The Patriots go into their Week 9 matchup against the Packers with plenty of questions about their offense, particularly the health of some of their most valuable players. A few missed last week's game against the Dolphins, most notably running back TreVeyon Henderson, which prompted rumors about his future with the team.
Although he hasn't had the breakout year many hoped for, it's clear that Mike Vrabel and Co. believe Henderson can elevate the backfield alongside Rhamondre Stevenson, who remains their go-to.
But when they ruled him out with an illness 36 hours before last Sunday's game, it seemed like a new case of the Foxboro Flu had made its way into the locker room, potentially putting Henderson on the trade block ahead of next week's deadline.
Because of that, a player like Tony Pollard keeps coming up as a potential replacement, especially after his impressive performances over the last few weeks. The biggest hurdle for the Patriots is that he's with the Titans, who still hold a grudge against their former head coach, and that might keep them from entertaining a trade offer.
But the Patriots need help in their backfield, since they can't rely solely on Stevenson to carry the load. And although third-stringer Corey Kiner has had some standout moments, he doesn't look like the right partner for the veteran, which is where Pollard could fit in.
Adding Tony Pollard to the offense would be a big boost to the Patriots' offense
As it stands ahead of Week 9, Stevenson leads the team with 96 carries for 367 yards and 2 touchdowns, averaging 3.8 yards per carry. While he's been an invaluable asset to the offense, that's below the league average, partly because he has to run the ball so much.
Drake Maye ranks second in rushing yards with 46 carries for 216 yards and 3 touchdowns, while Henderson ranks third with 52 carries for 203 yards and 1 touchdown.
It's not the production the Patriots were hoping for from the second-year running back, and they could fix that by trading for a more proven weapon like Pollard for the right price. And based on the most recent proposals, analysts believe it wouldn't cost more than a mid-round pick, which they could easily afford, even more so if they were to include Henderson in the deal.
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It's certainly not ideal to give up on him just two years into his NFL career, and Vrabel and Co. might not be willing to do that yet since they used a second-round pick on him last year.
However, his decreased snap count in recent weeks and their decision to rule him out of last week's game so early point to their dissatisfaction with his performance, making Pollard more desirable.
The Titans' leading rusher has recorded 133 carries for 595 yards and 6 touchdowns so far this season, averaging 4.5 yards per carry and 74 yards per game. He's been on a tear over the past few weeks, putting up 246 yards and 5 touchdowns in the last two games, the kind of production the Patriots could very much use right now.
The run game has been inconsistent for Maye this season, and although Stevenson has seemingly put his fumbling issue to bed, the quarterback has too often had to run the ball himself because he can't rely on anyone other than his RB1.
Pairing Pollard and Stevenson would be a major upgrade, particularly since the Titans' star is coming off 4 seasons with over 1,000 yards on the ground. That's the kind of weaponry Maye needs in the offense, and he's clearly a better player than Henderson has been and probably will be.
At this point, it might be a dream trade because the Titans don't seem interested in talking to the Patriots as long as Vrabel is the head coach, which is silly. They could benefit from trading for Henderson, who is only 24 and could be a centerpiece of their offense for Cam Ward moving forward.
But if they won't even take the call from New England, it'll never happen, and that would be incredibly disappointing for the Patriots, who need to add to their backfield before the trade deadline.
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