Pats Host DaQuan Jones, Shaq Thompson

Jones, a 12-year veteran coming off four seasons in Buffalo, has plenty of familiarity with Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel. The two were together from 2018-20, Vrabel’s first three years as the Titans’ head coach. Jones started in all 48 appearances during that stretch.

The 6-foot-4, 320-pound Jones then took a one-year deal in Carolina, where he first played with Thompson. Jones remained a full-time starter with the Panthers, though he only spent one season with them.

Jones found more stability as a member of the Bills, who gave him a pair of two-year contracts during his stint with the team. The Penn State product was a full-time starter on a perennial contender in Buffalo, but he never seemed likely to re-sign after he expressed dissatisfaction with the firing of head coach Sean McDermott in January.

Jones played 51 regular-season games under McDermott, but injuries limited him to seven in 2023 and 12 last year. He tallied 22 tackles, eight quarterback hits, three sacks, two pass deflections and a forced fumble in 2025. Even though age is working against the 34-year-old, he still ranked an impressive 24th among 127 qualified D-tackles at Pro Football Focus last season. If he signs with the Bills’ AFC East rivals and reunites with Vrabel, Jones would add another established interior lineman to join Milton Williams and Christian Barmore. Cory Durden is expected to start at nose tackle.

While the Patriots have Robert Spillane and Christian Ellissin place as their top inside linebackers, Thompson has 118 starts under his belt and carries more experience than backups Chad Muma, K.J. Britt and undrafted rookie Khalil Jacobs. Thompson posted four straight 100-tackle seasons with the Panthers from 2019-22, but two major injuries derailed his carer over the next couple of years. He missed 15 games in 2023 as a result of a broken fibula and then sat out another 13 in ’24 with a torn Achilles.

With his stock at an all-time low last year, Thompson settled for an inexpensive deal with the Bills. They probably got more than they expected from the 11-year veteran, who recorded 56 tackles, six TFL, two passes defensed, two QB hits, a sack and a forced fumble over 12 games (six starts). After finishing the regular season as PFF’s 29th-ranked off-ball LB, Thompson intercepted Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence in a wild-card round win and chipped in 13 tackles in two playoff games. The Bills have not publicly expressed interest in re-signing the 32-year-old since then, but he is now firmly on the Pats’ radar.