Patriots Shopping List

As we head into week 6 of the NFL season the Patriots are 2-2 and despite their record, they appear to be one of the top teams in the league. That being said they still have some needs that could be addressed. Every year the Pats are the center of attention at the deadline, linked to the biggest names, unfortunately for us fans it’s not always the big names that Bill goes after. Nevertheless, there will be moves made in the next couple of weeks, so let’s take a look at some potential pieces.

Amari Cooper- The Dallas Cowboys have arguably the best receiving core in the league, unfortunately for Dallas, offensive players are about all they have. Their defensive has been an absolute dumpster fire from jump street and with the recent loss of star QB, Dak Prescott, for the season it might be all they need to start selling off pieces. One name that jumps off the page for me is Amari Cooper, he’s one of the leagues best and while he did sign a large contract recently, the arrival of Ceedee Lamb has resulted in rather shocking drop off in snaps for Cooper. Through two weeks Cooper was playing in over 90% of the snaps on offense, then major drop offs started to occur for the WR as his snap percentage was down below 65% in week 5. One could assume that nobody is happy about this in Dallas. The Patriots have a rather large need at WR and landing a guy like Cooper would turn this already scary offense into a full fledge nightmare for the rest of the league.

Duron Harmon– This past offseason the Patriots traded Harmon to Detroit and reunion could be in the works already. When the Pats sent Harmon to Detroit they were under the assumption that they would have Patrick Chung this season. Unfortunately Chung was one of the several players that chose to opt out of the season, due to Covid concerns. While the Pats haven’t necessarily been hurting at safety in Chung’s absence, I wouldn’t be shocked to see Bill swing a deal to bring “The Closer” back home to sure up that safety position.

Haason Reddick– Reddick represents a classic Belichick steal candidate, he’s a former 1st round pick that simply can’t find a solid role in his teams defense, but is known for being versatile. The fourth year linebacker is in the final year of his contract and is a clear trade candidate, the Patriots have a need at LB position for depth reasons. I would love to see Bill get his hands on Reddick and try to unlock his full potential, like he has in the past with guys like Kyle Van Noy.

Marvin Jones- Another Detroit trade candidate indeed. Marvin Jones is one of the bigger names that figures to be moved at the deadline and there will be plenty of suitors. The eighth year receiver hasn’t been himself this year and change of scenery would certainly help, he still remains a dangerous deep threat and would be a huge addition for any offense. As mentioned before, the Patriots have a glaring need for a WR and Jones is seemingly a perfect fit. The Patriots have Edelman to work the slot, Harry is coming along nicely as a sure handed red zone threat, and adding a speedster like Jones to take the top off a defense could be just what the doctor ordered to unlock the offense’s full potential. I’m keeping close tabs on Marvin Jones.

Richard Sherman- A New England rival no doubt, but also a man that Belichick has kicked the tires on before. Sherman is in the twilight of his career and the 49ers appear to be in a bad spot at this point in the season, due to injuries and lack of production at the QB position, Sherman has missed the entire season to this point and seems set to return soon, but perhaps when he returns it could be with a new team. It’s well known that Belichick tried to bring back Aquib Talib in the offseason to shadow opposing Tight Ends, before he ultimately retired, and while Second year CB Joejuan Williams has done a solid job filling that role, maybe we see Bill go get a guy he’s had his eyes on for years, it wouldn’t be the first time. Sherman is one of the largest Corners in the league and would certainly be capable of helping defend the TE position, I’d be very interested to see how the loud mouthed corner would play out in NE.

There are many more names out there that would fit in with the Patriots needs, these just happen to be the guys that intrigued me the most. None of that really matters though, because as we all know too well Bill Belichick is the most unpredictable mind in football, especially when it comes to trades. I’m very interested to see how this seasons trade deadline plays out. If I had to guess, this deadline will be very unique given that there is a bit of uncertainty to this season due to Covid, some teams will be aggressive, some will be passive, I can’t wait to see which side everyone falls on.

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