There’s not a lot left to salvage for the Patriots this season lower than two weeks out from the NFL commerce deadline.
At 1-5, ravaged by accidents and underdogs of their subsequent two video games, the Patriots are apparent sellers forward of the Halloween deadline. And they comprehend it.
“Given where we are, if I’m another team, I’d be calling on the availability of all of our upcoming free agents,” a supply stated.
And the Patriots are keen to take heed to presents forward of the commerce deadline, per sources.
The Patriots needs to be trying to purchase draft capital within the occasion they might transfer up for a quarterback within the 2024 NFL Draft as Mac Jones continues to battle below heart.
So, let’s check out among the Patriots gamers in contract years and assess their worth with the assistance of crew and league sources.
OLB Josh Uche
Uche, 25, is essentially the most logical commerce candidate on the roster. Another crew would worth Uche, a situational move rusher, extra closely than the Patriots.
Pass rushers receives a commission a premium, and the Patriots traditionally haven’t invested in gamers who can’t contribute on all three downs. Even with different edge defenders on the roster injured, Uche is sixteenth on the crew in defensive snaps however leads the Patriots with 17 pressures.
One league supply known as Uche one of many Patriots’ greatest commerce items. Most sources polled consider groups would supply a third- or fourth-round choose for the previous Michigan defender. One supply particularly projected a crew providing a third-round choose for Uche and a fifth- or sixth-rounder, whereas one other believed a second-round choose for Uche and a fourth- or fifth-round choice can be truthful. One supply believed Uche may very well be valued as extremely as a third-round choose if the buying crew needed to signal him to an extension and he was amenable to that.
The greatest difficulty is that he’s injured and being held off form with knee and foot accidents.
Value: Third/fourth-round choose
S Kyle Dugger
Dugger was one other participant pegged as one of many Patriots’ most respected commerce belongings. No one polled positioned a price decrease than a third-round choose on Dugger, a flexible security who has confirmed to be a playmaker previously. One league supply believed Dugger can be price a second-round choose if the buying crew believed a contract extension was doubtless.
Sources believed the Patriots might get presents wherever from the primary to the third spherical for Dugger. Belichick locations a excessive worth on safeties, and there’s an absence of certainty at that place on the roster on the roster sooner or later.
Would the Patriots contemplate franchising Dugger, 27, if they’ll’t attain a long-term deal?
The concept of buying and selling Dugger didn’t appear unreasonable from crew sources polled.
Value: Second-round choose
G Mike Onwenu
Onwenu was seen because the Patriots’ greatest offensive lineman heading into the season, however accidents and penalties have led to a disappointing begin.
Onwenu, 25, has positional versatility at guard and proper deal with. Team and league sources consider different franchises would supply wherever from a third- to fifth-round choose in a deal for Onwenu. It’s arduous to gauge how a lot cash Onwenu might command on the open market, however the Patriots are set to enter the 2024 offseason with essentially the most salary-cap house within the NFL.
One supply famous it’s unusual for a beginning offensive lineman to be traded on the deadline as a result of it may be troublesome for an offensive lineman to return in and begin at midseason.
Value: Fourth-round choose
WR Kendrick Bourne
Bourne, 28, has drawn commerce curiosity previously. He’s at the moment the Patriots’ greatest vast receiver with 28 catches for 307 yards with two touchdowns, and he’s coming off of a 10-catch, 89-yard efficiency in a Week 6 loss to the Raiders.
One supply believed Bourne may very well be price as a lot as a third-round choose. Most different sources positioned his worth across the fifth or sixth rounds.
Value: Fifth-round choose
TE Mike Gesicki
The undersized tight finish didn’t have a serious market in free company, signing a one-year contract price $4.5 million with incentives. Gesicki, 28, hasn’t made a serious impression, catching 15 passes for 144 yards by way of six video games in a Patriots uniform.
Franchised by the Dolphins only one yr in the past, Gesicki’s worth has plummeted since. Sources consider the Patriots may very well be provided something from a sixth-round choose to a late-round choose swap for Gesicki.
Value: Seventh-round choose
S Jalen Mills
Mills, 29, moved from cornerback again to security this offseason and has seen his snap depend nosedive.
One supply believed Mills has no commerce worth in anyway. Another supply thought a crew would supply a future seventh-round choose, at greatest. A 3rd supply stated a crew might supply a “very late-round pick swap.”
Value: Future seventh-round choose
QB Mac Jones
This is the trickiest one. The most damning response: “No trade value.”
One crew supply believed a commerce would solely work on paper if he was included in a deal for an additional quarterback — Kirk Cousins was used for example — “where (Jones) can’t be here anymore, and they just want someone to take snaps for them the rest of the way.”
Another league supply additionally talked about the Vikings as a possible vacation spot.
“Mid-round pick?” he estimated. “It just depends on a team that needs QB in the future but doesn’t think they will be picking high enough. Maybe Minnesota if Cousins isn’t in their plans?”
Value: Player swap toss-in
Source: www.bostonherald.com