Patriots Should Approach Old Friends About Buying At Deadline

The Patriots are expected to be quite busy with the NFL trade deadline right around the corner (Tuesday, Nov. 5).

New England is already on the board, having traded linebacker Joshua Uche to the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday. It’s widely expected they’ll continue to trade off assets, with multiple veterans coming up on the end of their contracts and/or rope with the club, but there are also expected to be opportunities to add.

Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf is coming up on his first deadline as the head decision-maker and could look to get creative in adding some pieces for the future.

Why not buy?

No, Wolf shouldn’t be parting ways with any significant draft capital for star players on expiring contracts, but he should look into adding high-upside players who might have worn out their welcome in other spots. Houston Texans guard Kenyon Green and New York Giants tackle Evan Neal come to mind.

Green is an interesting case, as he has displayed the ability to be a quality starter in the league. Houston took him with the No. 15 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, but he missed the entirety of his sophomore campaign with a torn labrum and was benched last week in a win over the Green Bay Packers.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler floated the 23-year-old as a trade candidate, citing that multiple teams view him that way, and it would make sense for Texans general manager Nick Caserio — who worked alongside Wolf in New England — to do the player a favor and give him a fresh start.

Neal almost certainly will be on the trade block, as the former first-round pick has become legitimately unplayable in New York.

No, seriously, the Giants lost their starting left tackle earlier this season and still refuse to play a guy they took with the No. 7 pick a couple of years back. New York has several trade candidates if it chooses to reset, including edge Azeez Ojulari, cornerback Adoree’ Jackson and wide receiver Darius Slayton — but Neal likely would be a cheap option to come in and develop.

The Patriots don’t have many people still around from when Giants head coach Brian Daboll was on the staff, but it’s worth a shot making that call.

New England needs talent, so why not try to acquire it now?