Getty Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots "never got any calls" from teams wanting to trade for a Pro-Bowl duo.
The New England Patriots didn’t make any moves before the 2023 NFL trade deadline, but their inactivity may not have been entirely by choice. It didn’t help the Pats “never got any calls on QB Mac Jones or RB Zeke Elliott,” according to Albert Breer of The MMQB.
The Patriots listened, but are hanging on to young contract-year guys Josh Uche, Kyle Dugger and Mike Onwenu. Also, I’m told they never got any calls on QB Mac Jones or RB Zeke Elliott.
Jones and Ezekiel Elliott were the two big-name trade chips most likely to fetch the Patriots decent compensation. The lack of activity on the phone lines at Gillette Stadium before 4 p.m. ET means we’ll never know if head coach Bill Belichick would have been tempted to rip up this season’s roster.
As it is, Belichick is going to have to ride with what he has on a 2-6 team. That means sticking with Jones and Elliott as senior players on a pedestrian offense lacking big plays.
If there’s a silver lining, it comes from Breer also noting how the Patriots “are hanging on to young contract-year guys Josh Uche, Kyle Dugger and Mike Onwenu.” All three are core players for a rebuilding team, with edge-rusher Uche and safety Dugger crucial for Belichick’s still-solid defense.
Patriots Still Tethered to Mac Jones
Seeing out the season with Jones in control of the offense is a gamble given how poorly No. 10 has performed. Jones has thrown just nine touchdown passes compared with eight interceptions, per Pro Football Reference.
The 25-year-old has not responded as hoped after Bill O’Brien returned to call the offense. O’Brien taking the headset, along with the arrivals of JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mike Gesicki in free agency, was supposed to herald a more expansive passing game. Instead, the Jones-led Patriots are averaging a mere 6.2 yards per attempt.
Jones’ critics, including Greg A. Bedard of the Boston Sports Journal, believe the signal-caller is too shaky on and off the field. Bedard told NBC Sports Boston, Jones is “all over the place. He is like a jitterbug. He’s just unsettled, like, all the time.”
“When I see Mac… he’s all over the place. He’s like a jitterbug. He’s just unsettled, like, all the time.”
@GregABedard explains why he’s almost officially ‘out’ on Mac Jones
A lack of confidence from Jones is somewhat inevitable after toiling through last season with former defensive coordinator Matt Patricia as his play-caller. Operating behind an offensive line that’s surrendered 16 sacks through eight games so far this campaign hasn’t helped either.
Yet, for all his faults, Jones is almost unchallenged as New England’s QB1. Backups Bailey Zappe and Malik Cunningham have been on and off the roster more times than days in the week, so the Patriots don’t have an obvious alternative to Jones.
The lack of a contingency plan made a trade unlikely even if there had been any interest. Things might get better if O’Brien and Belichick lean on Elliott and the running game more often.
Patriots Still Need Ezekiel Elliott
Things haven’t exactly worked out for Elliott since he swapped life with the Dallas Cowboys for the Patriots. The three-time Pro Bowler has carried the ball just 67 times and played only 37 percent of the snaps.
A supporting role behind lead workhorse Rhamondre Stevenson seemed inevitable for Elliott, but the 28-year-old surely expected more work than he’s received. His paucity of touches is one reason why Elliott looked like a logical candidate to be traded.
A deal looked likely when Bleacher Report’s NFL Insider Jordan Schultz reported “RB-needy teams have reached out to the #Patriots about the availability of RB Ezekiel Elliott.”
Sources: RB-needy teams have reached out to the #Patriots about the availability of RB Ezekiel Elliott.
Elliott will be a free agent again after this season. The 2x All-Pro has 260 yards and 2 TDs this year. @BleacherReport
Schultz’s report refutes what Breer heard, but however seriously any interest was expressed in Elliott, he’s staying put. It means the Patriots now have an opportunity to revert to the run-heavy offense that protected Jones during his Pro-Bowl rookie campaign in 2021.
That’s the only realistic way to salvage anything from this season.