Patriots 'open for business' as NFL trade deadline approaches – NBC Sports Boston

The New England Patriots are a rebuilding team with a record of 2-6, so assuming the right deals come together, it would make sense for them to be considered sellers before the NFL trade deadline on November 5th.

If contending teams are willing to offer draft picks in exchange for experienced players, the Patriots should seriously consider those options.

With the trade deadline less than two weeks away, what's new on the Patriots' status?

“They're open for business and listen to everything,” Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer said Sunday on NBC Sports Boston Patriots Pregame Liveas seen in the video player above.

“I think the ones you want to look at are players who may be on a second contract and are already further along in their careers and it's a little hard to see that two or three years later these guys are important pieces of the puzzle will be when the program is there.” You would hope it would be like that.

Which positions do teams want to strengthen for the second half of the regular season and the playoffs?

“I think the two markets that have been really hot so far as far as the behind-the-scenes discussions between teams are wide receiver and edge rusher,” Breer said.

“Those are two areas where the Patriots actually have a surplus in — I'm not saying they have great players at those positions — but they have a surplus at those positions so they can release a guy and not become dysfunctional at those positions .” stains.

“So you see that Josh Uche – where there is already Keion White and Deatrich Wise Jr. – is a name that could attract interest. Again, I think the edge rusher market is going to heat up.”

“We’ve already seen some wide receiver changes – DeAndre Hopkins, Amari Cooper. I expect you will also see some action at wide receiver over the next nine days. The same applies to a move from Kendrick Bourne or KJ Osborn.” ? I think those would be the two points you would want to focus on.

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The Patriots have a number of young wide receivers – including rookies Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, as well as Tyquan Thornton, Kayshon Boutte and DeMario Douglas – who need snaps to develop. So if another team makes a good offer for a veteran like Bourne and/or Osborn, that would be a smart move for the Patriots.

Uche did not play on Sunday as the Patriots defeated the New York Jets 25-22 in their Week 8 game at Gillette Stadium. FOX Sports' Jordan Schultz reported before the game that Uche was not injured and that he “has been a focal point in trade discussions around the NFL and his contract is very attractive to competing teams.” Uche is a good player, but the Patriots have decent depth at edge rusher.

Making a bad team worse by trading veterans isn't the most ideal situation, but the Patriots need to be aware of the future. If they can add to their collection of draft picks before the trade deadline, that would be a positive outcome for the franchise.