The NFL Trade Deadline is rapidly approaching, and the New England Patriots have a few clear issues that they could look at addressing. So, it’s worth kicking the tires on a few teams that look ready to hit the reset button and rebuild.
One of those teams that has already hit the reset button is the Indianapolis Colts. So, it stands to reason the Patriots could find some key pieces there to take advantage of in the coming weeks. In fact, Evan Sidery is even reporting the Patriots have had conversations about making a move on star running back Jonathan Taylor.
Importantly, the Patriots are open to trading more than just picks. They’d also be open to moving TreVeyon Henderson.
“The Patriots are a surprise team who has recently called the Colts about Jonathan Taylor,” Sidery wrote. “Indianapolis is holding out for a 2027 1st, or equivalent value, but they’ve been unable to find that offer yet. New England is open to moving TreyVeon Henderson, alongside draft capital, in a blockbuster for Taylor.”
Taylor is, of course, one of the best running backs in football and won’t come cheap. However, that doesn’t mean the Patriots shouldn’t be calling the Colts to find out the price.
New England Patriots RB TreVeyon Henderson is Struggling
When the Patriots used a second-round pick on running back TreVeyon Henderson, the hope was that they found their running back of the future. At times during his rookie season, it felt like that, too. He had 911 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground in 2025, despite growing pains.
Unfortunately, he hasn’t exactly gotten better in his second NFL season. He has just 203 rushing yards and 1 touchdown. There has also been a considerable amount of criticism for his vision on plays, or lack of ability to find holes. Notably, he’s down from 5.1 yards per attempt a season ago to 3.9 yards per attempt.
Henderson has also struggled in pass protection, despite that once being considered a strength of his game. With several injuries along the Patriots offensive line, those struggles are only more obvious. In the Chicago Bears game, PFF gave him an 8.6 grade in pass pro. That’s out of a possible 100.
This comes in a year when Henderson has battled a few injuries. Most recently, that’s come in the form of an ankle sprain. However, he also missed practice on Thursday with an illness.
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel also recently suggested using Henderson as a kick returner. However, for now, that’s still up in the air.
The Patriots Were Also Connected to a Colts WR
The Trade Deadline rumors are swirling for the Patriots and Colts. They’ve even extended to the wide receiver position, where many people think that Josh Downs would make sense. However, as Josh Taylor reported, plenty of teams have interest there.
“The Raiders, Jags, Patriots, Chiefs, Rams, and 49ers are all interested in Josh Downs per sources,” Taylor wrote.
Downs played with quarterback Drake Maye in college at North Carolina. There, the pair put up massive numbers together. In the 2022 college season Downs had 94 receptions for 1,029 yards and 11 touchdowns.
So, the hope is that there would be less of a difficult transition period adding Downs to the Patriots. Again, that’s if they’re willing to pay the price.
Patriots Trade Rumor: Looking at Moving TreVeyon Henderson for Jonathan Taylor