3 Risers (and 3 Fallers) in Patriots' Blowout Loss vs. Browns

The New England Patriots lost their preseason finale in a one-sided fashion against the Cleveland Browns. The Patriots let up three touchdown passes to Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel, en route to a 37-13 loss.

Despite the stomping, some of New England's players did see their stocks rise throughout the night. However, plenty others saw theirs fall.

That said, here are the three biggest risers, and fallers, from Thursday evening.

RISER: WR Kyle Williams

Aug 22, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Kyle Williams (18) runs for a touchdown after making a catch against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Williams showed flashes of elite downfield receiving traits throughout his rookie season, which he has seemingly elevated in this year's preseason. The 23-year-old caught a touchdown pass in each of the Patriots' first three preseason games, including a 45-yarder on Thursday night.

"The hardest thing is to judge how fast he's rolling, because he can roll," quarterback Tommy DeVito said about Williams on Thursday. "He's so explosive at the line of scrimmage with his release package, and he's just such a vertical threat for these (defensive backs). They have to respect it, and that just complements the rest of his routes that he can do, and everything off of that."

If Williams can continue to build upon his preseason performances, he could become a pivotal deep-threat option for New England's offense. He finished his night on Thursday with two receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown.

FALLER: CB Kindle Vildor

Aug 22, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots cornerback Kindle Vildor (28) in the first half against the Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Edward Finan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Coming into Thursday, Vildor had been one of the Patriots' most impressive defenders of the past few weeks. With roster cuts due on Sunday, the seventh-year veterans chances at the 53-man squad has been looking up.

That changed rather quickly on Thursday night. On the Browns' opening drive of the game, Vildor was flagged for a 28-yard defensive pass interference on third-and-long. The 28-year-old also struggled in coverage at times, despite looking comfortable in New England's defense this month.

RISER: P Matt Haack

Dec 7, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals punter Matt Haack (39) against the Los Angeles Rams at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The catalyst for Haack being brought to New England was due to an injury to starting punter Bryce Baringer. However, the 32-year-old's performance on Thursday night may have New England re-evaluating its thoughts.

Going into his tenth NFL season, Haack finished Thursday with four punts for 186 yards (46.5-yard average). Additionally, three of his four punts from the night ended inside the 20-yard-line, including multiple inside the two-yard-line.

If Baringer is not ready to play for the regular season, keeping Haack around may be the perfect consolation prize.

FALLER: EDGE Gabe Jacas

Aug 22, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots linebacker Gabe Jacas (50) runs at Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Andy Dalton (14) in the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Edward Finan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jacas may be the Patriots' most talented edge rusher, but his traits are still extraordinarily raw. The rookie pass rusher was not in the Patriots' building through the majority of the spring and the start of season due to an injury and a contract dispute.

New England's needs a significant boost off the edge. The group was already arguably the team's worst on the rsoter, which has not been aided by veteran Harold Landry III being on the physically unable to perform list.

Even so, Jacas looked borderline unplayable on Thursday night. The rookie made plenty of mental erorrs, such as falling for play-fakes, and was getting pushed around at will.

RISER: RB JaMycal Hasty

Aug 27, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New England Patriots running back JaMycal Hasty (39) runs the ball against Cleveland Browns safety Zion Washington (34) during the second half at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In what may be a wide open race for the Patriots' third running back spot, Hasty easily looked the best of any player at the position on Thursday. The 29-year-old finished with six carries for 37 yards, plus mixed in at kick returner for a team-high 26.5 yards per return on his two attempts.

While second-year running back Lan Larison had seemingly taken the reigns for the third running back spot after last week, Hasty's explosiveness on Thursday could cause for some reconsideration.

FALLER: QB Behren Morton

Aug 27, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Behren Morton (15) throws a pass against the Cleveland Browns during the first half at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After leading a game-winning drive last week, and even working in at punter, Morton took a step back on Thursday. The seventh-round rookie quarterback finished the night 18/28 passing for 123 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. He also should have had a third turnover, but an interception was overturned due to a defensive back committing an unnecessary defensive pass interference.

"I need to do a better job," Morton said following the Patriots' loss.

New England is now tasked with cutting its roster down to 53 players, which it must do by Sunday evening at 6 p.m.

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