Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Alert: Patriots’ Romeo Doubs Set For Surprise Role? | Could Alter Draft Plans!

Starting point is 00:00:00 Romeo Dobbs's role in 2026 might be different than we first thought and could have a significant impact on the Pats plans at wide receiver. This is Locked-on Patriots. You are Locked-on Patriots. Your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. What's happening? I'm your host, Nick Cattles. On today's episode, the Pats Hall of Fame has announced three finalists, and it doesn't take a rocket.

Starting point is 00:00:35 scientist to predict what will happen. The second segment, the early word on Harold Landry's 2026 is optimistic and could shake the depth chart at defensive end. But first, Romeo Dobbs could have a surprising role in 2026. Ever since the Patriot signed Romeo Dobbs, I've been talking about him replacing Stefan Diggs, replacing the Z role in this offense at wide receiver, moving all around the line of scrimmage, playing a decent amount out of slot, sliding to the outside every once in a while. Ever since Romeo Dobbs put his name on that dotted line, I've been talking about the Patriots

Starting point is 00:01:15 still needing a boundary receiver, the ex-boundary guy. We've been talking about it for now a couple of years, but especially the past several weeks. Well, Dobbs could actually impact things in a little bit different of a way than we first thought. My whole idea about Romeo Dobbs, again, was replacing Stefan Diggs, which led to you need that boundary X receiver, which led to me saying, you know, Casey Concepcion, a player that I love in this draft, might not make as much sense for the Patriots post-Romeo Dobbs

Starting point is 00:01:51 than pre-Romeo Dobbs. But is that the actual truth? Is that what's going to happen with this Patriots' offense? Is Dobbs going to simply replace the role of Diggs, or do the Patriots and the coaching staff have a different idea? Could the Patriots envision Romeo Dobbs as their outside boundary receiver? Mike Giardy, Boston Sports Journal recently wrote, the more info I gather on the Dobbs signing and how he fits into this offense,

Starting point is 00:02:19 the more I believe he begins as the X. In Kashan Booty and Kyle Williams, assume more of these Stefan Diggs role. The paths have always felt booty had more positional versatility, and because of the lack of a true X over the last couple of seasons, he had to stay out there by default. Williams also got stuck out there because of digs and even Pop Douglas, but there's a belief that his speed could play really well in the slot

Starting point is 00:02:45 and give the team a vertical threat. All right. So Mike Giardi says, from the information he has been gathering since the signing of Romeo Dobbs, The Patriots actually could start Dobbs at the X and move Kashon Booty slash Kyle Williams into the Stefan Diggs role, which changes an awful lot of what we were envisioning. Taylor Kyle's from CL&S posted, I do think the Patriots will move Dobbs around the formation, but I'd like to see Kishon Booty get more Z snaps. Again, that digs roll. And Taylor Kyle's points out, Elliot Wolf has mentioned that Booty can do.

Starting point is 00:03:27 more than just line up at X. Now, let's just take this scenario, this hypothetical scenario, and let's treat it like its reality. Let's treat this like reality and say Romeo Dobbs is no longer your Stefan Diggs replacement. Romeo Dobbs is not going to play the Jacoby Myers type role in this offense. Romeo Dobbs is actually going to be your outside guy. Let's go off that hypothetical as if it's reality.

Starting point is 00:03:57 if that is what the Patriots are going to do, then that changes a decent amount of what we have talked about. The impact on the current room, for example. Well, if you're not going to play Romeo Dobbs in that Stefan Dig's spot, right? And he's not going to play as much in the slot. Then that means there are more snaps at the slot position available to the other guys. And yes, that means there's more opportunity to move Kashan booty inside if that's what you want to do. but there's also more opportunity for Kyle Williams.

Starting point is 00:04:30 There's also more opportunity for Pop Douglas. And you go back to what Mike Vrable said at the league meeting in Arizona when he talked about Pop Douglas. And we discussed that. We had the conversation, right? That Vrable was pumping the tires of Pop Douglas saying that Douglas needs more snaps. He needs more opportunity. Well, maybe this is part of that thinking, that you slide Dobbs more.

