It’s training camp week for the Patriots, and things will get rolling tomorrow when head coach Mike Vrabel meets the media in the late morning, and practices get started on Wednesday. The excitement level is high with the arrival of Vrabel, the former New England star linebacker and Super Bowl champion who takes over after another former Patriots star, Jerod Mayo, flopped in his first year at the helm with a 4-13 record.
Along with Vrabel has come a clear commitment to turn around the team’s fortunes after a sharp decline from the end of the Bill Belichick era into the 2024 debacle. The Patriots spent a trove of money–$360 million, according to Spotrac, and $196 million guaranteed, both of which led the NFL–in free agency in an effort to fill the team’s gaping holes, and the hope is that the new arrivals, along with improvement from quarterback Drake Maye, will put New England into the AFC playoff picture.
The Patriots are likely to have 10 new starters in their 22-man units, perhaps more. And while their 90-man training camp roster appeared to be set, they took the unusual step of adding a 91st player this weekend–David Olajiga, a 27-year-old rookie defensive lineman whom the Rams had on their 2024 practice squad, but released in May.
Patriots Adding to Their Strong Defensive Line
The Patriots announced Olajiga’s signing on the team website on Sunday. Because he is an International Pathway player, the Patriots are allowed to extend their roster to 91 players to keep him through camp.
From the Patriots site: “The 6-foot-3, 310-pounder, was released by the Rams on May 7, 2025. Originally from London, England, Olajiga began his football career in high school at The John Fisher School in London. He appeared in 32 games at Central Missouri and recorded 98 tackles (47 solo), 20 tackles for loss, 9.0 sacks, 1 pass defensed, 3 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery and 4 blocked kicks.
“He transferred to Central Missouri from Butler County Community College in El Dorado, Kansas in 2020.”
Olajiga is joining a group of interior defensive linemen that is expected to be the anchor of the defense–and, indeed, the anchor of the team. The Patriots gave a $108 million contract to the most prominent free agent this offseason, Milton Williams of the Eagles, expecting him to be a key to both stopping the run and providing pressure up the gut.
New England is also counting on a return to health of Christian Barmore, who struggled last year. The Patriots were the 25th-ranked defensive line by Pro Football Focus at the end of the 2024 season, but had leapt to No. 14 in PFF’s preseason rankings last month.
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