The Patriots continued adding to their offense by reportedly agreeing to terms with free-agent WR Romeo Doubs and G/T Alijah Vera-Tucker, two players who project to be starters in 2026.
After taking a more deliberate approach to the start of free agency, New England has ramped things up in the second wave, and the offseason vision is starting to come to fruition for head coach Mike Vrabel and personnel chief Eliot Wolf. Heading into the offseason, the Patriots needed to improve the offensive line and continue adding weaponry to QB Drake Maye’s supporting cast. They hope to accomplish both goals with the Doubs and Vera-Tucker agreements.
Starting with Vera-Tucker and the offensive line, the plan appears to be sliding 2025 third-rounder Jared Wilson over to center and bringing in Vera-Tucker, a proven veteran who was O-Line guru Brandon Thorn’s top available guard on the free-agent market. After reportedly agreeing to trade C Garrett Bradbury to Chicago, New England opened the door for Wilson to transition to his natural position at the pivot,.Adding Vera-Tucker puts a high-level blocker between LT Will Campbell and Wilson.
By playing Vera-Tucker at left guard, the Patriots have a rock-solid offensive line in front of Maye on paper. New England will return incumbent starters in RG Mike Onwenu and RT Morgan Moses, who were both plus-starters for the AFC Champs last season. Campbell will remain at left tackle and Wilson will likely find a permanent home at center, giving the Patriots a high-ceiling starting five in the trenches.
As for wide receiver, the Patriots are reportedly releasing Stefon Diggs when the league year officially begins on today. Diggs was set to carry a $26 million cap hit into his age-33 season, but he was New England’s primary chain-mover while leading the team in targets, receptions, receiving yards, and first downs. Doubs projects as a Diggs replacement, with route-running polish, versatility, and high efficiency as an intermediate receiver who converted 75% of his catches into first downs (fifth-best in the NFL).
At just 25 years, Doubs has a longer runway to grow with Maye. Diggs has the caché of a four-time Pro Bowler, but the former Packers wideout can run a similar route tree as Diggs. Plus, it’s worth noting that the Patriots only wideouts under contract beyond next season are 2025 rookie classmates Kyle Williams and Efton Chism III; Kayshon Boutte, DeMario Douglas, and Mack Hollins will all be free agents after 2026.
The Patriots still need to remain diligent on the trade market for high-end receiver talent and build out their offensive tackle depth, but the offense is starting to take shape. Let’s break down the tape on Doubs and Vera-Tucker to show how they fit into New England’s offense.
As we project a role for Doubs, it’s worth noting the Packers developed him primarily as an outside “X” receiver in their West Coast offense.
Doubs played 81.9 of his snaps out wide, 82.4% of his snaps were on the line of scrimmage (rather than off the ball as a flanker), and he was isolated in the formation on 33.9% of his routes. For comparison, Diggs’s slot snap rate was 50.5% and he was only on the ball 33% of his snaps with the Patriots. That’s all a fancy way of saying Doubs was primarily an “X” in Green Bay, while Diggs was a Z/slot for the Pats in 2025, but I expect Doubs’s role to change in New England as more of an inside chain-mover.
That said, the Packers under head coach Matt LaFleur run about half their snaps in condensed formations, meaning the receivers are aligned inside the numbers, allowing for quicker access to the middle of the field and better blocking angles. Although those are technically “wide” snaps for outside receivers, there’s similar spacing to inside routes because the receivers have more room to release inside or outside on their routes.
After reviewing his tape, Doubs has the makings of a McDaniels chain-moving receiver. He separates from man coverage at the first two levels, has a good feel for breaking away from leverage or sitting vs. zone, and is sure-handed with the toughness to work in dirty areas. Plus, he has enough speed to win on slot fades and crossing routes. Another intriguing element of Doubs’s profile is that he has stepped up in the postseason. Last season, Doubs had eight catches for 124 receiving yards and a touchdown in a Wild Card loss to the Bears.