New England Patriots
“He gave me an opportunity. I feel like an opportunity of a lifetime.”
SAN FRANCISCO — As the snow continued to blanket a raucous Patriots sideline at Empower Field at Mile High, Patriots defensive tackle Cory Durden sought out his head coach.
Durden was far from the only Patriots player to embrace Mike Vrabel as New England punched its ticket to Super Bowl LX.
But the 27-year-old Durden’s words rang true as the reality of the situation started to sink in for the AFC champions — and a player who never imagined he’d be one win away from a Lombardi Trophy.
“You changed my life, coach.” Durden told Vrabel, as captured by NFL Films. “You changed my life. I swear to god, you changed my life.”
In a season where New England’s road to Santa Clara has partly been paved by former cast-offs and unheralded players with chips on their shoulders, Durden might stand at the forefront as a former practice-squad signee now playing his best football at just the right time.
“He gave me an opportunity,” Durden told Boston.com of his newfound success in New England under Vrabel. “I feel like an opportunity of a lifetime. They gave me a chance to show myself. Gave me all kinds of opportunities throughout this season, with how many times I played, and just the impact that he has on me personally.
“He’s the type of coach. He has an open-door policy so you can walk in there, talk to him about anything. It’s nice to have somebody like that in your corner.”
By the time Vrabel and the Patriots found Durden in late August, it looked as though his career had stagnated.
An undrafted free agent in 2023 out of NC State, the 6-foot-4, 305-pound Durden didn’t find his footing through his first two years in the league with the Rams and Giants. He only appeared in eight games between both teams — recording 13 tackles and one tackle for loss.
During the 2024 campaign with New York, he only logged 84 defensive snaps with the Giants before eventually getting waived during the final round of roster cuts in August 2025.
New England’s defensive line was already anchored by the likes of Milton Williams and Christian Barmore entering this year. But the Patriots identified plenty of upside in Durden, signing him to the practice squad on August 28.
“I saw Corey, I think it was our last preseason game — and he was on other sidelines making plays [for New York],” Williams said. “I didn’t think nothing of it. Three days later, he’s in our locker room.”
Just a day before the Patriots’ 2025 regular season commenced, he was added to the active roster — quickly developing into a key depth option for New England’s big bodies up front.
The results speak for themselves.
In 2025 alone, Durden has logged 474 defensive snaps for New England while appearing in all 17 regular-season games.
His baseline stats — 30 tackles with seven run stuffs — may not leap off the page. But Pro Football Focus handed him a 72.8 grade this season, standing as the 20th-ranked defensive linemen out of a pool of 134 players.
“Watching Cory grow, it’s been really cool to see him come in and just like a lot of our guys, he basically was shipped off to us,” Khyiris Tonga said. “He was cut by the Giants, and for him to come in, just get into the role that he’s had, and be dominant and play with the chip that he has — man, it’s been really cool.”
Durden has been as advertised in the postseason as well. Even with just three tackles through three games, he’s been credited with two QB hits and 13 total quarterback pressures over that stretch — forcing Jarrett Stidham into an early throw on a critical 4th-and-1 play in the AFC title game.
As the Patriots try to put Sam Darnold under duress on Sunday, Durden will be counted on as the next man up behind both Williams and Barmore on the depth chart.
“Obviously, starting the year with the different team, getting cut and picked up by a team — and then being kind of thrown into the fire right away? I dealt with ups and downs, but I navigated it pretty well, and kind of found myself throughout the process,” Durden said while reflecting on this season. “I found out what kind of football player I was this year. I’m excited to show what I got on Sunday.”
Durden feels as though his life has already changed since joining the Patriots in the final days of August.
A win on Sunday against Seattle would validate that sentiment beyond when he ever initially envisioned.
“He stepped up and was ready for the opportunity,” Williams said of Durden. “I told him, just keep going, man. We’re on a big stage now. Man, you keep doing what you’re doing and keep making plays, — you’re gonna change your life in these moments. If I can do it, I know you can too.”
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