What signing Peter Manuma, Xavier Holmes means for the Patriots

May 9, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots defensive end Xavier Holmes (51) does a drill with tight end Jeremiah Franklin (17) during the New England Patriots rookie camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images The New England Patriots had 17 players in for tryouts during their rookie minicamp over the weekend, and they ended up signing two of them to their active roster . Defensive edge Xavier Holmes and safety Peter Manuma, both of whom undrafted rookie free agents, are now officially the 90th and 91st players on the team.

Let’s take a closer look at what they bring to the table and what their signings in general mean for the Patriots. Safety depth While the hope is to find the next Malcolm Butler from the pool of tryout players, fact is that those signings start their NFL careers at the very bottom of the pro football hierarchy. Holmes and Manuma are no different, and find themselves in the very bowels of New England’s roster.

That being said, the latter in particular could be in a position to make a push for the roster when looking at the current safety depth chart : Safety (7): Kevin Byard (31), Craig Woodson (4), Dell Pettus (24), Brenden Schooler (41), John Saunders Jr. (23), Mike Brown (33), Peter Manuma (34) Out of the current group, Kevin Byard and Craig Woodson are roster locks as is All-Pro special teamer Brenden Schooler. That leaves one or two spots up for grabs, and Manuma’s athletic profile (6.

53 Relative Athletic Score), résumé (49 games, two-time team captain) and ball production at Hawaii (5 INTs, 3 FFs) show a player who very well has the tools to compete. Speed and versatility The late rounds of the draft and subsequent rookie free agency are typically not the place to bring well-rounded prospects into the fold. Instead, teams go hunting for traits.