Patriots Trade Rumors: This Player Most Likely To Be Dealt At Deadline

At 2-6, the Patriots should be sellers ahead of Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline. So, who could they sell?

New England’s “most likely player to be moved” is outside linebacker Josh Uche, according to a report Monday from the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed. It was the latest of several prominent reports to name Uche as a trade candidate.

It’s easy to see why teams would be interested in the fourth-year pass rusher, and why the Patriots would be open to dealing him. Uche is a talented player, but he’s in the final year of his rookie contract and, based on his usage and skill set, likely will command a larger contract than New England would be willing to offer once he hits free agency this offseason.

Uche never has been more than a situational player for New England, which doesn’t trust his ability to set the edge in the run game enough to play him outside on early downs. The 25-year-old Michigan product would have a much larger role in many other NFL defenses.

There are injury concerns with Uche, as he sat out the last two games with knee and toe issues. He also missed two games last season, five in 2021 and seven as a rookie in 2020. But if a contending team feels comfortable in his medicals, he’d be a desirable midseason pickup.

Kyed’s sources speculated the Patriots could fetch a third- or fourth-round draft pick in return for Uche, who broke out last season with 11 1/2 sacks. He has just two sacks in six games so far this season.

Other Patriots players who could be on the trade block include safety Kyle Dugger, offensive linemen Mike Onwenu and Trent Brown, tight ends Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki, receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, running back Ezekiel Elliott and safety Jalen Mills. Wideout Kendrick Bourne would have been part of that group, as well, but he reportedly tore his ACL during Sunday’s 31-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins.

The trade deadline is Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET.