Biggest Patriots Winners, Losers After NFL Trade Deadline

While some teams at the bottom of the league standings traded players for draft picks, Eliot Wolf and the New England Patriots stood pat Tuesday.

The Patriots made two deals the last three months: New England traded Matthew Judon to the Atlanta Falcons in August and dealt Joshua Uche to the Kansas City Chiefs last week.

But New England’s deadline failed to deliver on the hype, as Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo expected.

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Here are the biggest winners and losers inside the Patriots organization.

Winners
Joshua Uche
Uche was traded from one of the worst teams in the league to arguably the best, landing with the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs. Not a bad deal! New England received a future sixth-round pick in the return, which Bill Belichick scoffed at. Uche only played 16% of defensive snaps in his Kansas City debut and registered two tackles. But those numbers are likely to jump as he gets settled in Steve Spagnuolo’s scheme, and head coach Andy Reid was enthusiastic about Uche’s arrival.

Anfernee Jennings
The Patriots linebacker might be the biggest beneficiary of Uche’s departure. With Uche inactive in Week 8 and out the door in Week 9, Jennings played 97% and 99% of defensive snaps in those games, respectively. They represented the most and second-most snaps he’s ever played in a game. Jennings is well-deserving of the uptick as he grades as New England’s best run defender and graded better as a pass-rusher than Deatrich Wise Jr., among others.

‘Culture guys’
Mayo set out to establish a culture in New England, and while it hasn’t yet been an overwhelming success, the Patriots kept players who can help it build. Jonathan Jones, Kendrick Bourne, Davon Godchaux and Kyle Dugger are among players who were included in trade speculation and all remained with New England. Jones is the only member of that quartet who is playing on an expiring deal. Keeping those players rather than dealing them for late-round draft picks should help Mayo establish said culture.

Losers
Eliot Wolf
The Patriots reportedly were open to trading players on expiring contracts, but didn’t want to do so merely for the sake of doing it, per The Athletic’s Jeff Howe. While that’s understandable when it comes to some players, it’s head-scratching when it comes to others. And Wolf was the one responsible for that. Austin Hooper, Daniel Ekuale, Jones, Wise and Osborn, among others, are playing on expiring deals and remained with New England. Why? Why not deal someone like Osborn, who’s failed to produce and will not be here long term? Why not trade someone like Ekuale, who plays on New England’s terrible run defense and will be subject to less time once Christian Barmore returns? Those are just a few of the moves Wolf should have made, never mind a tough decision like Jones.

Drake Maye
Quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers and Josh Allen each were granted a receiving weapon ahead of the deadline. Their situations and timelines are different, of course. But Maye wasn’t helped by any addition via the trade market. Maye would have benefited from a wide receiver or the signing of an offensive lineman from somewhere other than the waiver wire. Too bad, rook.

Tyler Hughes’ receiver room
For those who don’t know who Hughes is, he’s the first-year wide receiver coach. He remains in charge of a dysfunctional receiver room which didn’t shake anything up or eliminate any personalities. Osborn and Tyquan Thornton felt like obvious trade candidates, but Wolf didn’t grant any addition by subtraction. Multiple teams reportedly showed interest in Osborn, including the Los Angeles Chargers. New England reportedly received calls on Bourne, too. All members of the loud group that fails to produce remain with New England.