The New England Patriots have had an eventful offseason that's featured a trio of trades. The first was Garrett Bradbury being sent to Chicago for a fifth-round selection after Drew Dalman suddenly retired. Then, the Texans swapped Day 3 picks with the Patriots to secure the rights to Marte Mapu.
Of course, the most notable of the three was the addition of A.J. Brown for a first-round pick. While they've done more selling than buying in trades during the offseason thus far, they should certainly not be shying away from adding more talent ahead of the 2026 season.
The Patriots hold six Day 3 selections in 2027, and while I'm sure Eliot Wolf and company would like to hang on to them, they may see a trade opportunity too good to pass up.
3 players the Patriots could make a move for ahead of the 2026 season
QB Dillon Gabriel
This would seem like an odd move for the Patriots to make, but it wouldn't be totally illogical. The Browns opted for quantity over quality during the 2025 offseason, selecting quarterbacks in the third and fifth rounds (Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders), while also trading for Kenny Pickett and signing Joe Flacco.
A year removed from the experiment, both Pickett and Flacco are no longer with the team. Gabriel saw time last season, but after a concussion knocked him out of their November matchup against the Ravens, Shedeur Sander took the reins.
Deshaun Watson will be ready to go for 2026, and the Browns also added an athletic freak in Arkansas' Taylen Green to the QB room. Given the friction between Sanders and Gabriel, it would appear the latter is on the trade block.
The 94th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, adding Gabriel for a minimal price could be a steal. Just 15 months ago, he was regarded as an exciting top-100 pick, but after an uninspiring rookie season, the Patriots have the chance to pounce. Gabriel had 7 touchdowns and 2 interceptions last year, both against the Patriots.
The Browns were 1-5 with him at the helm.
New England re-signed Tommy DeVito to a two-year deal and selected Behren Morton of Texas Tech in the seventh round. DeVito has gotten the lion's share of the backup snaps thus far, but if he tails off or Morton's collegiate injuries persist into his professional career, it could be worth sending a seventh-round pick to Cleveland for Gabriel later in the offseason.
If the backup quarterback situation looks gloomy, the Patriots could also make calls to Tennessee and Pittsburgh regarding the likes of Will Levis and Will Howard.
RB Kaleb Johnson
Johnson was a player many Steelers fans were excited about going into last season. A third-round pick out of Iowa in 2025, he eclipsed 1,500 yards and found pay dirt 21 times while maintaining a healthy 6.4 yards per carry. He added another 188 yards and two touchdowns through the air.
The former Hawkeye struggled immensely as a rookie. He took one carry for -2 yards in his first career game, and Week 2 saw him fail to catch a kickoff that led to a Seahawks touchdown in a bizarre lapse of concentration. He took 5+ carries only three times, totaling 52 yards in those games while averaging 3.1 YPC. On the season, he totaled 28 carries for 69 yards (2.5 YPC) and just one catch.
A year removed from his drafting, the Steelers brought in Mike McCarthy, who has no loyalty to Johnson. He sits behind Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle on the depth chart, while the Steelers also added Navy slot back Eli Heidenreich in the seventh round, who took 77 carries for the Midshipmen last year.
Johnson would likely cost more in a trade than Gabriel would, but a conditional Day 3 selection would seem reasonable if he truly is to be made available. We've seen the Patriots attempt reclamation projects with Josh McDaniels as the OC before, and perhaps they could do it again with Johnson.
DT Karl Brooks
The Patriots don't have much of a need at defensive tackle, but that shouldn't mean they take their eyes off talented players like Brooks. The former Bowling Green defensive lineman has been a major asset to the Packers since he was selected in the sixth round in 2023, playing nearly 1,600 snaps over the last three seasons despite his draft status.
In that time, he's recorded an impressive 16.6% pressure rate and 9 sacks. The Packers extended Micah Parsons last offseason, handed Devonte Wyatt a deal worth nearly $20 million per season, and also gave Isaiah McDuffie a one-year extension worth $8.8 million.
Jayden Reed and Christian Watson were also extended for a total value of around $170 million, and Tucker Kraft still needs to be re-signed.
The Packers likely have more players to pay than they'll have money to spend, which could lead to their willingness to trade second-tier players, one of whom could be Brooks. The Packers signed veteran Javon Hargrave on top of re-signing Wyatt, meaning their interior defensive line is in sound shape. Brooks could therefore be available for a late-round selection.
Leonard Taylor and Eric Gregory each flashed last season, and Brooks would likely knock one of them off the roster. Perhaps dealing one of the two and sending a draft pick to Wisconsin would be enough to upgrade the depth of the Patriots' defensive line?
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