The New England Patriots opened the first day of the NFL's free agency tampering period with a few additions, signing edge rusher Dre’Mont Jones and fullback Reggie Gilliam. At the same time, the Patriots also lost key contributors, including defensive lineman Khyiris Tonga.
According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the five-year veteran signed a three-year, $21 million deal with the Kansas City Chiefs. Tonga was a valuable member of the Patriots’ defensive line, serving as a rotational player behind Milton Williams and Christian Barmore.Â
While Tonga’s ability to generate pressure inside will be difficult to replace, fans won’t have to worry about trying to find his replacement–the Patriots may already have it in Eric Gregory.Â
Eric Gregory Can Help Patriots Replace Khyiris Tonga
Gregory was quiet in the early part of the 2025 season, not suiting up until the Week 11 clash with the New York Jets. It wasn’t until Williams was placed on the injured reserve with an ankle injury that he finally received an opportunity.Â
Gregory quickly earned himself a rotational role, and his snap count increased following the injury to Tonga, recording a season-high in snaps (26) in the regular season finale against the Miami Dolphins. Unfortunately for Gregory, his season came to an end following the team’s wild-card victory against the Los Angeles Chargers, as he was placed on the injured reserve with a knee injury.Â
Although it was a small sample size, appearing in just 136 defensive snaps between the regular season and playoffs, Gregory displayed the potential to become a quality contributor. The undrafted free agent out of Arkansas proved capable of holding his own, logging eight total tackles and three hurries.Â
While Gregory wasn’t able to generate much pressure on the inside like Tonga, he specialized against the run, recording two stops, which was enough to earn him a 68.8 run defense grade, per Pro Football Focus.Â
Even though Gregory wasn’t nearly as impactful or important as Tonga was, he did show some promise in his rookie season, which should be enough for the Patriots to consider him as a potential replacement rather than looking in free agency.Â
The Patriots have a variety of needs they must address, and the defensive line isn’t one of them. Arguably their best position group, the interior has solid depth. Besides Gregory, the Patriots currently have Cory Durden, Joshua Farmer, Jeremiah Pharms Jr, and Leonard Taylor III as their backups. With this group, they shouldn’t feel the need to spend valuable cap space and should instead look towards this group to fill Tonga’s void.Â
Gregory can take the next step towards becoming that guy. With a full offseason to continue developing in New England’s defensive system, Gregory is in a prime position to take over Tonga’s workload.Â
Even though it’ll take time before Gregory reaches Tonga’s level of impact, his run-stopping ability makes him a useful asset for this team. Additionally, learning behind Williams and Barmore should help him improve as a rusher.Â
With a talented interior at their helm, the Patriots don’t need to spend money in free agency trying to bolster the position group. Instead, the Patriots should look within at Gregory to assume Tonga’s duties.Â