The trade deadline in 2023 is at the end of October, so it's slowly approaching. The Patriots need to trade some of their veteran players to acquire draft capital for the coming rebuild. There is no turning this thing around in 2023. The season is cooked, and wholesale changes are needed from the top, down. The Pats got shutout at home in Week 5 against the New Orleans Saints, a team that isn't that good.
At this point, it's time to begin the rebuild process and it's time to throw in the towel on the 2023 NFL season. This roster is simply not talented enough to win many more games and the coaching is also quite bad. The Patriots would be smart to accept their fate and to begin fielding calls about some of their veteran players. Getting a few draft picks back for certain guys only assists in the rebuilding process.
This is a 1-4 team that might honestly pick #1 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft if the current trend holds. Let's look at three players the Patriots should trade in 2023 to help spark the rebuild.
3 players the New England Patriots should trade before the 2023 trade deadline
1. Kendrick Bourne, WR
Kendrick Bourne is in the last year of a three-year deal he signed with the Patriots for the 2021 NFL season. He had a nice first year with the team, then seemed to find himself in the doghouse in 2022. Now, in 2023, he leads the team in receiving yards. He's currently caught 18 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns.
He's on pace to finish with 741 yards, which is about what he is as a player. Being that he's a free agent at the end of the year and approaching 30 years old, he's not someone who the Pats should keep around for the coming rebuild. Getting a 4th or 5th round pick for Bourne from a contending team makes a ton of sense.
Why let him hit the market and leave for free?
2. Hunter Henry, TE
Hunter Henry is also someone who is a free agent at the end of the year. He came over in that massive 2021 free agency haul that Bill Belichick brought in. Henry is a pretty solid tight end; he's definitely a quality receiving threat and is second on the team in receiving yards and second in receptions. Like Bourne, he's a bit of an aging veteran who probably is not someone who should be a part of the rebuilding process.
The Patriots simply need to get younger and more explosive. Henry can net you a 4th or 5th round pick like Bourne could. The Pats also save a bit of cap space this year, so that's always nice. The Patriots don't really have a ton of potential trade deadline targets that could net them more than a 3rd round pick at most, but it's still a smart idea to fill the cupboard with draft picks.
Teams who win the Super Bowl are built through the NFL Draft, plain and simple.
3. Mike Onwenu, Kyle Dugger, Josh Uche
The New England Patriots had a pretty solid 2020 NFL Draft class, which is cool. However, all three of these players are set to be free agents at the end of the year, and all are pretty darn good football players. Do I think that the Patriots can retain one or more of these players? Yeah, definitely. I'm not necessarily advocating for trading any one of them, but I do think there is an argument to be made here.
Mike Onwenu is one of the best all-around OL in the NFL, and could net the team the highest return, in my opinion. Onwenu can play tackle and guard at a high level, which is just insane. I do think a 2nd round pick is not out of the question as a return for Onwenu. Kyle Dugger and Josh Uche are also very talented.
Both have strong arguments to be paid somewhat-near the top of the market for their respective positions. The New England Patriots are projected to have a ton of cap space next offseason, so they can afford to pay both, but again, filling their cupboard with draft picks might be a better idea.
They shouldn't trade any of these talented players unless they are getting legitimate hauls for them. I'm not saying it's time to gut the entire roster-- the Patriots have some nice pieces here and there, but they should consider all options at this point.