Patriots considered a frontrunner to trade for solid Ja'Whaun Bentley replacement

The 2024 NFL season has been off to a rough start, with countless players suffering injuries that have either ruled them out for a handful of games or the entire season. The Patriots were dealt that fate with one of their best players leading up to their Thursday Night game against the Jets, as linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley suffered a torn pectoral in Week 2.

Losing a captain in the midst of a rebuilding season is massive, but the loss of perhaps the best tackler on the defense, especially against the run game, is more significant. And unfortunately, his loss was immediately felt in the first game with Bentley on the field.

What had looked like a dominant defense to start the year, performing impressively in the first two games, looked almost entirely the opposite against what should have been a beatable Jets team.

Missed tackles and careless mistakes led to an embarrassing blowout loss, making it clear Bentley would be greatly missed the rest of the year, especially with Christian Barmore out indefinitely.

It has led analysts to suggest the Patriots make trades for their replacements to help save the defense this season, a few of whom are intriguing names to consider. Depending on the price tag, there's no reason for the Patriots not to at least inquire.

The Patriots are considered a good fit for two linebackers likely on the trade block

Although the trade deadline isn't until the end of next month, ESPN's Dan Graziano has already made a list of the likeliest candidates to be on the move and where they would fit best for the rest of the 2024 season.

When discussing the linebackers who will probably be traded, the Patriots were listed as one of the most sensible trade partners because of Bentley's injury. Since they are already dealing with all that comes with him not in the lineup, Graziano suggests Eagles' Devin White as a suitable replacement.

"The 26-year-old former Buccaneers star signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Eagles this offseason, but he lost the starting middle linebacker job to Nakobe Dean. He sat out the first game of the season because of an ankle injury but was a healthy inactive for the Week 2 Monday night game against the Falcons.

Of the $4 million the Eagles gave him, more than half was in the form of a signing bonus, so he'd be an extremely cheap veteran option for a team in need. White had 83 tackles and two interceptions last season in Tampa Bay."

Despite his rough start in Philadelphia, White is a former fifth overall pick in the 2019 draft and was considered a top name to watch in the league. His first three seasons stood out, and he looked on the path to becoming one of the best in the league. However, his performance has been on a roller coaster since last season, leading to his signing with the Eagles in free agency.

He has dealt with an ankle injury to start the year but has been a healthy scratch for the following two weeks, making him a prime trade candidate as the weeks go on.

White could be an excellent addition for the Patriots, especially on a one-year rental, to see if he can be a great replacement for Bentley. If that works out, they would be in a good position to re-sign him next year with a ton of cap space available.

Besides White, the Patriots are also chosen as a future home for Colts' linebacker E.J. Speed, who is playing on the last year of his current contract.

Unlike their other option, the Colts aren't necessarily unhappy with what they have with Speed this year, but if they feel he won't re-sign next offseason, they could be looking to move on from the 29-year-old to receive compensation instead of watching him leave for free. If that's the case, the Patriots are potential trade partners.

"His emergence was one of the reasons Indy felt good about moving on from Shaquille Leonard in the middle of last season, but Speed is 29 and set to be a free agent at the end of the season. Should the Colts tumble out of contention, he's a name to watch. Speed already has 22 tackles this season, and he hit triple-digits in 2023."

Given their current list of injured players, it'll be interesting to see if the Patriots decide to be active ahead of the trade deadline.

They didn't appear to be interested in signing players before the season started, nor were they active in free agency, so it's hard to believe that their philosophy will change. But they have plenty of reasons to demonstrate why they should.

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