Starting point is 00:04:56 to the outside than we thought, because you want to create that opportunity in the slot for not only Kayshan Booty, maybe Kyle Williams, but also Pop Douglas. And you want to play him in the slot more than he played this past season. Now, of course, if you're going to move Dobbs to the outside and you're going to play him more at the X than we first thought, then that means there's going to be less opportunities for Mack Hollins,

Starting point is 00:05:23 who has great chemistry with Drake Men. and brings that versatility because he is a very big receiver who can block. Now, Dobbs can block and Dobbs doesn't mind blocking. But Mack Hollins, the snaps he got on the outside last season, those many of them might be just gone, blown off the map. Less opportunity, less reliance on Mac Hollins, more on Romeo Dobbs, the younger, more explosive player. You also wonder if you're going to move Dobbs to the outside,

Starting point is 00:05:56 and you're going to open up these opportunities for Kyle Williams, Kisham, Bouti, and Pop Douglas on the inside and the slot, what's that mean for Efton Chisholm? Are you going to try to still continue to develop Efton Chisholm as an outside inside inside and see what he can give you on the outside? Because, yes, they tried some of that last preseason and last camp. But when Chisholm was out there playing football and he was getting snaps, he played a decent amount on the inside. So where does that leave Efton Chisholm? Maybe that's the last thing the Patriots are thinking about. They're saying he's our sixth receiver on the roster right now.

Starting point is 00:06:29 We're not worried about it. Maybe. So that's the impact on the current room. But if Dobbs is truly going to play at the X on the outside, more often than we thought he was going to when the signing happened in what we've talked about the last several weeks, if that is going to happen, then that decision could also impact the draft. because now the versatility of your wide receiver room currently opens all sorts of options. So you go back to KC Concepcion and you say, hey, wait a minute. Hold on, wait a minute.

Starting point is 00:07:05 KCC at 31 now makes sense. Because if you truly think you can slide Dobbs to the outside and play him at the X more often than not, then that doesn't shut the door on somebody like KCC who has the inside outside. versatility because now you can play KCC on the inside, Dobbs on the outside. Of course, you're still looking at, well, what do you do with Kishon, Booty, and Kyle Williams and Pop Douglas at that point? But if you want to just get the best football players on the field and you want to draft a wide receiver at 31 that you love, the Casey Concepcion conversation is back on the table with Dobbs sliding more to the outside.

Starting point is 00:07:44 Now that's at 31. Maybe you like a Skyler Bell from Yukon. You know, if you're sitting there round three, number 95 overall, Skylar Bell is sitting there. Maybe you want to draft Skylar Bell because he's more inside than outside. So this really changes not only the dynamic of your wide receiver room right now currently, as it's currently constituted, but it certainly could impact your approach on the weekend of the draft. because now you have maybe more openings, more opportunity for different types of receivers.

Starting point is 00:08:20 You're not pigeonholing yourself. You could certainly go in the draft and draft an X boundary guy and then say, yeah, we thought we'd play Romeo Dobbs more on the outside, but now we're going to slide them inside because receiver X fell to us. Maybe Elliot Wolf and Mike Vrable and company, they love Denzel Boston. Denzel Boston falls to them at 31. They say, you know what? Yeah, we were going to move, Dodd.

Starting point is 00:08:42 more to the outside. But now we've got Denzel Boston who fell to us at 31. We're going to draft Boston. We're going to slide Dobbs to the inside more often. So all of this is on the table. And there's one more thing that we can't discount. And that is the idea that this is all leverage against the Philadelphia Eagles. There is at least the possibility that the Patriots are talking up, moving Dobbs more to the outside than putting him

Starting point is 00:09:12 and that's the Fondig's role, because they want to lead Philadelphia to believe that they don't necessarily have to have an A.J. Brown. It at least paints a picture that the Patriots are less desperate for A.J. Brown's skill set if Romeo Dobbs on the outside is true. This is going to get a lot of fun

Starting point is 00:09:38 over the next couple of weeks. So many thoughts, so many possibilities, I absolutely love the NFL draft. But if Romeo Dobbs is going to play on the outside, then we can rethink an awful lot about that wide receiver room in this upcoming draft. Coming up, the latest on Harold Landry. This is Lockdown Patriots, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network.

Starting point is 00:10:03 Now the number one sports podcast network, your team every day. It's tax time, but for a lot of us, the old way of doing taxes is a lot. trying to book an appointment. That's not the most convenient sitting in a waiting room with a stack of papers, emailing back and forth and wondering if they really get your situation. But this year you're getting a major upgrade. And to it turbotax now has in-person locations nationwide. You can meet face-to-face with a real tax expert and your documents get uploaded straight to your TurboTax app on the spot. And just like that, you're done. Your TurboTax expert works to get you every dollar you deserve while you get real. time notifications as you go about your day. Doesn't that sound nice? It's the relief of walking in and meeting a real genuine person in walking out, knowing your taxes are being handled the right way.

