Patriots: 3 players that would tremendously benefit from Julio Jones trade

The New England Patriots have already sunk a ton of resources into acquiring skill position players that will help Cam Newton and the offense, but Bill Belichick would be unwise to put the checkbook away now, as Julio Jones started a whole firestorm of rumors by confirming that he and the Atlanta Falcons are done.

Jones confirming to Shannon Sharpe that he is “out of there” proves that the Falcons trading him is a matter of when, not if.

The Falcons might have a trade partner in New England, a team that should exhaust every opportunity to land a player of Jones’ caliber.

This is exactly why you save cap space.

Pro Football Talk reported that New England and the Tennessee Titans are the two teams Jones is looking at right now. Instead of letting Ryan Tannehill and Tennessee get their hands on him, the Patriots need to devise some way to make sure No. 11 ends up wearing navy blue and red this season.

Getting Julio would be a huge boost for the offense as a whole, as the trade could improve these three players the very second Jones steps onto the field in Patriots colors.

These 3 Patriots players would benefit from Julio Jones.

3. RB Damien Harris

For a coach in Belichick that loves to run the football, Harris emerged as a key contributor in a very crowded backfield. Starting 10 games last season, Harris came just shor of 700 yards rushing while totaling 5.0 yards per carry. In a 17-game season, that would put him just shy of 1,200 yards on the ground.

Harris’ numbers were even more impressive when you realize they came with a New England passing attack that had their wings clipped due to the fact Josh McDaniels rarely went down the field. With Jones in the fold, an already upgraded passing attack will go to the elite tier, and that benefits harris.

Damien Harris would have less pressure with Julio Jones on the Patriots.

There is no way defenses can play three linebackers with Jonnu Smith, Hunter Henry, and Jones all on the field at once. That means more open running lanes for Harris, who could end up rushing for 1,000 yards for the first time in his career during this season.

You can’t just throw your best corner on Julio and call it a day. Jones is so dominant at times that he can singlehandedly change the entire complexion of an offense, and his impact should make less heralded players like Harris the beneficiaries of an increased workload as a sleep-deprived defensive coordinator tries to figure out how to stop No. 11.