Three players the Patriots could trade before the 2023 season
The Patriots could add some draft capital to their stock by trading three players before the start of the 2023 season. The team doesn't need to make this move, but some logjams at certain positions could create some interesting decisions.
To make life easier for them, they should consider seeing if there are teams out there who'd want to send a pick over for a said player. After all, that'd be a smarter decision than cutting them outright. Who on the roster could be moved before the beginning of the season?
Three players who the Patriots could trade before the 2023 season
Kendrick Bourne, WR
Kendrick Bourne is entering the last year of a three year contract he signed with the Patriots and was weirdly placed in a doghouse in 2022. He caught 55 passes for 800 yards and five touchdowns in his first season with the team.
He then caught just 35 passes for 434 yards and one touchdown in his second season. Bourne currently sits in a wide receiver room that is crowded to say the least. He might end up being the odd man out, so a trade for a late round pick might be more beneficial to the team than simply cutting him.
DeVante Parker, WR
The same argument for trading Bourne could be applied to DeVante Parker, who also has one year left on a deal. He was traded from the Miami Dolphins to the Patriots last year and caught 31 passes for 539 yards and three touchdowns.
Trading Parker would save the New England Patriots $6.2 million on their cap space, which isn't a small number. This might be a player that could catch the interest of a Super Bowl contender who might want to add a small boost and veteran presence to their WR room.
The San Francisco 49ers strike me as a team that could potentially use Parker. He may not fetch more than a 6th round pick, but again, that's better than nothing.
Mike Onwenu, OG
This one might catch me some hate. Mike Onwenu was a sixth round pick of the Patriots back in the 2020 NFL Draft and has played tackle and guard for the team. However, he is entering the last year of his rookie contract and is not going to be cheap to extend.
The Patriots also took a whopping three interior offensive linemen in the 2023 NFL Draft. Furthermore, David Andrews only has two years left on his contract and Cole Strange might be due an extension in the next couple of seasons.
Maybe the Patriots don't feel like they want to invest a ton of money in the offensive interior. They might want to reset their financial situation there, and they could do that by trading Onwenu, who I'd think could fetch a second round pick.