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Starting point is 00:11:31 Supercast.com. We're gunning for 10,000 subscribers on YouTube as well. You can help us get there by doing a couple things. Click that thumbs up. Give us a like on the YouTube channel during this episode. More thumbs up means more eyeballs. Don't forget to throw a comment in your thoughts on Romeo, the positional versatility that he might bring to the Patriots,

Starting point is 00:11:50 playing him maybe more on the outside than we thought. And don't forget to subscribe again. 10,000 subscribers is the goal as we step even closer. Step even closer towards the 2026 NFL draft. Heading into that draft, a huge reason for the need at edge is Harold Landry's health. Now we saw Harold Landry last season. He was a different guy after the injury.

Starting point is 00:12:20 And he has had surgery on at least one knee. And so you wonder, what is Harold Landry going to look like in 2026? Can Harold Landry get back to what he was at the beginning of the 2025 season? A very productive, dangerous defense event. Because if Harold Landry, let's say, is 70% of what he was last season, then that need at edge is even more critical. Well, update on Harold Landry. First of all, we had Mike Vrable speaking about Landry at the league meetings.

Starting point is 00:12:55 Taylor Kyle's posted that Mike Vrable says Landry is still rehabbing from his knee injury, calls it unfortunate how the ailment affected his ability to play. I would agree. I think a lot of people are thinking back to Landry's 2025, and they're just remembering the tail end of the season and how he was a different dude after like week five or six. I go back to when he was healthy and how he was impacting that side of the ball consistently. Mike Reese then followed up Mike Vrable's comments at the league meetings recently and wrote the Patriots voluntary offseason program begins April 20th,

Starting point is 00:13:31 but Landry has already been showing up at the team facility every day in recent weeks. Landry's production dropped off notably after a knee injury in week six last season with Vrable sharing his belief. that Landry can bounce back in his 10th NFL season. Quote, I think anybody that watched tape could see Harold before hurting his knee and then after. That was Rabel. Adding that Landry, quote, works his tail off to get back, unquote. So Harold Landry, weeks before the voluntary offseason program begins on April 20th at Jolette Stadium, is showing up every single day as he continues his rehab.

Starting point is 00:14:12 and he's continuing to put work into his craft trying to get ready for 2026. Now, again, pre-injury, before that knee injury hit week six, Landry was an impact guy. He was an impactful player. Nobody was complaining about the contract. As a matter of fact, people were saying, man, the Patriots, the way Landry is playing, that justifies the contract. That explosive first step that we remember early.

Starting point is 00:14:42 in the career of Landry, right? When he was at Boston College, they got drafted and went to Tennessee, that explosive first step. It was there. It was there last season before the injury. The pressures on the quarterback were there. The sacks on the quarterback were there. And as we mentioned before the season kicked off last year,

Starting point is 00:15:02 Landry is much better against the run than people give him credit for. The first month of the season, Harold Landry was one of your best football players. and he was absolutely one of your best defenders. Remember, Christian Gonzalez missed the first couple weeks. So, I mean, you looked at that defense, and it was Milton Williams. It was Christian Barmore and Flashes. It was Caleb-on-Chayson and Harold Landry. And Robert Spillane took a couple weeks to get going.

Starting point is 00:15:33 So if you get that Landry, this is a different conversation. It's much like what we talked about last segment with Romeo Dobbs. If you tell me that Harold Landry is going to give you like 90%, 95% of what he gave you in the first five, six weeks of 2025, then I feel better about the edge position. My desperation level is not as high because Landry will no doubt impact defensive N3 and defensive end four on the depth chart. Because before the injury, I went back and I looked at Harold Landry. Landry's snaps. Before that injury, right, going through week six, Landry played 82% of the snaps. If Landry's healthy and the Patriots want to deploy him the same way they deployed him in 2025, then he's going to play about 80% of the snaps.

Starting point is 00:16:30 If he's playing 80% of the snaps, that's an entirely different world than him trying to limp through like 60 to 65% of the snaps. Because you, you would have Landry playing 80% and you would have Draymont Jones, the starter opposite of Landry, playing probably 65 to 70%. That's where he hovered around last year. Draymont Jones, you know,

Starting point is 00:16:54 played more before the trade than after the trade. And you would think you're bringing him in, you're paying him the money. Draymont Jones is probably going to get 65 to 70% of your snaps on one of the edges. So if you've got 65 to 70% on one of the edges with Draymond Jones, you've got 80% on the opposite edge with Harold Landry, now you don't need as many snaps from defensive end number three

Starting point is 00:17:19 and defensive end number four, which inherently impacts the draft. Because if you're going to get 80% of the snaps from Landry, then there's less of a need to double dip. If you're going to play Landry 80% and play Jones 65 to 70%, now you're looking to get, you know, about 35, 40% of the snaps on the defensive side from your other two defensive ends. If that's the case, you can easily look at this and say, we're good because we'll draft an edge. Certainly you have to draft an edge. But the need to double dip, not as big of a need, not as much urgency because you have Elijah Ponder.

