Patriots training camp 2026 puts Drake Maye and A.J. Brown on the spot
CBS Sports named five Patriots under pressure as New England tries to prove its AFC title run can last.
By Deshawn Carter · Sports Writer
4 min read
The Patriots training camp 2026 spotlight is already hot after New England’s wild climb from 4-13 to AFC champion, and CBS Sports says five players have the most to prove as Mike Vrabel’s team tries to show last season was no one-year pop.
According to CBS Sports’ Shanna McCarriston, the Patriots enter the season with a different kind of pressure: Drake Maye is coming off an MVP runner-up year, Vrabel is the reigning Coach of the Year, and the roster has been upgraded after a Super Bowl LX run that ended with some glaring problems.
Which Patriots have the most to prove at training camp?
CBS Sports put offensive tackle Will Campbell, quarterback Drake Maye, wide receiver A.J. Brown, cornerback Christian Gonzalez and wide receiver Kayshon Boutte at the center of New England’s camp questions.
Campbell’s case starts with protection. CBS Sports reported that the 2025 No. 4 overall pick was not the same after returning from an MCL tear suffered in Week 12. NFL.com credited Campbell with allowing 29 pressures during the playoffs, the most in the league since 2016, while CBS Sports said he was charged with one of Maye’s five sacks in the Super Bowl and four sacks across the postseason.
The wider issue was even louder: Maye took 21 postseason sacks, which CBS Sports identified as an NFL record. For a team trying to turn a surprise AFC title into something steady, the line has to keep its franchise quarterback upright.
Maye’s own camp will be watched just as closely. CBS Sports noted he is entering his third NFL season after a rookie year with growing pains and a second season that blew past expectations under a new coach. His listed 2025 numbers included a 72.0 completion percentage, 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
The next test, per CBS Sports, is cleaner football: fewer sacks, better red-zone production, improved ball security and fast chemistry with the new faces around him, especially Brown.
Brown arrives in Foxborough after what CBS Sports described as a rollercoaster stay with the Philadelphia Eagles. New England paid heavily to get him, sending a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick, according to CBS Sports.
The Patriots needed a clear No. 1 receiver. CBS Sports said New England ranked 23rd in receiving yards last season with 4,459, while tying for fifth in receiving touchdowns with 31. Stefon Diggs reached 1,000 receiving yards last season, but he is no longer on the team, and before him the last Patriots player to hit that mark was Julian Edelman in 2019.
Gonzalez brings a contract subplot. CBS Boston reported that Patriots owner Robert Kraft said the team made an offer that would make Gonzalez the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback. CBS Sports noted Rams corner Trent McDuffie currently holds that mark at an average of $31 million per year.
Gonzalez is eligible for an extension and has been at camp without a new deal, according to CBS Sports. His leverage is easy to see: the 24-year-old allowed 14 completions on 36 targets in the playoffs, a 38.8% completion rate that CBS Sports said was the lowest for a cornerback in the postseason since at least 2018.
Boutte’s challenge is surviving a crowded receiver room. CBS Sports listed Brown, Romeo Doubs, DeMario Douglas, Mack Hollins and Kyle Williams among the wideouts, with tight end Hunter Henry also in the passing game.
Boutte, a 2023 sixth-round pick entering the final year of his rookie contract, has been the subject of frequent trade talk, according to CBS Sports. Vrabel said those rumors have not affected Boutte’s work and that the receiver is “off to a good start,” Boston.com reported.
Vrabel also received an honorable mention from CBS Sports. The report said criticism of New England’s easier schedule followed both Vrabel and Maye after last season, and a tougher slate now gives the coach a chance to answer it. CBS Sports also reported that public photos involving Vrabel and NFL reporter Dianna Russini created off-field attention; the report did not include comment from Vrabel or Russini.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS Sports.