2026 NFL Free Agency: Vrabel reunited with one of his all-time favorites, Byard

Going to start the running file now since we might see an uptick in activity — minor and major — before the tampering period starts at Noon on Monday, and continue to update with news as we go.

- REUNITED (AND IT FEELS SO GOOD)

If Mike Vrabel were to select his favorite players to coach, Kevin Byard would top the list. With that in mind, the Pats’ signing the veteran safety to a one-year deal in free agency felt inevitable, even if some of us (read: me) thought they might pursue a younger option at the position.

The contract is worth $9 million (we’ll see how that ages over the coming hours and days), or a little over a million per interception Byard had last season (7, which led the league). The 32-year-old also had 98 tackles (63 solo) and one PBU, earning All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors (3rd time for each). Impressively, Byard was healthy from start to finish, logging over 1,000 snaps.  He’s also a former Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee. 

Rewatching a 2020 interview, Byard talked about how hands-on Vrabel was and how he pushed the team to be aggressive. “Titans football,” he called it at the time. Now it’s Patriots football, and Byard knows very well what his head coach wants and how he wants it.

Byard replaces Jaylinn Hawkins, whose market never really equaled what he and his agents thought it would be. As I reported during the scouting combine, there were teams that didn’t even believe he was a starter (which flies in the face of what we watched), thinking he was more of a 3rd safety type. Hawkins agreed to terms with Baltimore shortly after news of Byard's move to NE broke. The deal is for 2 years and $10 million.

BSJ ANALYSIS:

So there’s no arguing the fit, both from a play style/play demeanor standpoint and from the culture side. Byard is as well-respected a player as you’ll find in this league, a true leader, and has remarkably found a second wind in a career that looked crispy in 2023, when Vrabel’s Titans traded him to the Eagles. He was subpar there and struggled in his first year with the Bears.

At the time of the trade to Philly, Vrabel said he hoped that they handled Byard’s ending in Tennessee with “class and integrity.” Safe to say, had they not, there’s no way this reunion comes together. 

He should be an excellent resource for developing safety Craig Woodson, who, as we’ve noted in this space, really came on late in the season and during the postseason. Woodson’s continued growth is critical for this defense, and his physicality helped sharpen that run defense and also added an element as a blitzer. Byard was quite good at that in his younger days. And that’s really my only caution about this signing: the age factor. I don’t see a player on tape who is going to run with the faster tight ends or a receiver screaming down the seam. Yes, he can mitigate that with his play recognition - Byard’s really smart (as you would expect) - but offensive coordinators get paid too. They will look to figure out ways to isolate Byard and Woodson in coverage, especially given the Pats' high-end cornerback room.

Curious if the Pats will explore a day three safety to add to their depth. Dell Pettus is the only other true safety you have in the room, and while I like him, that could be an area the Pats look to add competition to, hoping for an upgrade.

- Drake Maye may have lost Stefon Diggs, who will be cut at the start of the league year, but it appears he’s gained a new receiver. The team has agreed to terms with former Packers pass catcher Romeo Doubs on a reported 4-year, $70 million deal. We’ll wait on the guarantees before getting the full picture.

Doubs had 55 receptions this past season for a career-high 724 yards and six touchdowns. He’s been a productive player since setting foot in the league, with no fewer than 42 catches (rookie year) and topping out at 59 in year two.

Doubs is at his best versus zone coverage, per PFF, with a 14.7-yard ADOT (average depth of target), the 2nd-best number in the league behind only Chicago’s Romeo Odunze (16.1). He’s primarily been an X receiver, and only 22% of his targets came out of the slot, which was obviously where Diggs did most of his work.

**Update** Reached out to a number of folks across the league and got a better picture of Doubs than I painted there. He was very good against press coverage this year, and against man (which this team needs).

"He's gotten better every year, whether it's in the nuances of the game (release, route running) or just overall understanding of how defenses are playing," one NFL assistant coach who studied him told me. "I wouldn't be surprised if they play him more in the slot and he is closer to a 1-of-1 replacement for Diggs than maybe you might initially think."

Echoing that assessment, another assistant who watched Doubs' film described him as a "Tough kid. Smart. Can sneak up on you with some verticality. Hands are a little inconsistent."

