New England Patriots: Time to become sellers instead of buyers
The New England Patriots lost their third straight game on Sunday and it is time to start looking to next year.
The New England Patriots lost their third straight game on Sunday in Week 7 and it was not pretty. It was the second straight game where the team looked mentally defeated before the game was over, and it was the third game in a row where the offense looked punchless.
As the NFL trade deadline approaches, the team should be looking at trading players to acquire assets rather than looking to deal draft picks for marginal improvements. This season, the team looks like it has too many needs to just be coached up.
The Patriots are now 2-4 and they have the division-leading Buffalo Bills up next on the schedule. Although the Bills have not looked very well themselves over their last three games if the Patriots lose they will fall to 2-5 with very little chance of winning the division.
Although the team still has two games left against the Jets, at this point, there are no other games on their schedule that can be considered a definite win.
Who could the New England Patriots sell off at the trade deadline?
For the Patriots, they could move pieces and still be competitive this year. The first player to move would be Joe Thuney. He is playing on the franchise tag and could potentially bring back a third-round pick in the upcoming draft. Due to the lucrative contract the team already has with Shaq Mason, it does not make sense for the Patriots to sign Thuney as one of the highest-paid guards in the league.
He may be the team’s best and most consistent lineman, but they made their choice with Mason already and they have to live with it. The emergence of rookie Michael Onwenu makes trading Thuney a little easier to handle with less of a dropoff.
Once in sell mode, the team could and should trade cornerback Stephon Gilmore. He is coming off a defensive MVP season but he has been a bit inconsistent this season and his age makes it less likely the team will commit to a long-term raise and extension for him.
He may not bring back the same package of what Jalen Ramsey and Jamaal Adams were able to do for their teams, but he could bring back a first-round pick or possibly multiple second-round picks. J.C. Jackson would be able to take Gilmore’s spot in the lineup, and cornerback is the team’s deepest position.
If they were able to get anything in return, the team would also be wise to trade wide receiver Julian Edelman. He seems bruised and battered right now and it feels like he is in severe decline. A change in scenery and injection into a playoff race with a more potent offense could make the difference for Edelman at least for this season.
He may be able to bring back a draft pick or player similar to a fourth-round pick or later, but the team would be doing him a solid while getting something in return at the same time. Outside of the Seattle game, he only has 13 receptions in the other five games so the dropoff would not be too much.
If there were any interest in running back Sony Michel, safety Terrence Brooks, edge players John Simon, Deatrich Wise, Derek Rivers, or Shalique Calhoun, special teamer/cornerback Justin Bethel or special teamer/safety Cody Davis, then the team should consider taking something in return for them.
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Long-term they may not have a home on the team and putting a strong importance on some of these role-players is not wise. The team needs more impactful players on both sides of the ball and whether or not they can get them with these pieces or use their return to help make it happen, it is time for the Patriots to reload and build towards 2021 and beyond.