The NFL Trade Deadline is rapidly approaching. While it may not traditionally be as active as the trade deadlines in some sports, it’s still an opportunity for contenders like the New England Patriots to make a push in the second half of the season.
With that in mind, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was asked about the team’s plans for the deadline on Monday. However, he kept their plans vague for now.
“I don’t know if we will or we won’t,” Mike Vrabel said. “I would imagine that we’ll try to do everything that we can to help us within reason and make sense for us. I mean, I don’t know how you want to interpret that, but I’m sure we’ll listen and talk just like everybody else does.”
The NFL Trade Deadline is set for November 10th at 4:00 p.m. EST. That’s a Tuesday and just two weeks away.
The New England Patriots Have Clear Needs
At 4-3, the Patriots have played well but not to a standard that’s going to get them back to the Super Bowl. So, addressing some of their needs at the Trade Deadline isn’t a terrible idea.
Injuries have taken a massive toll on the Patriots. In particular, injuries to the offensive line have threatened to derail the season. They make it harder to run the ball and to have quarterback Drake Maye sit back and throw.
Of course, when Maye does go to throw, he has rarely, if ever, had a full complement of wide receivers. A.J. Brown is back, even if he isn’t playing well, but had to spend time on IR due to an ankle injury. Now, Mack Hollins and Romeo Doubs are also out, too, with a calf and shoulder injury, respectively.
On the defensive side of the ball, injuries to the secondary have hurt what was arguably the Patriots’ deepest unit coming into the season. That’s before considering some real concerns with the front seven that the Chicago Bears were able to expose.
What’s Next for the Patriots?
The Patriots will get an extended break after playing the Bears on a Thursday night. That will, hopefully, give the Patriots a chance to get healthy and on the right track again.
When the Patriots are back on the field, they’ll be on the road once again. This time against a division rival, the Miami Dolphins. It’s the first of two meetings against the Dolphins this season and does seem like a bit of a get-right game on paper. At the same time, with Miami coming off its first win of the season, they could be building confidence and momentum.
An interesting quirk of the schedule is just how few 1:00 p.m. EST games the Patriots have left to play this season. Sunday’s game is at 4:25 p.m. EST. It’s the second in a row game off the early window on Sunday. From there, the Patriots will have six more, for a total of eight games in a row, played outside of that early afternoon window.
At 4-3 on the season, the Patriots are currently second in the AFC East. The Buffalo Bills lead the division at 5-1, having had their bye game early in the season. Neither the New York Jets nor the Miami Dolphins look to be competitive.
Patriots HC Mike Vrabel Shares Plans for the Trade Deadline