In the weeks leading up to the trade deadline, the Patriots have been labeled as buyers rather than sellers, since they have lost so many players to injury in just the first two months of the season. That doesn't appear to be changing any time soon, which puts them near the top of the list of teams to make a move before next week.
To make any significant move, however, they needed to restructure some contracts to create cap space, since they went into the weekend with just over $1 million available. They did that by reworking Hunter Henry's deal, which now puts them over $5.24 million.
That's not much, and they still have plenty of moves they can make to create more, which shouldn't be ruled out.
At the same time, they seem to have hinted at who they might be looking to move, with running back TreVeyon Henderson emerging as the most likely trade in the most New England way possible.
We've all heard of the Foxboro Flu, which typically hits before a season starts, but there's a chance it's plaguing Henderson ahead of the trade deadline. He was ruled out of Sunday's matchup due to an illness, but they made that decision 36 hours before game time, which is not something any team usually does when a player is sick.
That has many fans wondering if that is an indication of Henderson's status the rest of the season.
TreVeyon Henderson is now the subject of trade rumors after missing the Patriots' Week 8 game
Although he hasn't excelled in Year 2, the Patriots haven't shown any real indication that they have given up on Henderson that would prompt them to shop him before the deadline.
His weaknesses have been on full display this season, mostly a lack of clear vision on the field and avoiding/breaking tackles, which seems to have reduced his snap count. But given he's only in his second season and was a player Vrabel and Co. drafted, the consensus doesn't view him as a trade candidate.
However, their decision to rule him out as early as they did before this week's game changes much of that opinion. With the rise of Corey Kiner in recent weeks, who saw more game time against the Bears than Henderson, coupled with the potential from teams around the league in a second-round running back, it looks like the Patriots are more willing to shop him than not.
At just 24, Henderson has a lot of upside that teams in need of running back help will consider, and if the Patriots aren't pleased with his play so far, they could probably get a decent return for him right now.
There's a chance that he really is sick and dealing with something that would have inevitably kept him out of Sunday's game, but with how the Patriots have typically handled these kinds of situations, especially during the Bill Belichick years, it's hard to overlook what their lack of action could really mean.
If they could get a mid-round pick for him, maybe even a third- or fourth-rounder, while it's not ideal since they used a second-round pick on him, it would be better to move him when he's the most valuable rather than wait until his price decreases.
That's even more relevant when a player like Colts' Jonathan Taylor is available, and the Patriots could potentially include Henderson in the offer.
Regardless of what happens, there's plenty of reason to watch what Vrabel and Co. do over the next eight days with Henderson, and whether they show more behavior suggesting they want to move him before the deadline.
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