BSJ ANALYSIS:

Doubs is a good player, but unless the Patriots have a higher opinion of him than the rest of the league, he is not viewed as a number one. However, if the Pats are unable to come to trade terms with the Eagles for AJ Brown (those talks are still alive, per sources), Doubs might have to be. His addition also makes me wonder about Kayshon Boutte, who will be up for an extension after the upcoming season. I have previously viewed these two as similar players, and I’m not sure sinking another $60-$70 million in him would make a ton of sense (barring another leap). In fact, that might be very Buffalo Bill-like. 

- The Patriots agreed to terms with a Pro Bowl-caliber player while some of you (and definitely me) were sleeping. From what I’ve gathered this morning, Morgan Moses gets an assist.

Alijah Vera-Tucker is expected to ink a three-year deal with the Pats for up to $48 million dollars, and fill the vacant left guard spot (pushing Ben Brown back into an interior backup role) and slot between the pair of youngsters, Will Campbell and Jared Wilson. The former Jet was no doubt swayed by a number of factors - money being #1 - but the fact that Moses, a teammate of Vera-Tucker’s during his first year with Gang Green, spoke so glowingly to him about the experience he had in NE last season certainly didn’t hurt.

Vera-Tucker was a 2021 first-round pick (14th overall) - the Jets traded up for him - and he immediately rewarded their belief, at least when he was on the field. Vera-Tucker moved all over the line, starting games at right guard, left guard, right tackle, and even one at left tackle before eventually settling in at RG. 

However, the 26-year-old’s career has been defined by a litany of injuries, and he has played just 43 of a possible 85 games.

• 16 games in 2021
• 7 games in 2022 (torn triceps)
• 5 games in 2023 (torn Achilles)
• 15 games in 2024
• Missed the entirety of 2025 (torn triceps, different arm)

Vera-Tucker also suffered a torn pectoral muscle and dealt with a toe sprain. But other than that, he’s been the picture of health. 

The Giants and Browns were among the teams pushing for his services.

BSJ ANALYSIS:

Without seeing how the contract has been structured, this is an expensive risk with high-reward potential. At his best, Vera-Tucker is capable of being a difference maker on the offensive line, and his athleticism makes him a strong fit between Campbell and Wilson. This doesn’t quite answer my desire for the team to get a ‘seen that, done that’ veteran to be the connective tissue between the two young building blocks (they hope), but if Vera-Tucker can put the injury woes behind him, that’s a trio that can grow together in front of Drake Maye.

The money invested in Vera-Tucker also makes me wonder about Mike Onwenu’s future at right guard. Yes, the Pats can certainly afford him, but there is an out in the deal that would allow the team to walk away/trade with just $7.5 million in dead cap and avoid spending $17.5 million in actual cash. If, after the dust settles and a team or two gets left without the offensive line upgrade they were looking for, might Onwenu become an attractive option?

- The Tonga Truck has left the One Patriot Place warehouse. 

Khyiris Tonga, who dramatically outperformed his on-field reputation and absolutely lived up to his off-field status as an all-time good dude, is leaving the Patriots for Kansas City. The Chiefs are inking the big man to a 3-year deal worth up to $21 million, $14 million of which is guaranteed.

This is a blow for the Pats, who thought they had a deal done with Tonga late this past season. However, those talks hit a surprising impasse, and now the 330-pounder will ply his trade next to Chris Jones. Tonga played 17 of 20 games this past season and, in addition to being a mostly immovable object at the point of attack in the run game, registered 17 QB pressures. 

BSJ ANALYSIS:

Tonga was one of the mid-to-lower-level free agent signings the Pats made a year ago that hit and, based on how he played for the first 2.5 months, hit big. He dealt with some injuries late in the year that cost him a few games, and when he returned, he wasn’t the same level of player. But don’t think the Pats thought that was who Tonga was, based on their efforts to re-up him. The team will also miss his leadership. In particular, the way he dealt with younger players like Joshua Farmer and Cory Durden is to be commended.

The Pats aren’t barren at the position. Between the aforementioned duo of Farmer and Durden, as well as Leonard Taylor and, of course, Milton Williams and Christian Barmore, they could line up tomorrow and be damn good. Barmore’s legal issues still hang over the proceedings, and having someone of Tonga’s ilk would have made it easier to move on. 

