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The New England Patriots are just a few days away from the start of the 2026 training camp schedule. They decided to bring in a new face to the active roster
According to a source, the Patriots have signed Arizona linebacker Riley Wilson. The undrafted rookie originally signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers following this year's NFL Draft in April before eventually getting released.
"Back in the saddle again," PM3 Sports, Wilson's agency, wrote on Instagram. NFL insider Aaron Wilson was the first to report the news.
Wilson, who also played for Hawaii and Montana during his college career, is an athletic prospect. Coming out of high school, Wilson played tight end for the Rainbow Warriors in a limited capacity before switching to linebacker. In three years with Hawaii, he played in 15 games and recorded six tackles.
Ahead of the 2023 season, he transferred to Montana where he broke out in a larger role. He was the team leader in both sacks (8.5) and tackles for loss (15). Wilson ranked first in the Big Sky Conference in both TFLs and solo TFLs (13). He was named Second Team All-Big Sky.
For his redshirt year this past season, Wilson transferred to Arizona. In 2025, he played in 11 games and totaled 51 tackles and eight tackles for loss. He also broke up six passes and intercepted two.
Before the season, Arizona defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales spoke about what Wilson's mental makeup is like on the field.
"Riley Wilson is going to be a household name in Tucson by the end of the season," Gonzales said, via Tuscon.com. "He’s got some dynamic things he can do both on and off the football and he’s smart. I’ve yelled at him four or five times over the last two days about not running into somebody because we’re not even in pads. It’s great to have to slow him down."
What Wilson Signing Means For Patriots:
Before the trade, the Patriots were certainly going to add linebackers later in the draft. In the offseason, they moved off of Jahlani Tavai, Marte Mapu and Jack Gibbens, who all had roles on last year's defense.
Executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf spoke about what he thought of the linebackers coming out of college, especially those on the third day.
"I do think it’s a good position Day 3 from a depth standpoint," Wolf said. "I think there are a lot of players that you could justify using a Day 3 pick on."
Wilson is now the third rookie linebacker to join the Patriots roster this year, joining TCU's Namdi Obiazor and Missouri's Khalil Jacobs. The team also added safety Peter Manuma, who played with Wilson at Hawaii in 2022.
Wilson joins a room that has veterans Christian Elliss and Robert Spillane at the top of the depth chart, as well as free agent signing K.J. Britt and holdovers Chad Muma, Amari Gainer and Otis Reese.
New England's veterans have until Friday, July 24 to report to Gillette Stadium ahead of the team's first training camp practice the next morning.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/patriots/onsi as Patriots Sign Undrafted Rookie LB Ahead of Training Camp.
