3 Players That Patriots Must Consider Trading for at 2021 NFL Trade Deadline
The New England Patriots come into Week 8 with a below .500 record, but they are still in the mix for the AFC East title or a potential wild-card berth.
New England has a manageable stretch of games ahead of it before the Week 14 bye. Both of the Patriots’ matchups with the Buffalo Bills occur after the off week.
Between now and the first Bills game, the Patriots should look to fine-tune their roster and that includes scouring the trade market for upgrades that can help Mac Jones succeed.
The Patriots have gotten by with a running back rotation behind Damien Harris and a decent collection of wide receivers, but they could use more star power at the offensive skill positions.
New England could also use more protection for Jones, who has been sacked on 14 occasions and picked off six times.
If the Patriots find the right players on the trade market, they could be competitive with the Bills, or at minimum, be in the wild-card picture come December.
Brandin Cooks
Why not bring Brandin Cooks back to New England?
Cooks could be one of the most coveted trade pieces ahead of the November 2 deadline because of Houston’s poor record.
Cooks has done his best to succeed in an offense that is powered by 2021 third-round draft pick Davis Mills. Houston scored eight points in the last two games.
New England got an up close look at where Cooks is at this stage of his career back in Week 5. He had three receptions for 23 yards in that game.
Cooks had 1,082 receiving yards in his lone full season in New England in 2014. He could provide a ton of help for the receiving corps headlined by Jakobi Meyers, Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne.
New England showed that it was not shy about adding offensive weapons in the offseason by bringing in Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith.
It should show the same aggressiveness in the trade market to add Cooks and bolster the crowd around Jones.
Marlon Mack
It is clear that Marlon Mack does not have a role in the Indianapolis Colts offense.
Mack barely touched the ball during the rain-soaked Sunday night game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Mack is behind Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines on the depth chart and deserves to be traded before November 2.
New England has a stable No. 1 running back in Damien Harris, but after him, the Patriots have been flipping between Rhamondre Stevenson, J.J. Taylor and Brandon Bolden.
The Patriots can put an end to the revolving door at the backup running back spot by acquiring Mack from one of their old AFC rivals.
Mack is only two years removed from a 1,000-yard season and he proved that he is healthy after suffering a season-ending injury in Week 1 of the 2020 campaign.
Mack wants out of Indianapolis and New England could be one of the best fits for him since it needs to establish a solid two-man rushing attack in support of Jones.
Andre Dillard
New England should make a call to Philadelphia to talk about another offensive player that is sitting on the sidelines right now.
Andre Dillard has not panned out as a first-round pick with the Eagles and it is clear they do not have a future with him in mind. Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson are currently starting at offensive tackle.
New England could use some extra protection for Jones, who has dealt with his share of pressure through seven weeks.
Dillard would be a project acquisition, but he will likely come at a low cost on the trade market.
If the Patriots think Dillard can be a starter in the NFL, they can bring him in and have him progress into the starting lineup.
A potential Dillard trade could also be done with eyes on the future since the team would bring in a young offensive tackle to help protect Jones.
Statistics obtained from Pro Football Reference.