It’s that time of the year where New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick loves to partake in a little wheeling and dealing for both the present and the future.
The Patriots aren’t a complete catastrophe at 3-3, and there might even be hope for the team to go on a bit of a run in their next four games. So things could be quiet on the trade front with the team willing to keep what they have in hopes of making it to the playoffs for a second straight year.
But opportunity could come knocking with the temptation to move a player for another player, future draft assets or maybe even both. Today, we’re going to take a look at who could be on the block before the November 1 deadline and the probability of them being traded.
Kendrick Bourne
Kendrick Bourne has already received the doghouse treatment from Patriots coaches in a year where he’s seemingly gone off a cliff. The arrow doesn’t appear to be pointing up, and in many ways, he looks completely out of place in the offense.
It’s clearly the end for the speedy receiver in New England, right?
There’s definitely a chance Bourne gets moved for the right offer, but it also wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Patriots hold on to him for at least another year. The team could lose Jakobi Meyers and Nelson Agholor in free agency, which would only increase the need for a veteran receiver like Bourne, who is under contract for another year and costs less than $7 million.
The smart move might be figuring out ways to get him more involved in the offense and keeping him for another year.
Probability of being traded: 20%
Isaiah Wynn
Isaiah Wynn has looked like a first-round draft bust for a Patriots team that has patiently waited for him to live up to his draft stock. Injuries are still an ongoing issue, but Wynn is also struggling on the field in ways we haven’t seen before.
Things have been so bad in recent outings that the team has actually replaced him with veteran tackle Marcus Cannon on multiple occasions. Coach Bill Belichick must have had a headache the size of Pat Patriot’s chin when watching the tape from last Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns.
According to Pro Football Focus, Wynn had the worst pass-blocking and run-blocking grades on the entire team. The numbers were straight up abysmal.
Pass-blocking @PFF grades for the Patriots. Another great game for Mike Onwenu.
Isaiah Wynn… pic.twitter.com/Jv5BGdmq4G
— Dakota Randall (@DakRandallNESN) October 17, 2022
Probability of being traded: 60%
Nelson Agholor
It’s pretty crazy that Nelson Agholor carries the third-highest cap hit on the Patriots’ roster. Granted, it hasn’t been a complete disaster. There have been moments where he’s shown up and made plays.
He hauled in six receptions for 110 yards and a touchdown in Week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The problem is those impactful performances are too few and far in between.
Agholor also has a bad case of the dropsies. It’s an issue that has plagued him throughout his career, and it hasn’t gotten any better in New England. Perhaps it’s time for a change in scenery for the veteran receiver.
Probability of being traded: 50%
Damien Harris
Damien Harris is a beloved player in the locker room and amongst Patriots fans. Seeing him walk out the door would obviously feel like a gut punch, but Rhamondre Stevenson has looked otherworldly running the football.
The second-year running back is clearly the more versatile playmaker of the two players, and it won’t be long before he snatches the starting snaps away from Harris. That isn’t to say Harris isn’t a great running back in his own right.
It’s for that reason alone that he’s even on this list. Other teams will be interested in his services either ahead of the trade deadline or in the offseason. It would take a seriously depressed market for his services for the Patriots to hold onto him beyond this season.
But they might be willing to keep him for now in hopes of vying for playoff contention with an offense that’s clearly better with him and Stevenson as a duo.
Probability of being traded: 5%
