So far this season, the Patriots have been mostly fortunate not to have had to deal with several injuries to their most important players, so their game-day inactives have predominantly been expected or healthy scratches. That is the case again ahead of their matchup with the Browns, with one exception: Keion White.
The third-year defensive end is reportedly a healthy scratch for the first time in his career on Sunday, an indication of just how far he has fallen since the Patriots drafted him in the second round in 2023. He was projected to thrive under Mike Vrabel, after a tough year in the Jerod Mayo era, but we have yet to see that come to fruition.
Patriots inactives for #CLEvsNE. pic.twitter.com/R0r46HM6ag
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 26, 2025
In fact, he's almost played worse this year, which isn't exactly what anyone was hoping for when Vrabel took over the team. And now, his performance has been so poor that he is purposely being benched on game day.
That would seem to point to the team's plans for him ahead of the trade deadline, but they will run into a big problem if they hope to move him in the next week.
Keion White's poor season doesn't bode well for the Patriots trade hopes
While trading White at one point may have been likely, and that could still be something Vrabel and Co. are hoping to do this season, his lackluster performance doesn't make him a desirable candidate for any team looking to add depth to their defensive line.
That will inevitably make it difficult for the Patriots to move him, even for a late-round pick, as he would be somewhat of a mystery player for a team to add to their lineup. Because of that, it would be fair to assume that New England won't receive many calls about him, or the interest will only extend to a possible sixth or seventh-round pick.
It's quite a fall from where he was initially drafted, as he was an infamous second-rounder who looked miserable to hear the Patriots had taken him.
There was a lot of promise surrounding him, and he flashed in some points, especially at the start of last season when he was on pace for a record number of sacks, only for him to fall completely on his face, which led to a benching this week.