The New England Patriots look like they’re playing in quicksand.
They haven’t been able to run the ball effectively behind a patchwork offensive line, and the passing attack still lacks explosiveness on the outside. Make no mistake, the offense is significantly better with Bill O’Brien calling the plays, but it was never a situation where one man was going to solve all of the team’s problems.
Buy Patriots TicketsThere’s little doubt that the running game will pick up at some point. Rhamondre Stevenson is an incredibly talented running back, and Ezekiel Elliott is a former two-time NFL rushing yards leader. It’s only a matter of time before that thunder and lightning combo creates a thunderstorm in the offensive backfield.
But the same can’t be said for the Patriots at receiver. When looking around the room, there’s simply not enough talent to keep pace in the AFC East, much less the rest of the league.
Of course, that could all change at the snap of a finger if the Patriots pull off a trade for the right player. Coach Bill Belichick typically isn’t known for pushing all of the chips on the table for a receiver, but desperate times could call for desperate measures down the stretch.
Here are five game-changing receivers the Patriots could trade for this season:
Mike Evans, Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers aren’t planning on trading Mike Evans, but that’s easy to say early in the season. Things are actually good in Tampa Bay right now.
They’ve started off with a 2-0 record, and there’s growing hope they might have a legitimate lifeline with Baker Mayfield under center at quarterback.
However, things are about to get significantly harder with meetings against the Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints coming up on the schedule. The wheels could fall off at some point, and if they do, the Buccaneers might be singing a different tune when it comes to Evans’ contact.
Keenan Allen, Chargers
Keenan Allen is an aging receiver for a Los Angeles Chargers team that just spent a first-round draft pick on rookie wideout Quentin Johnston. The Chargers still also have another huge receiving target in Mike Williams on their roster.
Why not get something for Allen?
They have gone above and beyond to surround quarterback Justin Herbert with receiving weapons, but the team might be better off trading their 31-year-old receiver while they still can to fix other areas on the roster.
Jerry Jeudy, Broncos
Somebody get the Denver Broncos on the phone and see if they’re interested in trying this again.
The Patriots were reportedly one of the teams interested in trading for Broncos wideout Jerry Jeudy during the offseason, and they might still be able to make something happen if Denver keeps losing games.
The Broncos are sitting at 0-2 on the season, despite all of the buzz surrounding the hiring of coach Sean Payton. If he feels like Jeudy isn’t the right long-term fit for his vision, he might open the doors for legitimate trade discussions.
The Patriots should be one of the teams knocking for the 24-year-old receiver’s services.
Davante Adams, Raiders
Davante Adams is one of the best receivers in the league, but that doesn’t matter as much for a team with as many holes as the Raiders. The 30-year-old receiver is still capable of putting up monster numbers, but it hasn’t changed the fact that the Raiders still rank amongst the worst defensive teams in football.
Could they work out some kind of deal involving trade picks or a player—or potentially both—to send Adams to New England, where he would be a huge lift to the offense?
There’s obviously some familiarity between the two teams with Raiders coach Josh McDaniels being the former longtime Patriots offensive coordinator.
Tee Higgins, Bengals
Are the Cincinnati Bengals really going to let Tee Higgins walk out of the door for nothing? I totally understand the desire to keep the band together for a possible Super Bowl run, but trading Higgins could bring in assets that could help the team for years to come.
The Bengals still have Ja’Marr Chase and Tyler Boyd. So they wouldn’t exactly be hurting at the receiver position.
As for the Patriots, this would be an opportunity to land a young, talented receiver that could grow in the offense as a true No. 1 option for the foreseeable future. This sort of long-term investment at the wideout position would be a rare but much-needed move by the Patriots.
