Patriots making this win-now swap at the trade deadline doesn't make sense

The New England Patriots claimed their third divisional win of the season over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, moving to 3-0 in the AFC East and 5-3 overall. Before their Week 11 bye, they face two tough games against the Packers, also 5-3, and an international game in Germany against the 5-2 Lions.

If New England can win at least one of the two games before the bye, they'll put themselves in position to pry the division lead from the Bills in the final weeks. To do that, however, they may need reinforcements.

Both offense and defense have seen their fair share of injuries this season. While the offense's injuries have been talked about ad nauseam, the defense has held up well considering the starters they've missed through eight weeks.

Christian Barmore, Dre'Mont Jones, Harold Landry, Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis, Craig Woodson, and Dell Pettus have all missed time this season. A hallmark of Zak Kuhr's unit last season was its run defense, which has remained stable this season: the unit ranks 7th in yards allowed and is one of twelve teams allowing fewer than 100 yards on the ground per game.

The interior lost Khyiris Tonga to free agency, but added DaQuan Jones in Week 2. Jones joined a position group featuring Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, Cory Durden, Leonard Taylor, and Josh Farmer.

While the group has been solid this season, Nick Cattles, host of the Locked on Patriots Podcast, suggested an interesting trade-deadline swap that could boost the IDL.

Patriots could swap TreVeyon Henderson for Grover Stewart at the deadline

Cattles recently posted on X, suggesting the Patriots could look to send Henderson, a second-round pick in 2025, to the Colts in exchange for nose tackle Grover Stewart and a draft pick.

The 2-6 Colts were embarrassed by division rival Jaguars in a 42-7 drubbing, with the Jaguars leading 35-0 with nine minutes remaining in the third quarter before taking their foot off the gas. It's the fourth straight loss for Indianapolis, who are in full rebuild mode after trading stars Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner last week.

While Jonathan Taylor has been the primary player in Colts trade rumors, Stewart, a 33-year-old nose tackle out of contract at season's end, would be a sensible player to auction off, too.

The Albany alum has played 287 snaps across eight games this season, recording a sack and a 3.4% pressure rate. Against the run, his primary responsibility, he's made 11 stops and hasn't missed a tackle.

On the receiving end, the Colts send a pick (likely a Day 3 selection) and a veteran for a flier on a struggling Henderson, which could be worthwhile, especially considering they'd have two and a half seasons of him on a rookie contract. It would also give them more freedom to trade Taylor, who would warrant a top-64 selection in return.

The Colts eyeing Henderson makes sense, as does New England eyeing Stewart. So why would a trade not be sensible?

Giving up on TreVeyon Henderson doesn't make sense yet

In terms of trade value, Henderson couldn't be much lower. He missed Sunday's win over the Dolphins with an illness, but he hasn't been heavily involved over the past few weeks. In his last three games, he's taken just 14 carries for 62 yards.

Most recently, against the Bears, he had just three carries for nine yards. This season, he has one touchdown, a fumble, and has averaged less than four yards per carry.

In Henderson's lull, cutdown-day trade addition Corey Kiner has taken advantage. Since October 1, the second-year back has 28 carries for 160 yards, averaging 5.7 YPC. Considering the ex-Cincinnati Bearcat was an undrafted rookie in 2025 and it took just a seventh-round pick to acquire him, Henderson's numbers are quite disappointing.

It's no secret that the former OSU back has struggled, or that he's being phased out of the offense to some degree. Henderson has played 16 or fewer snaps in the team's three games since early October. Including the playoffs, he played 16 or fewer snaps in three games all of last season.

While Henderson getting off to a slow start is disappointing, it isn't new. In fact, his numbers through Halloween looked shockingly similar as a rookie.

On his own, Henderson isn't worth more than a sixth-round pick. That isn't enough value back for a player who totaled over 1,100 yards last season and has two and a half seasons remaining on a rookie deal, even if Stewart is included with that pick.

The Patriots' best course of action for now is to hold on to Henderson, unless they truly believe he has no future in the offense, which I find hard to believe considering they selected him six picks outside the first round just 18 months ago.

If the Patriots want to add Grover Stewart or a player of his ilk, sending one of the four picks in the sixth and seventh rounds of the upcoming draft would be best practice. Whatever the team could get for Henderson now likely won't be much different from what they could get come the spring.

Playing the long game with the 24-year-old seems like the best plan.

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