3 buy-low trade candidates Bill Belichick needs to target before deadline
1. Marvin Jones Jr.
The Lions could sell one of their wideouts to the Patriots in the next week.
Reports from last week suggested the Patriots would be scanning the trade market for a pass catcher in order to give Cam Newton some more support. So what about Lions wideout Marvin Jones Jr.?
The veteran will be a free agent after this season and one can assume Detroit will prioritize keeping Kenny Golladay in town over Jones, who is likely to leave. Though the Lions aren’t the smartest organization, they could determine trading Jones, even though his value isn’t high, would be beneficial, since this team still has a lot of work to do in terms of rebuilding.
The good news for the Pats is exactly that: his value is the lowest it’s ever been. He’s an impending free agent, he’ll be 31 next year, and he currently has the fourth-most receiving yards on the team after enduring two campaigns in which he was limited with injuries.
Golladay is tops in the WR corps, followed by Danny Amendola, who is averaging 18 yards per reception in 2020, and finally tight end TJ Hockenson, who’s among the best tight ends in the league. It’s not like the Lions would be conceding anything by parting with Jones. It’s going to happen in nine weeks anyway, so might as well add a draft pick to work with in April.
Jones would immediately help the Patriots passing attack and help stretch the field for guys like Julian Edelman and N’Keal Harry, both of whom have had a ton of trouble getting open this year. He’s a big body (6-foot-2, 200 pounds), has great hands, good speed, and can make an impact on the outside or underneath. He can act as a deep threat and break tackles to gain yards after the catch. This is the all-around kind of guy the Patriots offense needs right now.
At the very least, it’s worth picking up the phone to discuss.
