Patriots who could be moved ahead of Tuesday’s NFL Trade Deadline

FOXBORO — With a loss in Miami, the Patriots dropped to a dreadful 2-6 on the season on Sunday. Forget about a path to the playoffs or even a path to respectability; it’s pretty much over for the 2023 New England Patriots.

It’s been a long, long, long, long time since we’ve dealt with this kind of season in New England. But barring an undefeated run the rest of the way, the Patriots are cooked before Halloween.

The one benefit of that, if you can really call it a “benefit,” is that the Pats will have a chance to do some roster resetting at Tuesday afternoon’s trade deadline. While the needs are aplenty, it’s hard to imagine Bill Belichick will be a buyer ahead of 4 p.m. on Halloween. 

He can sidestep questions about it as much as he wants, but it would be in Belichick’s best interest to sell off some pieces at the deadline. If Belichick truly means that he does whatever is in the best interest of his football club, he’d set his sights on the future and snag some more picks to build with — because this year’s Patriots won’t be building anything.

Here are a few players who could be on the move out of New England on Tuesday afternoon. 

Josh Uche

A free agent after this season, Uche didn’t make the trip to Miami over the weekend as he nurses knee and toe issues. Or… were the Patriots holding the 25-year-old for a future trade?

We’ve seen Uche’s talent in spurts, as he’s been used as a situational pass rusher over his four seasons in New England. He had 11.5 sacks last season, and has the skillset that teams will be interested in adding come Tuesday. It’s also that skillset that will command a lot of money on the open market. 

If the Patriots don’t have plans to extend Uche this offseason, it wouldn’t make much sense to keep him past Tuesday. 

Kyle Dugger

Like Uche, Dugger is in the final year of his contract. But the safety has been playing a very key role in the New England secondary this season and had several huge plays in Sunday’s loss to Miami, including an interception, a sack, and another tackle that saved a touchdown. 

Belichick has expressed a desire to keep the former second-round pick and the Patriots don’t have anyone else to fill his shoes. He’s a very important piece to the Patriots.

But if someone blows them away with an offer on Tuesday, moving Dugger is something the team should consider. 

Hunter Henry

Henry has been a big target for Mac Jones over the last three years and become a team leader, named a captain for the first time ahead of the season. But he’ll also be a free agent after the season, and tight end-needy teams like the Cowboys, the Buccaneers, and the Bengals may come calling.

And even though he’s still in his first year with the Patriots, Mike Gesicki‘s name is one that could pop up ahead of the deadline too.

Ezekiel Elliott

A 2-6 record probably isn’t what Zeke was expecting when he signed with the Patriots in the summer. He’s averaging only 3.9 yards per carry, but has shown that he has something left in the tank in his eighth NFL season. 

A contender in need of some running back depth may be interested in adding the low-cost 28-year-old to the mix for a late pick or two.

Trent Brown 

Teams in need of a left tackle would probably love to add Trent Brown to their line ahead of the deadline. His value is probably a bit low because of his injury history and some iffy play Sunday in Miami, but he’s still one of the best tackles in the business and probably wouldn’t cost a team too much to acquire at the deadline. 

Mike Onwenu

Onwenu is a pending free agent but the kind of guy you want your team to build around — a versatile and young lineman. It’s his versatility that would likely fetch the Patriots a nice bounty for Onwenu on the trade market though, and teams in need of help along the offensive line should be making calls to the Patriots about his availability. 

Mac Jones

It probably won’t happen. But the Patriots have a decision to make on Jones this offseason, since they’ll have to pick up his fifth-year option or let it go by the wayside. Trading him away would be one way to avoid making that decision.

And suddenly, the Minnesota Vikings need a new quarterback after Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles on Sunday. The Vikings are 4-4 and still in the mix for a wild card spot in the NFC. Cousins is also set to be a free agent after the season, so Minnesota would be able to get a look at a potential QB of the future in Jones.

It’s unlikely the Patriots would get much for Jones at this point, but they may be able to land a few mid-round picks. Then, of course, the question becomes who plays quarterback the rest of the season for New England. But hey, we need something to keep us entertained every Sunday.