The New England Patriots are starting the 2026 season with Dre’Mont Jones and Elijah Ponder as their edge rushers, a clear sign that Harold Landry III’s absence is already shaping the defence. With Landry on the PUP list after knee surgery, Mike Vrabel is asking a shallower group to carry a bigger load right away.
That matters because this is not a position group with much room for error. The Patriots have already been living with a thinner outside-linebacker rotation, and the early-season setup leaves the team relying on a rookie and a recently added veteran to do important work from the first whistle.
Vrabel: the depth is not where it needs to be
Vrabel was blunt about the challenge after the preseason victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Aug. 22, saying he did not think the Patriots have a deep roster. That view fits the current edge picture, especially with the departure of K’Lavon Chaisson and Anfernee Jennings and Gabe Jacas only getting a delayed offseason start.
In practical terms, the Patriots are entering the 2026 season with a rookie-heavy and injury-affected depth chart at outside linebacker. That is fine if the first choice stays healthy and productive. It becomes a problem quickly if the group is forced to stretch beyond its intended roles.
Why Harold Landry III is unavailable
Landry’s situation has been building for a while. He suffered the initial knee injury in Week Six against the New Orleans Saints, aggravated it again in Week 12 against the Cincinnati Bengals, missed a number of practices in late December and was ruled out for the final two weeks of the regular season.
By the Super Bowl in February, he logged just 14 defensive snaps and spent most of the game on the sideline. That timeline explains why he is not expected back immediately and why the Patriots have opened the year with a different look at edge.
Jones and Ponder carry the load early
The immediate responsibility now falls on Dre’Mont Jones and Elijah Ponder. For Jones, it is the kind of role that can define how a new season starts: not just producing pressure, but helping hold together a unit that does not have much spare capacity behind it.
Vrabel later reinforced the expectation that Landry and Brenden Schooler were not likely to be out there, saying, “I wasn’t anticipating them being out there … I think the plan was that this is not unexpected.”
That is the reality for New England. The Patriots have enough to set the edge and compete, but the margin is tight. If the front four cannot stay healthy and effective, the defence may be forced to do more patching than planned before the season is even settled.
For now, the answer to the opening question is straightforward: Dre’Mont Jones and Elijah Ponder are the starting edge rushers, and Harold Landry III is out because the knee issue that began in 2025 still leaves him unavailable at the start of the 2026 season.
