Patriots Take No Action At NFL Trade Deadline
By Gregory Hunt
The New England Patriots have a reputation for being quite savvy when making personnel moves, but no moves were forthcoming when the NFL trade deadline approached this week. As a result, the Patriots might be a little shorthanded at a couple of positions when they face the Washington Redskins at Gillette Stadium this Sunday.
Patriots content to let trade deadline pass
The Patriots are a team that's not afraid to make ambitious moves regarding player personnel. Since the beginning of training camp in late July, the Patriots have made seven trades, and four players acquired from those trades -- linebacker Jonathan Bostic, defensive tackle Akiem Hicks, wide receiver Keshawn Martin and tight end Michael Williams -- remain on New England's active roster. So when the NFL trade deadline passed on Tuesday afternoon at 4 p.m., the Patriots were happy to stand pat. In fact, head coach Bill Belichick didn't give the trade deadline a second thought because he was busy preparing for New England's upcoming game against the Redskins.
"I was concentrating on the Redskins," said Belichick Wednesday morning when asked if the team had been considering any trades. "We met (Tuesday) morning and practiced, watched film, trying to get the team ready for Washington. (Director of player personnel Nick Caserio) is really the person that would be involved more in that area. Obviously, we would talk about something, but my focus was on the Redskins. That's what it's been on, that's what it is on."
To be fair, not too many other teams in the NFL were active at the deadline, either. The most notable trade was made on Monday by the Denver Broncos, who acquired tight end Vernon Davis and a 2016 seventh-round draft pick from the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for sixth-round draft picks in 2016 and 2017. On Tuesday, it was reported that the Broncos were also trying to acquire eight-time Pro Bowl tackle Joe Thomas from the Cleveland Browns, but that deal fell through.
New England's offensive line is rather thin
Thanks to a string of injuries, the Patriots are currently lacking in depth along the offensive line, so its a bit of a surprise that New England didn't make any acquisitions in that area before the trade deadline. When guard Tre' Jackson left Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins with an injury, it left New England with just five healthy offensive linemen. However, help may arrive soon in the form of center Bryan Stork, who could come off of the injured reserve/eligible to return list this week. The team also has linemen Chris Barker and Blaine Clausell on the practice squad. Barker has seen action with the Patriots in five games over the past two seasons, while Clausell is a rookie that has yet to make his NFL debut.
Patriots down to four healthy cornerbacks
Another area where the Patriots are lacking in depth is at cornerback. After Tarell Brown was placed on injured reserve last month, that left Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan as the starters with Justin Coleman and Rashaan Melvin as the only reserves at that position. Safety Patrick Chung lined up against Indianapolis slot receiver T.Y. Hilton earlier this season, and fellow safety Devin McCourty is a converted cornerback, so either of them could see action at corner if the situation gets dire. No experienced cornerbacks are currently on the Patriots practice squad.
Gregory Hunt is a Boston native and a life-long fan of the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics. He's also particularly fond of lacrosse, IndyCar racing and women's college basketball. He currently works for Examiner.com where he serves as the Senior Manager of Content and Media Access. He also writes for Examiner.com as the New England Patriots Examiner. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
