The New England Patriots and their fan base entered the 2025 NFL season with high hopes under new leader Mike Vrabel. But even the most optimistic fans might have called you crazy if you told them that the team was going to be 6-2 and leading the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East race.
But this is the reality for the Patriots, and although it's been a few years since they've been in this position, they need to remember what being buyers at the trade deadline feels like. They cleared the path to a major move or two on Tuesday by trading away both Keion White and Kyle Dugger.
Equipped with almost $60 million in salary cap space and a handful more draft picks, the world is New England's oyster. Many are linking them to players like Jakobi Meyers or Trey Hendrickson, but they could shock the NFL by striking a trade for an old Vrabel favorite.
Patriots should try to pry Derrick Henry away from Ravens
On Wednesday, ESPN's Mike Reiss reaffirmed the notion that the Patriots are most likely to target a running back and a veteran pass rusher as the deadline nears. This may sound a bit crazy—or perhaps greedy —but New England should call the Baltimore Ravens about Derrick Henry's availability.
Henry played for the Tennessee Titans under Vrabel for six seasons and was undoubtedly the best running back during that era. He was the lifeblood of Vrabel's best teams in Tennessee, and he's still got plenty of gas left in the tank.
Baltimore has struggled quite a bit this season, albeit without Lamar Jackson, but the Ravens' problems go much deeper than the quarterback position. They badly need defensive help, and they're already expected to ship off valuable offensive pieces like tight end Mark Andrews.
RELATED: Drake Maye's praise for Patriots fans says everything about 2025 season
It may not be likely, but with the Patriots being flush with cap space and now owning a mountain of draft picks over the next few years, they could easily get away with overspending a bit as they look to shore up their running back room for a deep playoff push.
Between losing Antonio Gibson for the year, the TreVeyon Henderson experiment needing a bit more time, and Rhamondre Stevenson not practicing on Wednesday for an unconfirmed reason, New England could surely justify a trade.
The team's draft picks and cap space may be better allotted elsewhere, but Patriots fans can't deny the fact that adding Henry into the mix would be both fun for Vrabel and a serious win-now move. With the November 4 deadline rapidly approaching, anything could happen.