Closing out their 2026 preseason in Cleveland, the New England Patriots sat 37 players and suffered a 37-13 loss to the Browns on Thursday, highlighting deep roster vulnerabilities behind an established group of starters.
Mike Vrabel and New England Roster Depth
The preseason finale offered an unvarnished look at New England’s roster architecture. Head coach Mike Vrabel’s previous warnings about squad depth proved accurate as the Browns’ reserve offense rolled over the backup defense in the first half. With 31 of the 37 resting players categorized as starters or pseudo-starters, roughly 22 backups took the field against Cleveland, and they were outmatched at pretty much every position on the field.
Dillon Gabriel and Cleveland Offense
While Cleveland rested its primary starters just days after naming Deshaun Watson the regular-season quarterback, backup signal-caller Dillon Gabriel delivered three first-half touchdown passes to seize his extended preseason opportunity. Gabriel finished 12-of-15 for 186 yards, connecting twice with Luke Floriea and once with Ahmani Marshall to help the Browns score 17 first-quarter points and take a 27-13 lead at halftime.
The performance offered a stark contrast to Cleveland’s opening quarterback drama. Days earlier, Watson faced boos from the home crowd during a 5-of-12 outing against Buffalo Bills backups, prompting coach Todd Monken to call the boos “disrespectful” before naming him the starter. Watson later walked back postgame remarks, vowing to deliver a better product for the organization and the fan base in 2026, the final year of his fully guaranteed $230 million contract. With Shedeur Sanders resting alongside other key players to ensure Gabriel received heavy reps, Cleveland’s backup unit coasted through the evening. Monken said Sanders didn’t play Thursday night because the Browns needed to get Gabriel more reps.
New England’s defensive deficiencies stretched across multiple positions, exposing vulnerabilities at defensive tackle, linebacker, edge, and cornerback. Gabe Jacas struggled significantly, continually making the same mistakes and getting burned on bootleg, RPO, and option plays where he comes flying in and gives up the edge instead of holding the outside integrity. The Patriots knew that they might not be getting the best out of Gabe Jacas early on with him missing time in the spring and at the beginning of camp.
In the secondary, cornerbacks faced a rough start. Kindle Vildor, who has otherwise been a preseason standout, was flagged for pass interference on the opening drive and then allowed a touchdown when he couldn’t stop Luke Floriea short of the end zone, while also letting up a 21-yard catch on the first play of the second drive. Meanwhile, Marcellas Dial was battling for a spot on the cornerback depth chart and allowed a 14-yard touchdown to Floriea on the Browns’ second offensive series, leaving him looking up at Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis III, Marcus Jones, Charles Woods, Vildor, and Karon Prunty on the depth chart.
Kyle Williams and Patriots Offensive Depth
Despite the lopsided final score, a few offensive depth pieces manufactured positive tape. Wide receiver Kyle Williams boosted his stock by catching two passes for 55 yards and a touchdown on the opening drive. It was his third touchdown in three preseason games. Williams moves up the depth chart with Kayshon Boutte traded to the Texans.
Backup quarterback Tommy DeVito delivered a perfect 45-yard touchdown pass to Williams and also carried the ball twice for 16 yards. In the backfield, Hassan Haskins showed up a little bit of everywhere, flashing on special teams with a tackle on a kickoff, in pass protection, and with power in short-yardage situations, finishing with 11 carries for 38 yards. Conversely, Lan Larison had two straight drops when he was on the field, and while JaMichael Hasty had a few nice runs, Jam Miller didn’t even have a carry, which could signal that the Patriots already know that he’s the RB3.
Special teams introduced a fresh evaluation as punter Matt Haack made his appearance. Haack is on the roster since top punter Bryce Baringer suffered an injury in last week’s preseason win over the Eagles. Haack held well for kicker Andy Borregales and punted four times with a 46.5-yard average, placing three kicks inside the 20-yard line.
The coaching staff faces roster decisions ahead of weekend cuts. If the Patriots believe that Baringer will be out for at least four games, then they can put him on injured reserve Sunday during roster cuts. If Baringer is set to miss less than four games, then they could either keep two punters on the 53-man roster or cut Haack and hope to land him on the practice squad.
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