The New England Patriots went on an unprecedented spending spree in 2025, investing $364 million to rebuild a roster that had fallen in disrepair over the previous two seasons. The first major signing was actually done before the opening of the market, however: Harold Landry was picked up on a three-year, $43.5 million contract following his release from the Tennessee Titans.
Now entering the second season of that pact, the veteran edge defenders finds himself under quite a bit of pressure.
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Hard facts
Name: Harold Landry III
Position: Defensive edge/Outside linebacker
Jersey number: 2
Opening day age: 30 (6/5/1996)
Measurements: 6’2 3/8”, 252 lbs, 78 7/8” wingspan, 32 7/8” arm length, 9 3/8” hand size, 4.64s 40-yard dash, 6.88s 3-cone drill, 4.19s short shuttle, 36” vertical jump, 9’11” broad jump, 24 bench press reps, 9.47 Relative Athletic Score
Experience
NFL: Tennessee Titans (2018-24), England Patriots (2025-) | College: Boston College (2014-17)
A three-star recruit out of Pine Forest High School in his hometown of Fayetteville, NC, Landry spent his college career at Boston College. A backup as a true freshman, he became a fixture along the team’s defensive line from his 2015 sophomore campaign on and was twice named All-ACC (second team 2016, third team 2017). In total, he amassed 158 tackles, 48 tackles for loss, 25 sacks and 10 forced fumbles during his four seasons as an Eagle.
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His productivity at BC made Landry a popular target in the 2018 NFL Draft, and he was eventually selected 41st overall by the Titans. As a rookie, he was used on a rotational basis but — just like in college — took his game to a new level from Year 2 on. Capable as a pass rusher and a run defender, Landry registered 256 tackles, 31 sacks and a trio of forced fumbles in his first four years as a pro; he also was voted to the Pro Bowl in 2021.
The Titans subsequently signed him to a five-year, $87.5 million contract extension, but he suffered a torn ACL in practice less than six months after putting pen to paper. Despite missing the entire 2022 campaign as a consequence, Landry returned as a high-quality player the following year. In his two subsequent seasons, he picked up 141 more tackles and 19.5 sacks. Nonetheless, Tennessee decided to release him in March 2025 after unsuccessfully trying to trade him.
Five days after his release, Landry joined the Patriots to reunite with his former head coach, Mike Vrabel. He added 18 more combined regular season and playoff games as well as 8.5 sacks since then, bringing his respective career totals to 121 and 63.5.
Scouting report
Strengths: An experienced player with a track record of proven production against NFL competition, Landry provides a well-rounded skillset. He has played quality football against the run while also being productive as a pass rusher, all despite typically being employed in a high-volume role when healthy.
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His burst and naturally-aggressive approach are two of his best assets, and stand out particularly in the running game. Landry is quick out of his stance and puts offensive linemen on the defensive from the get-go. He also is not easily caught up in trap or pull traffic while being patient and experienced enough to read his keys and let misdirection plays develop instead of overcommitting. He shows urgency on backside pursuit and is a sound, wrap-up tackler.
As a pass rusher, Landry is fairly quick out of his stance, ranking top-10 among qualifying NFL edges in get-off time over the last two seasons. He also shows bend while also successfully turning speed into power, and has a full arsenal off pass rush moves and counters as well as a good feel for line games; his lower-body flexibility and change of direction allow him to be used on stunts and twists. He additionally is a decent finisher who usually ranks highly in pressure-to-sack rate.
Weaknesses: Landry is undersized by traditional standards, ranking in the bottom-quartiles in height (18), weight (21), arm length (25) and hand size (19) while barely clearing that hurdle in terms of his wingspan (28). He has shown that he can work around those limitations, but it will be seen whether or not they will pose problems as he gets up there in age. Whether his age was a limiting factor in 2026 cannot be fully assessed given his injury issues, but fact is that he was a non-factor toward the tail-end of the season.
In general and despite his experience and positive attributes, Landry is coming off a second inconsistent season as a pass rusher. His 8.7% pass rush win rate ranked 56th among 62 qualifying edges in 2025. He has had a hard time producing quick wins in recent years and has been ineffective using counters; once swallowed up he is effectively taken out of a play from a pass rush perspective.
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Landry also is not the most versatile player at this stage in his career. He predominately lines up on the defensive left and only rarely moves elsewhere in the formation.
