4 Patriots trade deadline needs to watch with one week to go – 98.5 The Sports Hub

If the New England Patriots want to make any more trades this season, they have just one week left to do so. The NFL trade deadline is a week away, on Tuesday Nov. 4 at 4:00 p.m. ET.

At 6-2 and in first place in the AFC East, the Patriots are unquestionably in position to be buyers. The team does have some flexibility with 10 picks in the upcoming NFL Draft including two picks each in the fourth, sixth, and seventh rounds. They also might be in a unique bargaining position to make a player-for-player swap with players like Keion White and Kyle Dugger rumored to be available.

So, what will the strategy be? Last week, Albert Breer shared on NBC Sports Boston that “their approach is going to be to take a long-term view of this whole thing.”

“I don’t think they want to affect their draft capital going forward for 2026 and 2027 with all of the holes they still have on their roster for some sort of short-term fix,” he added.

Given that, it would make sense for the Patriots to target younger players who can be apart of their future, rather than true one-year rentals. That doesn’t mean they need to acquire players with term still on their contracts, but any players on expiring deals would likely be candidates to re-sign.

The reality is, players fitting that description rarely move at the trade deadline. Those are more offseason deals. It’s more likely any Patriots additions would be for rotational or depth spots. Which positions will get the most attention? Here are a few to watch…

Even if the Patriots don’t get a running back that resets the depth chart at the position, they still need to add a player to the roster at that spot. They currently only have two running backs on the 53-man roster, which is not sustainable for the nine games they have left.

For the past three weeks since Antonio Gibson’s injury, the team has elevated Terrell Jennings from the practice squad. Jennings is now out of elevations though, so the team will need another answer. That could be as simple as signing Jennings to the active roster, which Vrabel hinted at on Monday. If not, they’ll likely need to find an external addition.

Breece Hall is the top name rumored to be available at running back, but the Patriots would likely have to pay an in-division tax at a position where they aren’t hard-pressed to get a starter. Spell backs on losing teams like Jerome Ford in Cleveland, Dameon Pierce in Houston, or Tyjae Spears in Tennessee might make more sense. Ford in particular is a player to watch for a reason we’ll get into in a bit.

At the top of the depth chart, the Patriots are good on the edge. Both Harold Landry and K’Lavon Chaisson have been productive, ranking top-16 in pressures among all players this year.

After them though, the depth drops off. Veteran Anfernee Jennings is the third player in the rotation, followed by UDFA Elijah Ponder and recently-signed Caleb Murphy. Keion White is a bit of a wild card, as his role has been reduced and after being a healthy scratch last week could be a candidate to be traded.

Again, the Patriots don’t need to re-set the depth chart here but bolstering the overall picture at the position would make sense. The market might be favorable for them too, with multiple young edge rushers like Boye Mafe, Arnold Ebiketie, Arden Key, and Azeez Ojulari rumored to be available. Those players could play a rotational role this year, and potentially grow into bigger roles in the future. This is where trading somebody like White could come into play – swapping one young player without a role for another in a similar position elsewhere.

Eight weeks into the season the Patriots are still struggling to cover tight ends. They’ve tried multiple looks but are still getting beat regularly, and rank bottom five in catches (48) and yards (534) allowed to the position. Bringing in a player who is a more proven tight end coverage option would be a good use of the deadline window.

There’s not really one position that fits this bill. It could be a linebacker or a safety. More linebackers that safeties project to be available, with Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson – having recently requested a trade – highlighting that list.

However, if Dugger gets dealt safety depth would become a need beyond answering the tight end issues. The Patriots have already gotten tested with injuries at the position this year, and it looks like another spot that could use another body.

If the Patriots are going to add a ‘starter’ who can make an impact at the trade deadline, this is a spot where they can do it. With the new kickoff rules having an explosive kickoff returner can be a real difference-maker.

Since Gibson’s absence the Patriots have struggled in that regard. On their 13 kickoff returns since his injury they’re averaging 23.8 yards per return, which over the course of the season would currently rank 29th in the NFL.

Things looked a little better with TreVeyon Henderson back deep again last week, but the team has talked about the need to make sure he stays healthy given their current running back depth and may want to spread the workload out if his role in the offense is going to continue to grow.

This is where the Patriots could double dip, adding a running back and a returner. That brings us back to Jerome Ford, who in addition to being a very capable spell back also has significant kick return history. Raiders running back Dylan Laube could be another potential target. The UNH product is averaging 27.2 yards per return, although he hasn’t been as involved offensively.

It also doesn’t have to be a running back returning kicks. Among top returners at other positions on projected selling teams are D’Wayne Eskridge of the Dolphins, Greg Dortch of the Cardinals, and former Patriot Gunner Olszewski of the Giants. None should cost more than a very late-round pick swap.

Adding a kick returner may seem trivial, but given the new nature of the play it could be a sneaky-big addition. Through eight weeks, of the eight teams over .500 in the AFC, all but two have qualifying kick returners that rank in the top half of the league in yards per return (this doesn’t count the Chargers, who rotate their kick returners to the point that none qualify for the league leaderboard). Pittsburgh and Jacksonville are the exceptions. It would help the Patriots to replace Gibson, whose 28.5 yards per return paces top five in the NFL.