Even if the Patriots sell at the deadline, they could target these buy-low options.
The New England Patriots are 2-4 and will have a date with the Buffalo Bills in Week 8, which could very much seal their fate at the trade deadline. If Bill Belichick’s side falls to 2-5, you have to think they’re going to sell off some big-name players to get value and prepare for 2021 and beyond.
They might even consider doing that if they beat the Bills, given how bad they’ve looked over the last month. This team simply lost too many players to free agency and opt outs to survive a complicated 2020 season that’s already showed how disadvantageous it can be. It’s not a knock on anybody, it’s just the reality.
If this is how the front office and Belichick are approaching the deadline, they should add another layer to their approach: on top of selling top guys, buy low on some underperforming candidates, guys about to hit free agency, or others blocked on the depth chart.
The Patriots can stand to improve in a colossal way if they head into the deadline with a multi-faceted plan. There’s still half of the season left to get any potential trade acquisitions acclimated to determine their future contributions to the team, so here are three buy-low candidates that fit the bill and could help the Patriots prep for the foreseeable future.
3. Takkarist McKinley
The Patriots could improve their pass rush with Takkarist McKinley.
The Atlanta Falcons stink. They rejected Takkarist McKinley’s fifth-year option. He doesn’t really want to be there. They don’t really want him. You couldn’t draw up a better “buy-low” scenario.
On top of that, McKinley has been limited to four games this year due to some injuries and is having the worst start to a season of his career. A guy with a ton of potential, unable to tap into it in his current situation, has some character issues, and needs a change of scenery … yeah, that seems like the Belichick trade blueprint.
Across 49 career games, McKinley has 79 tackles (22 for a loss), 17.5 sacks and 45 QB hits on a Falcons team that has been downright trash ever since it blew the Super Bowl against … the Patriots. He’ll be a free agent after this season and it’s as clear as day he’s not returning to the Falcons.
In order to salvage some value, Atlanta should begin to clean house themselves and retrieve value anywhere possible. McKinley won’t fetch a ton, but it’s better than nothing. Win for the Falcons getting some sort of compensation, and a win for the Patriots having to surrender a late-round pick at most.
2. Mo Alie-Cox
The Colts have three tight ends. Could they be willing to part with Mo Alie-Cox to the Patriots?
This is far from a given, but it’s worth exploring. At the moment, Mo Alie-Cox is injured after being limited against the Cleveland Browns and missing the team’s last game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Plus, Indy has Jack Doyle and Trey Burton ahead of him on the depth chart.
Alie-Cox has proven himself in a big way this season when Doyle and Burton missed time with injuries, but we’re not sure how he’s viewed in the team’s long-term plans. Doyle is under contract through 2022 and while Burton is only signed to a one-year deal, the Colts coaching staff has raved about his potential in this offense.
Does that leave Alie-Cox as the odd man out? The Colts probably don’t have a ton of suitors for an oft-injured Doyle who carries a decent price tag and they might want to re-sign Burton after the year is done. Do they want to have to compete on the restricted free agency market for Alie-Cox?
If not, they can trade the behemoth of a tight end (he’s 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds) and get some value since it’s very well possible another team opts to present him with an offer sheet the Colts don’t want to match. And he’d be a great run-blocking/pass-catching option for the Patriots in Josh McDaniels’ offense. Cam Newton would love having a gigantic target running up the seam.
Across limited playing time in five games, Alie-Cox has hauled in 11 receptions for 194 yards and two touchdowns. Bring the big man to New England! He deserves a full-time role and would seamlessly fit in with this team’s culture given his transition from college basketball and his hard-working attitude.
And remember, the Patriots will have a ton of cap space in the offseason, so keeping him on a multi-year deal wouldn’t be an issue at all.
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.
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