Also, Jalen Nailor signed with the Raiders. I profiled him on preview/review as a wide receiver the Pats should have interest in. As I reported on X, they did. However, not enough to convince Nailor that Foxborough was a better landing spot than Las Vegas. 

- The Patriots must have been reading the chat. Their second signing in this free agency period is the fullback that so many of you desired. Reggie Gilliam gets $6 million guaranteed and could make up to $12 million over three years, to leave AFC East rival Buffalo to come to Foxborough.

Gilliam isn’t in the mold of, say, Patrick Ricard, a 300-pound bowling ball. He’s more athletic and even had a role in the passing game for the Bills, mostly in blitz pickup. However, Gilliam’s primary responsibility was as a lead blocker for a team that led the league in rushing last year, recording 189 snaps (85% of his playing time) in that role.

This marks the second straight offseason the Pats have plucked an important contributor off that Bills team (Mack Hollins being the other).

BSJ ANALYSIS:

Jack Westover was miscast in his role as a fullback, but the Pats either couldn’t find one they thought suitable to fill the role, or liked some of Westover’s positional versatility. In Gilliam, the Pats fill a clear-cut need with a substantial upgrade. The 28-year-old isn’t a stationary player, either. He can be used in motion and occasionally as an off-line tight end. Gilliam is also a core special teamer. 

- A career-high 7 sacks. 24 QB Hits. 51 total QB pressures. That's where the Patriots strike first in free agency, agreeing to a 3-year, $39 million deal with Dre'Mont Jones (remember, contracts can't be signed until Wednesday, so there's the occasional leaving at the altar scenario). Jones split the year between Tennessee and Baltimore, getting shipped to Charm City at the trade deadline. The Pats were interested, but, as I reported here, the Titans weren't all that keen to do business with Mike Vrabel and company, given past history.

Jones is 6'3", 281 pounds, and came out of THE Ohio State University. He was a third-round pick of the Denver Broncos and is now on his fifth NFL team at 29. His best work as a pass rusher has come from the interior, although he played a ton as a stand-up linebacker/edge last season. Jones is big enough to handle the edge physically, though he's had some issues with it.

BSJ ANALYSIS:

When I did review/preview at the edge position, I included Jones but noted he didn't fit the mold of what they had on the roster. This is more of a Denico Autry-like player (he did his best work under Vrabel in Tennessee) who would kick inside on obvious passing downs. Curious how that would work with Milton Williams entrenched and Christian Barmore under contract. I still don't rule out a change of scenery for Barmore.

Meanwhile, Alec Pierce got the bag from the Colts: 4 years, $116 million. This was what I thought was the likely scenario all along. Pierce is an up-and-comer (25 years old) and is close with Daniel Jones (who will remain in Indy). He attended college in the Midwest (Cincinnati), and his brother, a collegiate basketball player, transferred from Princeton to Purdue. The Pats did inquire about Pierce, but indicated they had a financial breaking point. Bottom line: the Eagles' negotiating position regarding a trade of AJ Brown to New England just got stronger.

New at 11 AM on Monday

- The Patriots have released linebacker Jahlani Tavai. If the cut is designated pre-June 1st (and I don't know why it wouldn't be), the team saves about $1.7 million against the cap. Only $600K of his 2026 salary is guaranteed. At the combine in Indianapolis, Eliot Wolf indicated the team would like to get younger at the position, and this move is the first step in that direction.

- They have also tendered exclusive rights free agent FB/TE Jack Westover.

News items:

• Patriots trade center Garrett Bradbury to Bears for 2027 5th-round pick
• Patriots signed QB Tommy DeVito on a two-year, $7.4-million deal with $2 million guaranteed.
• Patriots will not tender restricted free agents OT Yasir Durant, CB Alex Austin and DT Isaiah Iton. Still waiting on LB Jack Gibbens and DT Jaquelin Roy.

BSJ ANALYSIS

• On the Bradbury trade ... figured something might come at the center spot because the Patriots basically had three: veteran Garrett Bradbury, Ben Brown (extended during the season) and Jared Wilson. And you saw veterans Drew Dalman (Bears) and Brian Kelly (Vikings) retire recently, and some teams were going to be looking at lower-cost options than Tyler Linderbaum, who figures to break the bank in free agency.

Enter the Patriots (we discussed the possibility on the podcast on Tuesday).

The team got good value on Bradbury, and the move frees up an additional