Starting point is 00:18:03 And you could say, we think Landry, we plan on Landry having, you know, 80% of the snaps. gobbling up on one side and Jones gobbling up 65 to 70. So we can make the other 35 to 40%. We can make that up with Elijah Ponder and draft pick X. But if you're looking at Landry and he's going to give you, you know, 60% of the snaps, now you might need that extra guy to develop and throw in for, I don't know, few snaps a game. So Landry is such a big domino to this defense.

Starting point is 00:18:37 because if you can get what he gave you at the beginning of last year, number one, you've just got a very good edge football player. You've got a guy who's going to impact your defense in a good way for a lot of snaps. But you're also looking at that depth and you're not really up against it, so to speak, to draft multiple edge players that you need to work out ASAP. One guy, yes. you're going to need one edge to give you some snaps. There's no doubt about that.

Starting point is 00:19:09 You're going to draft an edge and that guy is going to have to play for you. But that second edge, now you can take more time to develop that dude and not worry if you're going to double dip. You might not even double dip in the first place. And let's not forget, again, the run defense from Landry better than people, you know, think, expected. We told you before the season kicked off, that was the case. And I would think that the run defense, if you're getting 80% of the snaps from Landry, and you've got Draymond Jones now taking the 65 to 70% of the snaps in replacing Calebon Chase on,

Starting point is 00:19:47 your run defense is going to be better than Calebon Chase on and a dinged up Harold Landry. So we'll keep an eye on it. Again, voluntary off-season program, April 20th. Not sure if Landry is going to be physically ready to truly get going until Can. but that's going to be a huge storyline throughout camp. Is Landry's health, how's he look? What can you expect from Harold Landry in 2026? The Patriots might just double dip to cover themselves,

Starting point is 00:20:23 and that's what I would do. But they might tell us how they feel about Harold Landry depending on how much they invest at edge. Not drafting two dudes, but where do they draft those guys? They draft an edge in the first round. They come back and draft an edge in like the third or the fourth round. That tells us they got concerns about Harold Landry. They draft a dude in the first round,

Starting point is 00:20:47 then don't touch somebody until one of those sixth round picks. They're not as concerned. The Pat's announced the latest three finalists for their Hall of Fame. It's coming up next. This is Lockdown Patriots, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Today's episode is brought you by Indeed. We talk a lot about the chaos of the NFL

Starting point is 00:21:09 off season, but let's talk about the chaos in your own office. Deadlines are stacking up. Your inbox is a disaster in that one crucial position you need to fill is still sitting open. When the pressure is on, this is a job for indeed sponsored jobs. You shouldn't be just crossing your fingers hoping the right person stumbles onto your post. Indeed, sponsored jobs helps you reach the people who actually fit your specific needs, skills, experience, and location. And get this, in the minute I'll spend talking to you right now, companies like yours made 20, 27 hires on Indeed globally, according to their data. Spend less time searching and more time actually interviewing the people who check all of your boxes.

Starting point is 00:21:48 Cut through the chaos today. Listeners of this show get a $75 sponsored job credit to give your post the premium status it deserves at Indeed.com slash podcast. Support the show by letting them know you heard about them here. Indeed.com slash podcast. Terms and conditions apply. need to hire. This is a job for indeed sponsored jobs. Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe. The Patriots Hall of Fame vote is coming up. And we got word of the three 2026 finalists.

Starting point is 00:22:23 None of this is a surprise. The three finalists, Rob Grunkowski, Adametary, Logan Mankins. There's no way this is not going to be Gromk. We all understand that, right? Like, this story is going to end with Gromk doing a gigantic spike. in a red jacket and Patriots fans going bananas. That's how this is going to end.

Starting point is 00:22:45 And that's how this should end. Rob Grunkowski is going to be your newest member of the Patriots Hall of Fame. I have zero doubt about that. If something else happens, something went wrong. Something drastically went wrong. Grinkowski is the greatest tight end of all time, in my estimation, because of his ability to not only be a pivotal piece in the passing game, but also his crushing impact in the run game.

