Which players could the Patriots add or move? Latest buzz on the trade deadline

Which players could the Patriots add or move? Latest buzz on the trade deadline originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Common wisdom of the NFL trade deadline is that the best teams look to add talent, while the worst teams look to trade players for future draft picks.

Could the 2-6 New England Patriots go against the grain in the coming days?

The Patriots could become buyers before Tuesday’s deadline and have inquired about several players, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported SATURDAY.

“Similar to what the Bears did last year, New England could take advantage of the trade deadline to strengthen its young talent base and start free agency early,” Rapoport wrote. “They have already put several players on the market and while most think they will sell (which is possible), they could also buy in the right situation from a player who would be part of the future of the Patriots.”

What type of player are the Patriots looking for? During his Sunday appearance on NBC Sports Boston’s Patriots pregame liveAlbert Breer of Sports Illustrated noted that the ideal situation would be similar to that of the Chicago Bears, who acquired star passer Montez Sweat from the Washington Commanders at last year’s deadline.

“He’s the (type of) player I think the Patriots would be interested in getting: the type of guy who’s in his 20s, who maybe needs a new contract, who’s on the rise and who you could definitely consider part of your core,” Breer said. “And that’s what they thought when they went out and attempted to acquire Brandon Aiyuk during the summer.”

As Breer pointed out, however, it’s very rare for players like Sweat to be available at the trade deadline, as Washington was in the unique situation of having a new owner who wanted a reset and actually requested that Sweat and Chase Young be traded. So at this point, Breer believes New England is unlikely to make an addition at the deadline.

“They’re certainly open to it. I don’t think it’s very likely that it’s going to happen,” Breer said. “…I just don’t think that opportunity exists at the moment. It would have to be that type of player though. I think it’s very unlikely that that would happen, but it’s certainly something to consider. which the Patriots are open to over the next few days.”

However, it is very possible that the Patriots continue to sell. After Joshua Uche, power forward, to the Kansas City Chiefs for a 2026 sixth-round pick earlier in the week, the team received calls about several other veterans, including wide receivers KJ Osborn and Tyquan Thornton and cornerbacks Jonathan Jones and Marco Wilson, Breer reported Sunday.

As Breer graded the Patriots might be hesitant to trade a respected veteran like Jonesthe other three players are prime candidates for a trade — particularly Osborn and Thornton, who were both healthy scratches for Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans.

“I think teams look at (Osborn) and say, ‘He’s definitely a guy we can plug and play,’ an experienced guy who’s been a clutch player over the years as kind of a secondary weapon in the Minnesota Vikings offense,” Breer said. “…And then Thornton, I think, obviously because of his speed. The NFL never gives up on speed.”

One player who appears to be off-limits, however, is Kyle Dugger: Our Patriots insider Phil Perry reported Sunday that the expectation is New England won’t trade its talented safety despite his name appearing in trade rumors.

Check out the video player above for more from Breer on the NFL trade deadline, which is Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET.