New England Patriots should trade for upcoming free agent Ziggy Ansah

The New England Patriots suffered a big loss when Dont’a Hightower was lost for the season. One player that could replace him is Ezekiel Ansah.

Against the Atlanta Falcons, the New England Patriots might have earned a win, but they suffered a big loss after the game as it was announced that Dont’a Hightower would miss the rest of the season.

Injuries have been an issue for Hightower throughout his career, but he is a valuable player on the Patriots when he is healthy. One of the great things about Hightower is his ability to help the defense in multiple ways. As a linebacker that can cover, stop the run, and rush the passer, the Patriots really had a talented swiss army knife on their hands.

This season, Hightower has been used a lot to rush the passer. Due to the Patriots’ lacking some pass-rushers, that is where Hightower has mostly been asked to help the defense this season.

With the NFL trade deadline quickly approaching on Halloween, one player that could help the Patriots is defensive end Ezekiel Ansah. Better known as Ziggy Ansah, he has been a very good player the past few seasons for the Detroit Lions.

Even though the Lions are in the playoff picture in the NFC, Ansah is the final year of his rookie deal. As a player that is likely preparing to get a big contract in the offseason, the Lions might be hesitant to invest long-term in him because of his own injury history.

While the Patriots are famous for trading away players that they don’t plan on signing prior to the NFL trade deadline, this year they might be looking to add. Even though Ansah doesn’t play the same position as Hightower, he would be able to help the Patriots’ pass-rush. Since that is what the Patriots were asking of Hightower, this makes sense for the New England.

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As we have seen in the past, upcoming free agents generally don’t have a high price tag at the trade deadline. The Patriots would likely be able to get Ansah for a reasonable price, and he could be a huge addition.

With the trade deadline quickly approaching, it will be interesting to see if the Patriots are aggressive on the trade market.