With a week to go until this season's trade deadline, plenty of big moves are coming. Although the Patriots have been considered buyers rather than sellers, more rumors suggest the opposite, including the latest involving cornerback Carlton Davis III.
Despite signing a three-year deal just last offseason, after going into free agency as the top cornerback available, a new report from Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer claims Davis is on the trade block, likely as one of the few players they could move for a decent return.
Given the other names mentioned in trade rumors over the past few weeks, it's clear this is the front office's main focus in who they're making available, even if trading a player like Davis could prove costly almost immediately.
The 29-year-old has helped the secondary become one of the best in the league, partnering with Christian Gonzalez to form a cornerback tandem that opposing offenses fear. He didn't miss a single game in 2025, and while he's already missed three this season, he has still been productive and proven his worth in multiple ways, which he did again against the Dolphins on Sunday.
In fact, the struggles of other cornerbacks, particularly Charles Woods, proved without a doubt that the Patriots have no reason to entertain calls about Davis this season. If they choose to move on from him next spring, so be it.
But right now would be a giant mistake.
The Patriots shouldn't trade Carlton Davis ahead of this season's deadline
In his first game back since Week 4 against the Bills, Davis made an immediate impact, leading the team in combined tackles; his ability to help lock down the secondary also fueled the pass rush, as we saw with 5 sacks on Malik Willis.
His value was proven further with a rough play by Charles Woods, who wasn't on the field much on Sunday, so his standout moment of falling in coverage, leading to Kevin Coleman making a 35-yard touchdown, became an even bigger problem.
That's not something Davis would have done, even if his performance can be described as inconsistent.
Given the lack of depth at cornerback, as we saw with Davis and Gonzalez sidelined this season, it wouldn't serve the Patriots well to trade one of their best starters for a draft pick in return.
It might become more intriguing if they feel they won't be a legitimate competitor down the stretch, and we know that Eliot Wolf loves to add more draft picks to their stockpile. But Davis has a lot of value at this stage of the season, and the secondary will suffer if they move him.
If Woods and Co., like Craig Woodson, Marcus Jones, and even backups Channing Canada and Kindle Vildor, were playing at a higher level than they are, then holding onto Davis wouldn't seem as dire.
So, because they don't appear to have a legitimate ready-made starter waiting in the wings to pair with Gonzalez, Davis has every reason to stay, especially with plenty of tough opponents left on the schedule.
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