When the New England Patriots secured a win in Week 1, it looked like all of the discussions about this being a down year were overblown.
The Patriots marched into Cincinnati, considered Super Bowl contenders by many before the season, and took care of business, dishing the Bengals their first of four losses through seven games. Their offense looked serviceable by Rhamondre Stevenson's standards, their defense held Joe Burrow to under 200 passing yards, and the excitement was buzzing through the New England area.
Oh, what a difference two months make.
Since that fateful day, the Patriots haven't won a game, have made a change under center, and have just generally looked bad, with the number of truly good performers on the field easily countable on one hand in any given game. Factor in the lack of sellers on the trade market, and it looks like the stars have perfectly aligned for the Patriots to cash out some short-term talent for future assets, right?
Well, well, well, not so fast, my friend; sure, the Patriots could and probably should trade away some talent to load up on draft picks, but there's at least one player on the market who might make sense to acquire, as their need at left tackle may prove too dire to wait for the spring.
1. Trade a conditional fourth-round pick for Cam Robinson
If the Patriots want to be buyers at the trade deadline, the most obvious answer has to be to target their biggest need on either side of the ball: offensive line.
Yes, the Patriots are weak at wide receiver, have a below-average pass rusher, and could pretty much add a player at any position across the board, but securing a starting caliber offensive lineman, specifically a left tackle, could make Maye's life so much easier as he navigates his rookie season.
Could Cam Robinson be that guy?
Standing 6-foot-6, 335 pounds, Robinson was drafted out of Alabama in the second round by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2017 and has started every game he's appeared in as a pro. While he hasn't made it to the Pro Bowl and wasn't able to come to a contract extension with the Jaguars in 2024, he did sign a three-year, $54 million contract with the Jags for the 2022-24 seasons and has played well enough to stave off competition like 2023 first-round pick Anton Harrison.
Now, sure, every Patriots fan has heard that there are multiple franchise-caliber left tackles in the 2024 NFL Draft, including expected number-one overall pick Will Campbell, but should the Patriots really be counting their chicks before they hatch? Considering how many bad teams are in the NFL this year, one or two fluky wins, plus a potentially lucrative trade market for first-round QBs, could leave the Pats looking at the plate while having to reach for a Day 2 tackle or a free agent.
Trade for Robinson now, especially for a conditional pick that goes from a four to a three if the team re-signs the Florida left tackle, could guarantee an upgrade on Maye's blindside, all the while freeing up optionality on draft night. With few better options in free agency this summer, Robinson feels like a perfect target for the Patriots.
2. Trade Rhamondre Stevenson to the Cowboys for a conditional fifth
If there's one area of the field where the Dallas Cowboys could use an upgrade, it has to be running back.
Sure, they technically signed reinforcements in free agency after Tony Pollard left for the Tennessee Titans, but so far, Ezekiel Elliott has looked like a shell of his former glory; the sort of player who barely deserves to be on a roster, let alone starting for a playoff contender.
Sure, the team has a few interesting options behind him, from social media sensation Deuce Vaughn and their leading rusher, Rico Dowdle, but after spending years with an identity of being a strong rushing offense, ranking 30th in rushing attempts and dead last in both rushing yards and rushing touchdowns has to sting for Jerry Jones and his old-school football mentality.
Could the Cowboys continue to be a pass-heavy team, averaging the second-most pass attempts and passing yards in 2024? Sure, that feels possible, but if the price is right and a deal materializes, it's easy to imagine a world where Jones gives up a future pick for some immediate help in order to supercharge the season.
Enter Rhamondre Stevenson, a player whose reputation proceeds his current struggles.
A former fourth-round pick out of Oklahoma, Stevenson is having a weird year by his own standards. Sure, he's averaging 62.3 yards per game, which is the highest mark of his career, but he's also fumbled the ball four times in six weeks, which is tied for a career-high on just 84 targets.
Things have gotten so dire that Stevenson was actually demoted in Week 6, even if he ultimately returned to the starting lineup in Week 7.
After signing Stevenson to a four-year, $36 million contract over the summer, if the Patriots are feeling some buyer's remorse, they might be able to pass his money off long-term to a team like the Cowboys, even if his issues might make the return into something like a conditional five instead of a straight-up fourth-round pick.
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Patriots bonus: Either play Joshua Uche or trade him away
When Joshua Uche re-signed with the Patriots this offseason on a below-market-price contract, it turned heads around the NFL.
As one of the more exciting young edge rushers in the NFL, with great athleticism and quality production as a pro, he surely could have landed a ten-figure contract split over multiple years, instead of a one-year, prove-it deal to show he can be a force under his long-time defensive coach Jerod Mayo.
Asked about the decision, Uche declared that New England was where he wanted to be, and he wanted to prove he was worthy of a long-term deal in a scheme he liked.
“There were some options on the table, but in my heart, I felt I was destined to be a Patriot,” Uche told reporters via Forbes. “Despite what was offered, I felt like this was my calling to be a Patriot. I felt like it’s what I was destined to do and this is where I want to be. I don’t want to be anywhere else. You got to do what you got to do and follow your heart.”
Unfortunately, so far, Uche's gamble hasn't really laid off as, even after the Matthew Judon trade, he has only started one game and has just two sacks and 13 tackles to his name. If the Patriots want to keep Uche around long-term, they should probably play him more often, but if they don't? Well, trade him away.
If Uche were to hit the open market, he would probably garner an early Day 3 pick, as teams like the Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, and Kansas City Chiefs could all use another body to throw at opposing quarterbacks, but if he leaves in free agency at the end of the year, that day's pick would probably convey via the compensatory pick formula. Throw that all together, and it feels crazy that the Patriots aren't playing Uche more unless, of course, they don't view him as a part of their long-term future. In that case, he's on borrowed time either way.