2025 review
Stats: 18 games (15 starts) | 728 defensive snaps (56.7%) | 54 tackles, 4 missed tackles (7.4%), 10 TFLs, 1 FF | 52 QB pressures (8.5 sacks, 12 hits, 31 hurries) | 3 targets, 2 catches surrendered (66.7%), 15 yards | 3 penalties (incl. 0 declined/offsetting)
Season recap: Having registered a career-low 30 quarterback pressures the previous year and carrying a $24.05 million salary cap hit into 2025, the Titans decided that the end had come for their partnership with Landry. In the days leading up to free agency, Tennessee unceremoniously cut its longest-tenured player after failing to find a trade partner.
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The move made him eligible to immediately pursue other opportunities, and it did not take long for him to find one. Just five days after his release, Landry signed the aforementioned three-year deal to join his longtime head coach Mike Vrabel in New England.
Given his familiarity with the system Vrabel put in place in Foxborough, Landry accumulated well to his new surroundings and seemingly entered the starting lineup on arrival. His importance to the team exceeded beyond his role as a starting edge, however; despite being in his first year with the organization, he was voted a team captain straight away at the end of his first training camp in New England.
Once the regular season began, he played a similar role to the one he had held during Vrabel’s tenure in Tennessee. Aligning as the starting left-side edge — i.e. over the opposing right tackle — he was a high-volume player who made a positive impact on what had been a moribund pass rush the previous year.
However, Landry failed to sustain his early momentum. A nagging knee injury played a significant role in that.
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While he did not make his injury report debut until the Patriots’ Week 12 game in Cincinnati and continued to have some solid performances afterwards, the ailment severely limited him down the stretch. After playing 78.7% of defensive snaps and registering 6.5 sacks and a forced fumble over the first half of the season, he was limited to 33.8% and two quarterback takedowns after playing through the injury against the Bengals.
In the playoffs in particular, Landry was a non-factor. Missing the AFC Championship altogether, he played just 51 snaps in the tournament and registered only five tackles without any sacks. K’Lavon Chaisson and Anfernee Jennings took over as the primary edges in the postseason.
While it did end on a sour note, Landry’s first year as a Patriot was not all bad. He finished with 52 total pressures, his highest mark since 2021, and continued to set stout edges in the run game even while his knee kept getting worse. Ultimately, however, he did not prove himself the difference maker the team needed to compete for the Super Bowl.
2026 preview
Position: Three-down edge | Ability: Average starter | Contract: Signed through 2027 (2028 UFA)
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What will be his role? Despite his knee hampering him for much of 2025, there is optimism at One Patriot Place about Landry entering his second year with the club. Accordingly, he will continue playing the role he held for very much his entire NFL career: he will be a three-down starter along the defensive edge, aligning primarily on the left side of the defense. However, with free agent Dre’Mont Jones and second-round draft pick Gabe Jacas added to the mix, the team might decide to limit his workload relative to the 78.7% snap rate he had over his first 12 games as a Patriot.
What is his growth potential? Entering his age-30 season, Landry is very much defined as a player. That said, the room for growth is obvious considering his output in 2025. The hope is that the arrivals of Jones and Jacas will help him show that growth and allow the team put him in a position to be successful for a prolonged period of time.
Does he have positional versatility? Landry has played various defensive line techniques through his career, and provides run/pass flexibility. From an alignment perspective, however, he was used in a pretty straight-forward fashion in his first year as a Patriots: the veteran played on the left edge on 87.2% of his defensive snaps. He also was a non-factor in the kicking game, playing zero special teams snaps for the first time in his career.
What is his salary cap situation? The fifth most-expensive Patriot in terms of salary cap impact, Landry is on the team’s books with $16.35 million in 2026. That number consists of a fully-guaranteed $11 million salary, a $4 million signing bonus proration, $1.275 million in per-game roster bonuses — $1.125 million classified as likely to be earned — and a $225,000 workout bonus.
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How safe is his roster spot? Despite his struggles down the stretch in 2025, Landry is a lock to make the Patriots’ roster this season. Not only would cutting him create a $15 million dead money charge relative to minimal savings, the team also remains fairly thin on the edge even after selecting Gabe Jacas 55th overall in the draft.
Summary: Despite his favorable roster outlook and projected starter role, Landry is very much in “bounce-back or bust” mode heading into his second season in New England. A campaign like last year’s, which saw him turn from critical defensive piece to effective afterthought would have dire consequences both for the team itself — again, edge depth is a question mark at this point in time — and for his outlook beyond 2026.
What do you think about Harold Landry heading into the 2026 season? Will he be able to bounce back? Or will he remain the inconsistent contributor he was in 2025? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.
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