The New England Patriots made plenty of moves that fueled their run to the Super Bowl this time one year ago and one of the biggest was edge rusher Harold Landry III. Reuniting with head coach Mike Vrabel, Landry had a successful first season with the Patriots, logging 49 total tackles and 8.5 sacks. But a lingering knee injury led to a disappointing finish, putting his future with New England in doubt.
Landry will likely return to the team in 2026 as New England would eat $19 million in dead money if they decided to release him per Over The Cap. But his future beyond that is up in the air and he could get a big hint about what his future holds when the Patriots enter April’s NFL Draft.
Harold Landry III’s Patriots Future Could Be Determined in the NFL Draft
As previously mentioned, Landry put up solid numbers, adding 52 pressures to his sack total according to Pro Football Focus. But consistency was an issue as his 8.7% pass-rush win rate ranked 96th among qualifying edge rushers last season. His knee injury also played a key role in his struggles as he missed the AFC Championship Game against the Denver Broncos and established some long-term questions entering his age-30 season.
Perhaps an offseason of recovery could have Landry ready to go next year. But even if the Patriots trust him, they can’t sit back after losing K’Lavon Chaisson to the Washington Commanders in free agency. With the possibility of trading Landry to a needy team and clearing $8.3 million in cap space, it looks almost certain the Patriots will take a pass-rusher in the draft that could complement Landry next season and replace him as soon as 2027.
This year’s class isn’t as deep at edge rusher as previous classes, but there still are options. NFL Mock Draft Database’s consensus mock draft has the Patriots taking Texas A&M’s Cashius Howell with a 13% projection rate at the 31st overall pick, but New England could also look at Clemson’s T.J. Parker or Missouri’s Zion Young according to their consensus big board.
If the Patriots choose to go with another need (or trade their first-rounder in a package for A.J. Brown), they still could tab Michigan’s Derrick Moore or Penn State’s Dani Dennis-Sutton with the 63rd overall pick. If they don’t go edge rusher, Landry could still wind up staying and perhaps earn another chance at staying next year or earning a big contract as he owns an $18.5 million cap hit for 2027.
Regardless, April will be a big data point for Landry’s future with the Patriots and it could be a hint as to whether he’ll be playing football in New England or somewhere else in the next two seasons.