The New England Patriots had a quiet trade deadline but made a pair of moves the week prior. The team dealt Keion White to the 49ers and Kyle Dugger to the Steelers, both in exchange for swaps of seventh and sixth-round picks.
While getting something back for White and dumping Dugger's contract are big wins, the Patriots didn't make any additions to a 7-2 squad. It's somewhat understandable given their momentum and chemistry, but adding one player could have further benefited them.
The Bengals traded top linebacker Logan Wilson to the Cowboys for a 2026 seventh-round pick, just half a season after releasing their other 2024 starter, Germaine Pratt. The Bengals are in the midst of a lost season thanks to their horrendous defense, which allows 33.3 points per game.
They've allowed at least 27 points every week except for Week 1, and have averaged allowing a whopping 39 PPG in their last three games. They're 1-2 despite averaging 37.7 PPG offensively.
This, combined with Logan Wilson's trade request and their having a pair of rookie linebackers in Demetrius Knight and Barrett Carter, justifies the move, but it wasn't much to get in return for PFF's 5th-ranked linebacker against the run in 2024. While New England's run defense has been spectacular, adding Wilson would have been a really solid move.
The Patriots should have traded for Logan Wilson before the deadline
Robert Spillane has been one of the league's better linebackers over the past few weeks and has vastly improved compared to his below-average start to the year.
Nonetheless, the Patriots could use some support at the position. Christian Elliss has had a very up-and-down year: he's had three sub-40 PFF grades this season, with his 30.2 overall mark being his second worst. He has a 51.4 grade for the year.
Jack Gibbens has been solid against the run with a 73.6 grade, and Jahlani Tavai has been used as a linebacker and edge hybrid against run-heavy teams. Marte Mapu has played sparingly. Both are sound backup options, but neither should have regular starting roles.
Adding Wilson would have given New England another thumper in the run game who had 495 total tackles in his first five seasons. With 11 interceptions in his first four years, he also could have offered a better coverage option next to Spillane than Elliss.
While the Patriots keeping hold of their draft picks will make for an exciting offseason, it would have been a savvy move to add a disgruntled linebacker who's had a history of NFL success.