The New England Patriots are going forward with what they have.
As confirmed by multiple reports after the NFL trade deadline passed Tuesday (Andrew Callahan first on it), the Patriots ended up making no trades, despite being rumored to be active in negotiations. They reportedly had called even the Miami Dolphins about a potential trade for pass-rusher Jaelan Phillips, who ended up going to the Philadelphia Eagles for a third-round pick. Several insiders had suggested that the Patriots were looking around the league for possible additions at edge rusher and running back.
The Pats did make one move on deadline day, a practice squad swap. They signed former Chargers wide receiver Brenden Rice to their squad, while releasing running back Jonathan Ward. The Patriots were wise to add receiver depth in the wake of a hamstring injury for Kayshon Boutte, which could knock him out for some time.
It’s possible that the lack of a running back addition is a good sign for the health of that position group. Rhamondre Stevenson missed Sunday’s game against the Falcons with a toe injury, leaving rookie TreVeyon Henderson to start and pass-protect in his place. Wednesday will be the first indication of how close Stevenson is to returning.
Edge rusher, meanwhile, is a position group that has been a little underwhelming and could’ve stood to improve or add depth. The Patriots rank 18th in time to pressure and 19th in sacks, according to Next Gen Stats. Starting edge rushers Harold Landry and K’Lavon Chaisson have six sacks each on the season, which, while not terrible numbers, are indicative of a pass-rush group that has struggled to generate pressure with just four rushers.
The Patriots didn’t just improve their edge rushing depth, they hurt it, by trading Keion White to the 49ers. They’ll have to hope that their starters all stay healthy, and that they can improve upon a hit-or-miss first half of the season.
Matt, a North Andover, Massachusetts native, has been with The Sports Hub since 2010. Growing up the son of Boston University All-American and Melrose High School hall-of-fame hockey player Steve Dolloff, sports was always a part of his life. After attending Northeastern University, Matt focused his love of sports on writing, extensively writing about all four major Boston teams. He also is a co-host of the Sports Hub Underground podcast and is a regular on-air contributor on the Sports Hub. Matt writes about all New England sports from Patriots football to Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins.