The resurgent New England Patriots find themselves in a position to add ahead of the NFL trade deadline, and there’s one position that makes a whole lot of sense.
Mike Vrabel’s team is ahead of schedule, going 4-2 to start the season and sitting atop the AFC East. With the easiest remaining schedule, New England is poised to make the playoffs and could be a buyer ahead of the Nov. 4 NFL trade deadline.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler shared some league-wide insight about the Patriots with rivals expecting New England to address its running back room ahead of the deadline.
“Team execs have also pegged the Patriots among teams that could look to add a back in the coming weeks,” he wrote in his weekly co-authored ESPN.com “buzz” piece with colleague Dan Graziano.
Patriots Have Obvious Need for NFL Trade Deadline Upgrade
The Patriots’ potential desire to beef up the running back room is no surprise. New England took its first brutal hit of the season in Week 5 when it lost veteran running back and kick returner Antonio Gibson for the season with a torn ACL.
On the Patriots depth chart, they still have Rhamondre Stevenson and rookie TreVeyon Henderson in the fold, but each player has his own warts. Stevenson’s fumbling remains an issue, and Henderson — despite the preseason buzz as a second-round draft pick out of Ohio State — clearly hasn’t earned the trust of Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
The Patriots’ run game has been abysmal regardless of who’s on the field. They’re 29th in yards per carry through six weeks, and while haven’t done a good enough job of run blocking, but the issues go beyond that.
“Among 55 qualifying running backs in Pro Football Focus’ grading, Stevenson ranks 54th, and rookie TreVeyon Henderson ranks 55th. They rank 38th and 43rd in yards after contact per carry,” The Athletic’s Chad Graff wrote.
“That’s especially concerning given the high hopes that existed for each. Stevenson is a proven, veteran running back (his fumbling woes notwithstanding) who shouldn’t rank near the worst in the league. And Henderson was picked in the second round because of his big-play ability and how NFL-ready he seemed.”
Patriots Have Options if Trading for Running Backs
The good news for the Patriots is there’s no shortage of potentially available running backs. If the Jets make Breece Hall available and are open to dealing him to a divisional rival, he’d be an obvious Patriots trade target option.
Graziano and Fowler listed a few running backs they believe could be available, and Hall topped the list for both. Browns running back Jerome Ford was also noted as the odd man out for a Cleveland team going young at the position. Also listed were Miami’s Jaylen Wright, the Giants‘ Devin Singletary and Baltimore’s Keaton Mitchell.
The Patriots aren’t expected to be alone in the pursuit for backfield additions, tough. Graziano and Fowler listed other teams in the market for backs, and the bad news for the Patriots is that it’s all potential AFC playoff foes: the Chiefs, Texans and Chargers.
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