The Patriots didn’t wait up to the brink of the NFL trade deadline in order to fill one of their biggest needs.
New England acquired Mohamed Sanu from the Atlanta Falcons early Tuesday morning in exchange for a second-round pick, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The two teams reportedly tried to work out a trade during the 2019 NFL Draft, but nothing came to fruition.
The Patriots were in need of pass-catching help in wake of Antonio Brown’s release last month and nagging injuries to their top three wideouts. Sanu now joins a receiving corps that includes Julian Edelman, Josh Gordon, Phillip Dorsett, Jakobi Meyers and Gunner Olszewski. Rookie wideout N’Keal Harry, who was placed on injured reserve prior to the start of the season, is eligible to return to game action Nov. 3.
Sanu, a third-round pick by the Bengals back in 2012, Sanu has spent the past three-plus seasons with the Atlanta Falcons after playing the first four seasons of his career in Cincinnati. Through seven games in 2019, the 30-yard has caught 33 passes for 313 yards with one touchdown. He won’t just be a rental player for the Patriots either, as he’s under contract for the 2020 season.
It will be interesting to see how the Patriots utilize Sanu, who soon will become the latest Rutgers product in New England’s locker room. The veteran wideout has a fairly versatile route tree and has an added wrinkle in his game. Sanu, a former high school quarterback, has completed seven of eight career pass attempts for 233 yards with four touchdowns.
The reported deal for Sanu comes mere hours after the Patriots completed a 33-0 destruction of the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. New England will host the Cleveland Browns this Sunday afternoon in a highly anticipated Week 8 clash.
