One offseason after adding the likes of Will Campbell and Morgan Moses, the New England Patriots kept adding to their offensive tackle group. But while Caleb Lomu naturally received most of the attention, the first-round draft pick was not the only player added to further bolster the position’s depth.
Among those brought aboard was a five-year veteran with extensive experience and swing tackle potential, former Brown and Giant James Hudson.
Advertisement
Hard facts
Name: James Hudson III
Position: Offensive tackle
Jersey number: 51
Opening day age: 27 (5/13/1999)
Measurements: 6’4 3/4”, 313 lbs, 10 5/8” hand size, 32 7/8” arm length, 80 7/8” wingspan, 5.34s 40-yard dash, 8.05s 3-cone drill, 4.81s short shuttle, 28 1/2” vertical jump, 8’2” broad jump, 22 bench press reps, 3.83 Relative Athletic Score
Experience
NFL: Cleveland Browns (2021-24), New York Giants (2025), New England Patriots (2026-) | College: Michigan (2017-18), Cincinnati (2019-20)
A four-star defensive end recruit, Hudson received close to 20 scholarship offers out of Central Catholic High School in Toldeo, OH. His first offers came in as a junior, and he initially committed to play college football at Kentucky. However, he decommitted an uptick in interest during his senior campaign and eventually opted to join Michigan out of a group of programs that also included Alabama, Miami and Penn State, among others.
Advertisement
Upon arriving in Ann Arbor, Hudson changed positions and went from the defensive line to offensive tackle. As a consequence, he did not see any action during his 2017 freshman campaign and played only three contests in a reserve capacity as a sophomore the next year.
A lack of playing time was a contributing factor in his decision to leave the Wolverines at the end of that season, and he opted to transfer back to his home state, joining Cincinnati in December 2018. He remained at offensive tackle as a Bearcat, but due to the NCAA’s transfer rules had to sit out most of his first season with the new team. He returned next year, started 11 games, and was named first-team All-ACC — prompting him to forgo the remainder of his college eligibility to enter the NFL.
Hudson was selected 110th overall in the fourth round of the 2021 draft, joining the Browns as a backup OT. In that capacity, he went on to play 50 combined regular season and playoff games with 18 starts. While most of his action came on the right side, he also earned experience on the left. His versatility appealed to the Giants in free agency 2025, and he was signed to a two-year, $12 million deal by the club.
However, Hudson lasted only one two-start season in New York. He joined the Patriots on a one-year, $1.4 million pact in March 2026.
Advertisement
Scouting report
Strengths: While not posting the best testing numbers entering the NFL, Hudson is a good mover in open space who can work in zone and man blocking schemes. He gets to his landmarks efficiently, can climb to the second level and disengages quickly from double-team blocks. He also has shown a basic understanding of how to handle line games up front, as well as the patience to let them develop instead of overcommitting. His big hands are a plus, and he uses them well to keep defenders in check; his grip strength is adequate and allows him to be an efficient run blocker. He also has the versatility to line up both on the left and the right side of the line.
Weaknesses: While he has been decent in the run game, particularly during his time in Cleveland, Hudson has had his fair share of issues as a pass protector since entering the league; on average, he has given up a quarterback pressure on every 11th rep in his career. He is not a particularly impressive size/speed athlete and can get overwhelmed by speed-to-power rushers; he is slow to move laterally out of his stance and plays with an uneven base as a pass protector. Hudson also has had problems consistently stringing positive performances together as well as some maddening mental and disciplinary lapses.
2025 review
Stats: 11 games (2 starts) | 85 offensive snaps (7.4%), 44 special teams snaps (9.9%) | 7 QB pressures surrendered (1 sack, 2 hits, 4 hurries) | 5 penalties (incl. 0 declined/offsetting)
Advertisement
Season recap: After starting 18 games in four seasons with the Browns, Hudson entered unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career in March 2025. It did not take him long to find his next home: on the second day of the new league year, he reached an agreement on a two-year, $12 million deal with the Giants — a deal that put him on track to become New York’s swing tackle.
Hudson indeed earned that role and with starting left tackle Andrew Thomas recovering from Lisfranc injury began the regular season as the Giants’ top left tackle. However, his tenure in that role lasted less than two full games: after giving up six pressures and being penalized once in Week 1 against Washington, he had a meltdown-type performance in Week 2 versus the Cowboys.
On the game’s opening drive, Hudson single-handedly derailed his team’s chances of scoring a touchdown: in a span of just seven snaps, he gave up a sack and four penalties. He was flagged two times each for unnecessary roughness and false starts, resulting in a total loss of 40 yards, plus 5 yards more on the sack he surrendered.
Even though the Giants were still able to come away with a field goal, the series sealed Hudson’s fate. He was replaced by fifth-round rookie Marcus Mbow on the next possession, and played only one more offensive snap the rest of the year. He did retain his role on the field goal and extra point protection team, but with his offensive role having gone to Mbow entered the 2026 offseason in a precarious situation.
Advertisement
And indeed, the team’s new coaching staff led by John Harbaugh opted to cut Hudson before the start of the 2026 league year — putting an unsurprising end to what was ultimately a disappointing and short-lived tenure.
2026 preview
Position: Swing tackle | Ability: Depth player/Role player | Contract: Signed through 2026 (2027 UFA)
What will be his role? Having played 1,530 career snaps between the left and right side, Hudson brings some serious experience to New England’s offensive tackle group. However, with the team having two established starters in place (Will Campbell, Morgan Moses) and a first-round rookie to back them up (Caleb Lomu), he projects as a fourth option at the position.
Advertisement
What is his growth potential? Entering his sixth season as a pro, the 27-year-old very much is who he is as a player. That said, there is still some obvious potential for improvement given how disastrously his lone year in New York went. If Hudson can show a short memory and keep his mental hiccups to a minimum, he very well should be able to return to the level of a playable backup.
Does he have positional versatility? As far as depth offensive tackles are concerned, Hudson has all the versatility that is needed: he can play on the left and the right side, and provides some special teams experience as well. While that is not an eye-opening track record of positional flexibility, it is plenty enough for his position.
What is his salary cap situation? Hudson joined the Patriots on a one-year contract in March that consists of a base salary ($1.22M), signing bonus ($138k), and workout bonus ($50k). It also features $537,500 in guarantees split between his signing bonus and parts of his salary. While the full value of the pact is $1.4 million, the cap impact itself stands at only $1.26 million. Why? Because Hudson qualifies for a veteran salary benefit, which in turn allows for a $140,000 cap hit reduction.
How safe is his roster spot? Despite receiving a fairly decent amount of guarantees, Hudson is no lock to make the Patriots’ roster this season. His experience is a plus compared to his competition, but he will nonetheless have to prove himself against the likes of Dametrious Crownover, Marcus Bryant, Sebastian Gutierrez and Lorenz Metz in order to earn the fourth tackle job behind Will Campbell, Morgan Moses and Caleb Lomu.
Advertisement
Summary: Hudson was a low-risk signing for the Patriots at the time, and in a best-case scenario should provide quality depth behind the top three offensive tackles. However, unless he can definitively show that his 2025 season was a one-off debacle that is not representative of the value he can provide, it will still not be easy for him to win a job over the younger, higher-upside players in the room.
What do you think about James Hudson heading into the 2026 season? Will he factor into the offensive tackle mix? Or are the younger guys preferable options to have on the roster? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.
Read the full article here
