The New England Patriots' 2026 season has been a dud thus far. They sit at 1-2 after a Week 3 blowout loss to the Jaguars. Now they're on track for a 1-3 start after Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills and their high-flying quarterback, Josh Allen.
Allen has begun the 2026 season with a flourish while Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has started with a thud. The wide receiver room is again mediocre because the team's two prime offseason additions haven't delivered for different reasons.
Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox has compiled a list of 10 players who may be trade candidates. One is receiver Quentin Johnston of the Chargers, a player the Patriots should take a look at.
After an offseason that has little resemblance to 2025's brilliant edition, absent the trade for the now-injured A.J. Brown, even the team's one unit of supposed strength and depth, the wide receiver room, again looks weak.
With Brown's unfortunate Week 1 injury and the tepid performance of free-agent signee Romeo Doubs, the expected improvement hasn't materialized. That supposed depth prompted the team to deal decent receiver Kayshon Boutte.
That deal is looking more and more like a dud with each passing week. The Patriots need help there now, and Johnston may be worth a flyer.
The New England Patriots need to be aggressive in the trade market now
Rumors of an ongoing shoulder issue for quarterback Drake Maye, if substantiated, could make any aggressive moves moot. If not, the team needs to recapture some momentum in 2026 before the curtain falls on a season that looked promising but is failing to deliver.
If Maye's arm is sound, the Patriots need to add a receiver soon; in addition to bolstering the offensive line and the edge, they need a receiver. Knox suggests Johnston is a trade candidate the Patriots should kick the tires on, especially since he projects he his price would be just a conditional 5th-round pick in next year's draft.
"The Los Angeles Chargers fell to 0-3 on Sunday, and while they may still believe they can turn their season around, they have to face the reality of their situation...If the losses continue to pile up, the Chargers will have to seriously consider selling off excess pieces. Quentin Johnston has suddenly become one of them.
The fourth-year receiver topped 700 receiving yards in each of the past two seasons but has been an afterthought in Mike McDaniel's offense. He has just six catches for 64 yards through three weeks and has watched Tre' Harris take over the WR2 role opposite Ladd McConkey. Johnston should still interest receiver-needy teams, though, as he has a high physical ceiling and another year on his rookie contract—Los Angeles did exercise his fifth-year option."
The 25-year-old Johnston is in his fourth NFL season and looked like at least a decent No. 2A receiver before hitting a wall in 2026. After losing his position in LA, Johnston might be the antidote to a languid receiving corps the Patriots could use.
Romeo Doubs, like Johnston, has only six catches in three games. If the Patriots can get Johnston for a conditional fifth-round pick, as Knox suggests, he may be worth a flier.
An even better option might be to swap the two 2026 duds, Doubs and Johnston, straight up. Maybe a move to the other coast could reinvigorate one or both of them before their respective teams' 2026 seasons are in the proverbial NFL dumpster. Mike Vrabel has to take back control of personnel from whoever is making the decisions now.
Trades should be made to try to right the ship before it sinks to the bottom of the AFC East Division. Johnston might be a receiver who just might fit.
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