Despite not re-signing any of their free agents, the New England Patriots have had a solid offseason. While it’s disappointing that the team wasn’t able to bring back Jaylinn Hawkins, they arguably made a huge upgrade at the safety position, signing last year’s interception leader, Kevin Byard III.
Initially, this was expected to be their lone signing at safety. However, New England also signed Mike Brown to a one-year, $1.3 million contract. Even though the low-cost deal provides the Patriots with insurance at the position, it also diminishes Dell Pettus’ chances of seeing an increased workload.
Mike Brown Signing Impacts Dell Pettus’ Role
With head coach Mike Vrabel’s regime taking over, the Patriots’ defense underwent huge changes in 2025. One of the notable adjustments was primarily deploying two safeties, and as a result, Pettus saw a decrease in his playing time on defense. After playing 341 defensive snaps in 2024, Pettus appeared in just 143 snaps in 2025.
Despite this, Pettus made the most of his limited opportunity, logging 20 total tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, and two pass deflections. It felt like every time Pettus was on the field, he made a noteworthy play.
One play in particular that stands out is in Week 11 against the New York Jets, where he had a clutch pass breakup on fourth down, forcing a turnover on downs and ultimately sealing a victory for the Patriots.
While his defensive snaps were limited, Pettus carved a role on the special teams, where he was a dependable contributor, logging five total tackles. With Pettus’ solid play and the Patriots already having quality depth in the secondary, he appeared poised to continue in this role and potentially earn an increased role.
However, this has changed with the addition of Brown. Like Pettus, Brown also saw a decrease in his playing time on defense, appearing in just four snaps with the Tennessee Titans last year. The four-year veteran was also a core member of their special teams, accumulating three total tackles this past season.
With Brown now in the mix, the Patriots are carrying six safeties on the roster. Byard and Woodson are the clear locks to be the team’s starters, while John Saunders Jr. lacks experience, and Brenden Schooler primarily plays on the special teams. That leaves Brown and Pettus to compete for the backup reps.
When comparing the two, Pettus is the younger of the two, has played more defensive snaps than Brown did last season, and has displayed the capability of being an impactful player in limited snaps.
Meanwhile, Brown has more experience than Pettus and played under Vrabel and defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr in 2023 with the Titans. Although this sets up an intriguing battle to look forward to in training camp, Pettus should come out victorious and receive more playing time than Brown.
While Brown provides them with valuable insurance at safety and is a quality special team contributor, Pettus has the higher potential on the defensive end and has proven to be a reliable playmaker. But if he wants the chance to get more playing time in 2026, he'll need to beat out Brown in camp.