Seventeen tryout players were on hand for rookie minicamp at Gillette Stadium. At least a pair will be circling back.
The New England Patriots officially signed outside linebacker Xavier Holmes and safety Peter Manuma on Monday, as first shared by Exclusive Sports Group and the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed.
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Both free agents went unselected in the 2026 NFL draft.
Holmes, a 6-foot-2, 252-pound edge rusher, appeared in 25 games at Maine before transferring to James Madison for his fifth year of eligibility. Across 14 contests in the Sun Belt, the redshirt senior notched 30 tackles and six sacks to go with one fumble recovery, one interception and one blocked kick.
A 40-yard dash of 4.76 seconds was logged by Holmes at the Dukes pro day. He will join an edge depth chart that also includes Harold Landry III, Dre’Mont Jones, Gabe Jacas, Elijah Ponder, Bradyn Swinson, Jesse Luketa and Quintayvious Hutchins in Foxborough.
Manuma, a 6-foot, 200-pound defensive back, previously attended rookie minicamp with the Seattle Seahawks on a tryout basis as the calendar turned to May. The Hawaii product ran the 40-yard dash in 4.47 seconds and the three-cone drill in 7.01 seconds at his pro day.
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A four-year starter, Manuma appeared in 49 games dating back to 2022. He served as a team captain for back-to-back seasons and was a four-time All-Mountain West honorable mention. The Rainbow Warriors career spanned 280 tackles, two sacks, three forced fumbles and five interceptions. Along the way arrived 11 stops for loss and 20 passes defensed for Manuma, who was named the defense’s MVP as a senior. He joins a safety room that also includes Kevin Byard III, Craig Woodson, Dell Pettus, Brenden Schooler, John Saunders Jr. and Mike Brown.
New England’s undrafted class now stands 14 deep.
The Patriots entered the rookie minicamp with two open roster spots when accounting for German-born offensive tackle Lorenz Metz’s exemption through the NFL’s International Player Pathway.
