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How 13 former Patriots have fared with new teams this season
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- How 13 former Patriots have fared with new teams this season
Handed a Patriots roster in need of a serious overhaul, Mike Vrabel had to show plenty of familiar faces the door over the past year.
Whether cutting players, letting veterans walk in free agency, or swinging trades, New England ’s depth chart looks radically different than a year ago.
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Everybody knows how things have gone for the Patriots : At 13-3, they’ve won the AFC East for the first time since 2019 and have a shot at the No. 1 seed this weekend.
But how have those familiar faces fared since leaving Foxborough? Here’s a look at how 13 former Patriots that Vrabel parted ways with have done with their new teams:
Kendrick Bourne , 49ers
One of the final cuts of the summer, Bourne returned to San Francisco and has enjoyed his best season since 2021. With the 49ers beset by injuries early in the season, Bourne helped to keep them afloat. The wideout has caught 37 passes for 551 yards and moved the chains 27 times.
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“I’m just thankful for Kyle (Shanahan),” Bourne said on the Richard Sherman podcast. “He really knows what he’s doing. He knows personalities, he knows how to connect. It goes deeper than football, and that’s why you see the success he’s been having in his coaching career.”
Jonathan Jones , Commanders
As Vrabel sought to bring in new faces, he let a number of former Patriots Super Bowl champions walk in free agency. Jones was one and signed with the Commanders, who’ve regressed in disappointing fashion after an NFC title game appearance a year ago. In 11 games with Washington, Jones has allowed 21 catches for 283 yards on 32 targets, per Next Gen Stats. He’s yet to record an interception, but hasn’t been beaten for a touchdown either.
Keion White , 49ers
After a disappointing start to the season, White was traded to the 49ers for a late-round pick swap and has gained a bit of traction in the Bay Area. The edge rusher has played 57% of the defensive snaps in San Francisco, hitting opposing quarterbacks six times and picking up 1.5 sacks and 19 pressures.
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Kyle Dugger , Steelers
Another Patriots second-rounder traded for a late-round pick swap in October, Dugger has started all eight games he’s been healthy for with the Steelers. The safety intercepted Shedeur Sanders last week, but also went viral for overrunning another would-be pick against the Browns. He has 40 tackles, two interceptions, a sack and five passes defensed in Pittsburgh .
“I’m certainly thankful that we acquired Kyle Dugger, man,” Mike Tomlin said. “He’s a quick study.”
Jabrill Peppers , Steelers
While Dugger has barely come off the field in Pittsburgh’s defense, Peppers has struggled to get on it. Cut by the Patriots at the end of training camp, Peppers has been a core special teamer for the Steelers, but has only played 100 snaps of defense in his 13 games with the team (11%). He has 16 tackles on the season.
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Davon Godchaux , Saints
Traded to New Orleans for a seventh-round pick in March, Godchaux has appeared in all 16 Saints games this season, starting 14 of them. The hard-to-move defensive tackle has helped to anchor a terrific Saints run defense, which ranks second in the league in EPA , and has registered 43 tackles.
Deatrich Wise, Commanders
Like Jones, Wise was a Patriots stalwart that wasn’t re-signed in free agency. The three-time team captain then joined the Commanders, too. Wise’s time on the field in Washington was brief, as he suffered a season-ending injury in Week 2, reportedly tearing his left quad. The 31-year-old only played 55 snaps as a Commander in 2025.
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Cole Strange , Dolphins
The 2022 first-rounder bounced around a bit, but found a home in Miami . Cut by the Patriots at the end of camp, Strange signed with the Browns practice squad and then was poached by the Dolphins in September for a spot on their active roster. Strange has started 13 games in a row for Miami at guard, playing 99% of the offensive snaps in that time frame. He’ll return to Foxborough on Sunday.
“The system here is way different. It’s a system that naturally suits my capabilities (because of) my overall athleticism,” Strange told the Miami Herald. “Guys who are fast, guys who are quick (are well-suited to this system). I’m more athletic and fast than I am big and strong. Some guards are 350. I’m 300.”
Jake Andrews , Texans
Of the former Patriots on this list, Andrews has played more than anybody in 2025. A fourth-round pick under the Bill Belichick regime in 2023, Andrews hurt his knee during training camp in the summer of 2024 and missed all of last season. He was released in late April, but caught on with the Texans, where he has started 15 games at center, playing 1025 snaps for Houston ’s offense.
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Chuks Okorafor, Jets
Though Okorafor bailed on the Patriots after one game last season and was cut in February, the veteran tackle still found work with the Jets. Okorafor has appeared in 14 games with New York on special teams, but the backup lineman has yet to play an offensive snap.
Joe Cardona , Dolphins
Released in late April after a decade with the Patriots, the longsnapper has appeared in all 16 games for Miami, registering a career high five tackles in punt coverage.
Joey Slye , Titans
As New England looked to change things up at kicker, they didn’t re-sign Slye after his one-year deal expired. The journeyman signed in Tennessee , where he’s gone 28-for-34 (82.4%) on field goal attempts. For the sake of comparison, rookie Andy Borregales has hit 86.7% of his field goals during his first season in Foxborough.
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Joe Milton III , Cowboys
After signing veteran Joshua Dobbs to back up Drake Maye , the Patriots traded Milton and a seventh-round pick to Dallas for a fifth-rounder. Milton hasn’t seen much time behind Dak Prescott on the depth chart, going 8-for-11 with a touchdown and interception in relief this season, but that could change this Sunday.
With the already-eliminated Cowboys facing off with the Giants (who currently own the No. 2 overall pick), Dallas coach Brian Schottenheimer said Prescott will start, but Milton might see some playing time as well.
“(I’ll prepare) the same like I do every other week,” Milton told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “I’ve been the two the whole season. It’s been a progression from last year being the three, the emergency quarterback. Being the two, I wanted to make sure I was ready for every game just in case a shoelace gets untied or whatever it may be. I’ll be ready, for sure.”
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