Patriots Rumors: 3 players to use as trade bait ahead of deadline

The 1-5 New England Patriots are in unfamiliar territory. For maybe the first time under Bill Belichick, the Patriots are sure-fire selling candidates at the trade deadline.

New England has more questions than answers at this point, and within a tough division, it appears the Patriots' season is too far gone. Things have spiraled out of control for Belichick and the Patriots, and the trade deadline represents opportunity to build for the future.

Now, the question is, which players are the best possible trade candidates? If the Patriots want to try and maximize their returns, these three players appear to be the top candidates to be dealt.

1. Kendrick Bourne, WR

The wide receiver position is a mess for New England. The Patriots chose to pay the wrong receiver in DeVante Parker over Jakobi Meyers, and have a few other WR2 and WR3 types on their depth chart. One of those that's come on strong as of late is veteran Kendrick Bourne.

On the season, Bourne has 28 receptions for 307 yards and two touchdowns. Just this last week, he put up 10 receptions on 11 targets for 89 yards. If the Patriots could even get a sixth rounder back for Bourne at this point, that would be well-worth the trade.

Think of a team like maybe San Francisco, where Bourne previously played. A recent injury to Deebo Samuel could have them thinking about insurance, and Bourne would fit right back into that offense that he's familiar with.