With the 2025 NFL Draft right around the corner, plenty of big moves are still to be made, which could include the Patriots getting involved. They hit a lot of marks on defense during free agency, ensuring they were in far better shape than last season, but that left the offense to be addressed with the incoming rookie class.
It's not necessarily a bad plan, but it puts a lot of pressure on Mike Vrabel and Co. to nail their picks and hopefully select some day-one starters, especially on the offensive line. They managed to lock down the right side by signing longtime starting tackle Morgan Moses to a three-year deal, which will be a significant help for Drake Maye in his second year.
That means the need for a left tackle is even more crucial now and could lead the team to select LSU's Will Campbell with the fourth overall pick. It would be a controversial yet understandable move, unless they chose to explore a trade down scenario that still allowed them to get a left tackle in a different way.
NESN's George Balekji and Athan Hristodulu explore that very scenario. In fantasy land, the Patriots would make a tremendous trade, seemingly fleecing their trade partner in the process. But as great as it would be to see it come to fruition, it doesn't seem realistic.
Proposed trade for Orlando Brown Jr. is far too good for the Patriots to ever see the light of day
Because the Patriots have plenty of holes on the roster to fill, especially on offense, Balekji and Hristodulu drew up a trade idea that would solve many of them immediately, with the most dire being left tackle.
Instead of using the No. 4 pick to get a rookie for the role, they suggest trading with the Bengals for Pro Bowl tackle Orlando Brown Jr. and a handful of other picks. It would be one of the best trades that Vrabel could possibly pull off in his Patriots tenure, but it doesn't seem to benefit the Bengals enough to be seriously considered.
For the Patriots and their fans, this is an unbelievable deal that would transform the offense and potentially make them a contender as soon as next season. They would get their next starting left tackle and still have a first-round pick to use, while also adding even more picks to their arsenal for more trades or to add more players.
However, this doesn't feel like a deal the Bengals would ever entertain in a serious manner. Who would they be desperate to trade up for? They have a quarterback (Joe Burrow) and they have two impressive wide receivers (Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins).
Would it really be to get a rookie left tackle? Or maybe a pass rusher since they're reportedly not close on an extension with Trey Hendrickson?
Those are the biggest questions because the Patriots have all the necessities for this kind of trade. But if it doesn't make sense for the Bengals, it will never happen. That's why it's hard to want to discuss this kind of trade because it is the only one that could happen in a fictional world.
In an alternate reality, this would be the best case scenario for the expected draft board for the Patriots at No. 4, which is projected to have EDGE Abdul Carter and CB/WR Travis Hunter off the board already. But they'll have to devise a different plan B in that situation because this trade with the Bengals would be a long shot at best.