Patriots could dabble in the trade market for 3 players before the deadline

With the Patriots sitting near the bottom of the AFC at 2-6 near the midway point of the season, it's pretty clear the team should be sellers at the Nov. 5 trade deadline. The team has already started offloading guys with Monday's dealing of linebacker Josh Uche to Kansas City, and there's probably more guys on their way out.

That being said, that doesn't mean the Patriots should try to upgrade certain positions (looking at you, wide receiver room) and there are guys that Eliot Wolf should decline calls on. Even if some guys are on their way out - and K.J. Osborn and Jonathan Jones are others that could be out the door - Wolf should look to bring some players in who could be in the Patriots' future plans.

Just because the team isn't going to go to the playoffs this year doesn't mean the Patriots shouldn't at least try to improve the roster in the short term.

3 players the Patriots could trade for before the deadline

1. WR Jonathan Mingo

The second-year man out of Ole Miss is buried in Carolina's depth chart, and the pitiful Panthers (1-7) will likely be looking to shop some guys at the trade deadline as they're clearly looking to hit the reset button. Mingo has only 12 receptions for 125 yards this season after a 43-catch, 418-yard rookie campaign, and he has yet to catch a touchdown.

If the Patriots move on from either Osborn or Kendrick Bourne, Mingo could be an intriguing option given Carolina has Adam Thielen and Diontae Johnson in its wide receiver room. The price may not be too steep for Wolf either given Mingo's struggles in Carolina.

2. WR Tee Higgins

Exploring this trade certainly won't come cheap, especially for a Patriots' team looking to stock up on draft picks. But Higgins is playing on a franchise tag for a Cincinnati team that is 3-5 and appears be one loss away from being out of the playoff picture in the AFC.

The Patriots do have the combination of draft capital and salary cap space to swing a deal for Higgins and subsequently lock him up long-term. It won't be cheap, but is it worth Wolf giving the Bengals a call? Sure. Higgins would give Drake Maye a surefire WR1 and open up space inside for guys like Kendrick Bourne and Ja'lynn Polk.

3. CB L'Jarius Sneed

The Patriots are playing the Titans on Sunday, so maybe taking a peek at the fifth-year Titans' cornerback is worth it for Wolf. It's looking like New England is going to be shopping Jonathan Jones, who will be a free agent at the end of the year. Sneed, who came to Tennessee in the offseason after spending his first four seasons in Kansas City, would be a nice addition-by-subtraction move if Jones heads out the door.

Like Higgins, Sneed won't be cheap as Tennessee will likely be looking for mid to high draft picks, but he's certainly worth a call, as at 6'1 he's a big, physical corner.

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