What Erick Hunter, Ben Brown signings mean for the Patriots

With just over a week to go until their season opener in Miami, the New England Patriots continue fine-tuning their 53-man roster. On Tuesday, the team of head coach Mike Vrabel added two players the mix: offensive lineman ben Brown was re-signed one day after his release, while rookie linebacker Erick Hunter was welcomed as the latest new face to arrive.

Let’s analyze what all of this means for the team.

Hunter was not selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, but it was not for a lack of athletic skill. The former Morgan State product, who finished second in school history with 298 combined tackles, performed well during pre-draft testing: he registered a fairly solid Relative Athletic Score of 8.64.

What stands out about Hunter’s testing is his explosiveness. While his three-cone drill does not look the part, his burst and long speed are impressive; he ranks in the 98th percentile among linebackers over the last 40 years in both the 40-yard dash and the broad jump.

Obviously, testing speed and game speed are two different things; the latter is closely tied to a player’s read-and-react skills, something Robert Spillane — who ran a 4.77-second 40-yard dash — excels in. That said, Hunter’s athletic foundation is strong and certainly of an NFL-caliber level.

The Patriots’ linebacker group is set at the top, with Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss a potent and proven starter pairing at the position. Further down the depth chart, however, there are questions — questions that remain even with Hunter in the mix.

The 23-year-old, after all, is a relatively unproven commodity and one of two rookies now backing up Spillane and Elliss:

53-man roster (5): Robert Spillane (14), Christian Elliss (53), Namdi Obiazor (48), Darius Muasau (54), Erick Hunter (49)

Practice squad (2): K.J. Britt (35), Riley Wilson (51)

Injured reserve (1): Khalil Jacobs (59 | short-term)

53-man roster (5): Robert Spillane (14), Christian Elliss (53), Namdi Obiazor (48), Darius Muasau (54), Erick Hunter (49)

Practice squad (2): K.J. Britt (35), Riley Wilson (51)

Injured reserve (1): Khalil Jacobs (59 | short-term)

As long as Spillane and Elliss are both available, the Patriots should be in decent shape at linebacker. They also have some experience on the practice squad in the form of K.J. Britt.

Darius Muasau, even more so than the rookies Hunter and Obiazor, might be the wild card. He has played a decent number of snaps over his first two seasons in the NFL, and also has some experience with the Patriots’ defensive staff from his time working under Shane Bowen with the Giants.

Hunter’s role on the defensive side of the ball has yet to be determined, but it seems like a safe bet that he will be actively used in the kicking game fairly early. His athletic profile looks the part, and he saw his fair share of reps while spending the summer with the Lions: he played on five special teams units — kickoff return, kickoff coverage, punt return, punt coverage, field goal/extra point block — and registered three tackles.

How the Patriots will employ him in the game’s third face is to be determined. His presence might allow the aforementioned Darius Muasau or Namdi Obiazor to place more of their focus on the LB3 role, however.

Ben Brown’s release on Monday might have come as a surprise, but not the follow-up report that he was expected back. It took only 24 hours for him to return, which means that the top five along the Patriots’ interior offensive line now look as most last-minute roster projections had it:

53-man roster (6): Alijah Vera-Tucker (75 | LG), Jared Wilson (55 | C), Mike Onwenu (71 | RG), Greg Van Roten (70), Ben Brown (77), Walter Rouse (72)

Practice squad (2): Jake Kubas (63), Jacob Rizy (64)

53-man roster (6): Alijah Vera-Tucker (75 | LG), Jared Wilson (55 | C), Mike Onwenu (71 | RG), Greg Van Roten (70), Ben Brown (77), Walter Rouse (72)

Practice squad (2): Jake Kubas (63), Jacob Rizy (64)

Based on their personal histories, Brown might primarily serve as the backup center behind Jared Wilson with Greg Van Roten the next man up at guard. Recent trade pickup Walter Rouse projects as an extra layer of developmental depth capable of lining up both on the inside and at tackle.

The Patriots adding Hunter and Brown to their roster moves the body count from 51 to 53 again, meaning that no open spots remains. Whether that means there will be no additional moves in the coming days will be seen.

What the moves also mean is an increase in financial commitment. According to salary cap expert Miguel Benzan, New England lost roughly $3.6 million on Tuesday to bring the club’s cap space to $16.59 million.