The defending AFC champion New England Patriots suffered a heartbreaking, 13-10 defeat to the team that defeated them in last season’s Super Bowl, the Seattle Seahawks, in the NFL 2026 opener. Quarterback Drake Maye threw three interceptions in the second half, including an end-zone pick with just 26 seconds left on the clock to seal the loss.
The Patriots will be looking for some redemption when they face the Pittsburgh Steelers, who beat the Atlanta Falcons 20-13 in their own Week 1 contest. Sunday’s game will be the Patriots’ home opener.
In the aftermath of the Seahawks defeat, the Patriots announced four roster decisions on Monday.
New England signed wide receiver Chandler Brayboy and edge rusher Xavier Holmes to its practice squad Monday, cutting two players to clear the roster spots, according to a report by ESPN correspondent Mike Reiss.
The move comes days after New England placed star receiver A.J. Brown on injured reserve with a high-ankle sprain, leaving the passing game thin ahead of Sunday’s Steelers clash.
New England Patriots Add Chandler Brayboy, Xavier Holmes
Brayboy, 25, spent last season on Jacksonville’s practice squad after going undrafted out of Elon in 2025. He earned first-team FCS All-American honors as a return specialist in 2024, once returning two kickoffs for touchdowns in a single game against Albany, according to Jaguars Wire. The Jaguars waived him at the end of camp this past August, closing out a rookie season that never produced a regular-season target.
The signing addressed an immediate need at wide receiver. With Kayshon Boutte already traded to Houston, the room behind Romeo Doubs and DeMario Douglas is pretty sparse. Brayboy and Holmes were both in the locker room for Monday’s practice, wearing Nos. 81 and 58, and worked positional drills, according to Patriots On SI.
Holmes, a 24-year-old edge rusher, is on his second stint with New England. He started his college career at Maine before transferring to James Madison for a senior season that produced 6.0 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss on a College Football Playoff defense, according to JMU’s official athletics site. New England signed him as a rookie free agent in May, and while Holmes made the 90-man roster, he was among the club’s final training-camp cuts in August.
Elliott Davison, Hassan Haskins Cut Loose
Davison, a safety who had been on the practice squad barely two weeks, is now out the door in Foxborough. The former Texas-San Antonio standout spent the 2025 season on New Orleans’ practice squad before New England signed him to the practice squad on Sept. 3. With four safeties already on the 53-man roster, Davison was the newest and most replaceable body in the group.
Haskins, a 2022 fourth-round pick by the Tennessee Titans — when Patriots coach Mike Vrabel coached the Titans — out of Michigan, was let go after New England traded for running back Corey Kiner in late August. His release lines up with encouraging news elsewhere on the roster. TreVeyon Henderson returned to practice Monday after missing last week’s opener with an ankle injury, easing the need for extra depth behind Rhamondre Stevenson.
New England’s official transactions page confirmed the moves Monday. Neither Davison nor Haskins is barred from returning to Foxborough if New England opens a spot later in the season.
Patriots Announce 4 Roster Decisions After 3-Point Seahawks Loss