units, and the sixth-round pick has quickly established himself as one of the Patriots’ most productive special teams players — a transition that has stood out to the coaching staff.
“I think he has really improved,” head coach Mike Vrabel said. “I would say just for young players, sometimes NFL special teams is a little different, right? The punt is different; our kickoff is different. But the guys you’re going against, too, they’re special teams, that’s what they do, and they’ve got the tricks of the trade we talked about. But I think he’s really learned quickly and improved each and every week from training camp, and it’s been really good to see him translate that not only on his coverage units but also in protection.
“Talking about the kickoff return, he’s done a really nice job with that. So, excited for him to have some success and keep going, pile up the tackles.”
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