Starting point is 00:23:15 He is the best all around tight end that I have seen play the game of football. You've seen guys like Tony Gonzalez and others, Travis Kelsey, who are truly, truly the standard when it comes to receiving tight ends, guys that can move around the line of scrimmage and, you know, mimic what wide receivers do an awful lot. Grunkowski, as we know, was different. Gronk was a different animal. And if he played like Tony Gonzalez or Travis Kelsey,

Starting point is 00:23:45 he might have had, you know, more time in the league. But because he put his body through so much, going back before the NFL and then through his NFL career, he put his body through so much because of his play style. This guy was on a war path, 99.7% of the NFL. the time and the point three percent he wasn't on a war path was because he was off the field. I mean, this guy was different, right? So the greatest tight end of all time is going to be your newest inductee to the Patriots

Starting point is 00:24:20 Hall of Fame, not just because of how incredible he was on the field and the playing resume, but also because he's just crazy popular. I remember talking about this with like the Julian Edelman stuff before Julian Edelman was selected. gronk is just so popular i mean you go back to you know that that 2010 whatever to you know that nine 10 year stretch with the patriots i mean he was one of the most popular players on the team he was one of the most popular players in the league and that's not just during his playing career not only in new england but a little bit in tampa but also off the field in what gronk has done away from the field taking part in rasselmania w.

Starting point is 00:25:04 Being on TV, doing the Fox telecasts, right? Being in the Fox studio with those guys. Having the podcast with Julian Edelman, being all over the place on podcasts, interviewing with a bunch of people, being in advertisements, like all this stuff, the popularity. And, you know, the fans are voting here. We're talking about a popularity contest. And Adam Venetary, Logan Mankins, are more remote. moved from the people than

Starting point is 00:25:38 Rob Grunkowski is. So I don't think there's any doubt that Grunk is going to be the guy. He is going to be your next Patriots Hall of Famer. I would imagine if you were going to rank these, Adam Venetary would be second on this list, the second most likely on this list to be selected. I think Venetary would be ahead of Logan Mankins.

Starting point is 00:26:01 And I, you know, I made my case about Venetary with the pro football Hall of Fame. I talked about, you know, what he did for the Patriots when he was mentioned last year, much like Granc. You know, Grant best tight end of all time. Adam Vinotary, to me, is the best kicker of all time. The best kicker of all time. He's in the NFL Hall of Fame as we just witnessed a couple of months ago.

Starting point is 00:26:24 You know, the impact, the types of kicks that he made over and over and over throughout his NFL career. He should be second on this list. And unfortunately, there's three guys. got to have a third. Logan Mankins would be my third guy. Now, does Logan Mancans deserve to be in the Patriots Hall of Fame? I think so. But there's an element of it is what it is. When you play for an organization that had not one but two dynasties who have a bunch, literally a bunch of worthy dudes to be in the team's Hall of Fame, you're going to keep on getting nudged out

Starting point is 00:27:01 if you're Logan Mankins. I mean, there's not as much love for the offensive. line. It's funny. While these guys play, and as we talk about the draft and free agency, we talk about the competitiveness of a football team and how important it is to protect your franchise quarterback. Once these guys retire, it's like, like the abominable snowman, but they just lose a bunch of weight. They're like the skinny, abominable snowman.

Starting point is 00:27:27 And so, you know, during that, their playing time in their careers, everybody's freaking out. everybody talks about the offensive line and what are these bums doing when they fail? But then you get somebody like Logan Mankins, who's just kind of chilling waiting on the periphery of the Patriots Hall of Fame because he's not as popular and as fun as Julian Edelman or Rob Grinkowski, et cetera, et cetera. So Gromk's going to get in. Venetary's going to have to wait. Megan's is, you know, he's going to have to continue to wait. And, you know, every time we talk about the Patriots Hall of Fame.

Starting point is 00:28:04 fame. I just, I have to stress the appreciation for what we witnessed that I was in Atlanta as a fan watching that last Super Bowl, Rams, Patriots, the Stefan Gilmore, who just retired, his pick that ended that game for all intents and purposes, the huge catch by Grunkowski in that game. I mean, we just, we should really appreciate what we witnessed those two runs. I mean, the Brady Belichick era, truly unreal, truly special. And that's why for the next number of years, we're going to talk about this Patriots Hall of Fame. And every single year, the three finalists are going to be worthwhile

Starting point is 00:28:47 Hall of Famers if they get in because of that special run or the special runs. That wraps up this edition of Lockdown Patriots. Thank you for making us your first listen and for being an everyday. Reach out to me on Twitter at Nick C. Radio. Don't forget to throw a comment in on the YouTube channel. Hit that like button and subscribe. And if you never miss an episode, the Everydayer Club is built for you.

Starting point is 00:29:09 Get Lockdown Patriots, ad-free, plus members-only Discord access and more. Head to Lockdownpatriots.com or check the link in the show notes to learn even more. Have a great weekend, and we will see you next time.

Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Alert: Patriots’ Romeo Doubs Set For Surprise Role? | Could Alter Draft Plans!

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