While it’s up in the air how much activity will take place before the trade deadline, pass rushers and wide receivers are the positions that are the most in demand leading up to Nov. 4, according to Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports. At 5-2 and leading the AFC East, the Patriots are among buyers expected to push for an edge rusher, Chad Graff of The Athletic reports.
Led by new head coach Mike Vrabel, the Patriots have already surpassed the four wins they posted during Jerod Mayo‘s lone season at the helm in 2024. They’ve won four in a row to set themselves up as deadline buyers. With the most cap room in the league (around $55MM), the Patriots are in prime position to make a splash over the next couple of weeks.
The Patriots have been effective at taking down opposing quarterbacks this year, which has helped lead to their successful start. They rank 11th in the league in sacks with 18, but most of those have come from three players – offseason additions Harold Landry (5.5), K’Lavon Chaisson (4.5), and Milton Williams (3.5).
Landry and Chaisson have been among the league’s best edge players when it comes to pass run win rate, per ESPN Analytics. The same is true of Williams and fellow Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore, though the latter hasn’t picked up a sack yet.
While it’s unclear which edge players the Patriots have targeted to join their pass-rushing group, it’s unlikely they or anyone else will pry prized defensive end Trey Hendrickson from the Bengals. Likewise, the Raiders aren’t trading Maxx Crosby.
The division rival Jets (Jermaine Johnson, Will McDonald) and Dolphins (Bradley Chubb, Jaelan Phillips, and former Patriot Matt Judon) could have edge help for sale, but they may be reluctant to deal with the Patriots. The Saints’ Cameron Jordan and Carl Granderson have come up as trade candidates. Meanwhile, the Titans’ Arden Key and Dre’Mont Jones might be part of a pre-deadline fire sale. Key played under Vrabel with the Titans in 2023.