After a dismal start to the season, fraught with penalties, sacks, and turnovers, the New England Patriots have tightened up their game somewhat and become a winner. If Mike Vrabel wants to take his team further, bolstering his pass rush, which has faded, makes perfect sense. The player to fill the need, if he's healthy, could be Trey Hendrickson of Cincinnati.
After a great start, Harold Landry III has fallen back to earth in the sack department. While he's still getting pressure, it's sacks that are drive-wrecking and game-changing plays. He has 4.5 for the season, but only two since Week 2.
The Patriots have now shown they are a bona fide playoff contender. They also have a quarterback in Drake Maye who's emerging as an NFL superstar. All talk of the "future" should be shelved. The future is now, and the team should go for it all in 2025. That means trades should be the order of the day before the window shuts down after Week 9.
Trey Hendrickson is a guy the Patriots should target before the trade deadline
The Bengals, with top quarterback Joe Burrow on the shelf, have fallen to 2-4. Hendrickson is a veteran on a one-year $30M contract who's been squabbling with the Bengals about a longer deal. It may be the perfect time to get this top echelon sack artist if the slide continues.
Unfortunately, Hendrickson went out with a back injury in the loss to the Packers. If he checks out physically, he should be at the top of the Patriots' list before the deadline. When fit, he's a premier NFL sack artist not seen in Foxborough since Matt Judon's breakout 2022 season with 15.5 sacks.
Among a list of suggested trade deadline targets, Hendrickson and running back Alvin Kamara are the best options.
NFL Trade Deadline Candidates, per @AdamSchefter. 👀 pic.twitter.com/in57l4yHhA
— The GOAT House (@GoatHouseNFL) October 12, 2025
Mike Vrabel needs to go all-out to win in 2025
Head guy Mike Vrabel did an outstanding job seemingly overnight in rebuilding a woeful 2024 roster into a playoff contender during the 2025 offseason. If the team hadn't self-destructed, they could have totally shocked the NFL, sitting 6-0 and atop the AFC East for the first time since 2021.
The experienced Vrabel knows full well that there is no season but the one you're in. If you have a chance to get to the Tournament, as Bill Parcells called the playoffs, and more, you throw all your chips into the middle of the table and go all in. Rebuilds are for losers, as the perennially rebuilding Jets can attest.
The Patriots have salary cap space to add a top player or two, mainly if they can shed excess baggage like Rhamondre Stevenson, Kyle Dugger, and a couple of others, with whatever draft picks it takes. One thing is 100 percent certain: a 2026 or 2027 draft pick will do absolutely nothing for 2025's chances unless you turn them into a contributing player(s).
The Patriots are in the mix for the playoffs and maybe a lot more. Trey Hendrickson, who had 35 sacks the past two seasons (and has four this far this season), if healthy, is the guy to go after. Mike Vrabel is an NFL professional who knows there's no time but the present.
They have their quarterback, and if Vrabel fills in a couple of weak positions with players like Hendrickson and maybe Kamara, he may shock the NFL. It's time for the Patriots to act like a team on the cusp of greatness again. Acting like it and pulling off a trade or two before the deadline is exactly what a team that aspires to be great does.