Patriots vs. Titans inactive: Pats shake hands before NFL trade deadline

Two days before the NFL trade deadline, the New England Patriots appear to have reached out. Wide receivers KJ Osborn and Tyquan Thornton, both of whom are considered trade candidates, have been listed as healthy scratches for the team's Week 9 contest against the Tennessee Titans.

Both Osborn and Thornton have slipped down the depth chart as the season has progressed. Both started the year as entry-level options at the Z and

Based on their score on Sunday, that could very well be the case. After all, just last week New England gave outside linebacker Joshua Uche a decent lead against the New York Jets. A day later he was sent to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Time will tell whether Osborn and Thornton will follow him on the way out of town or not. Even if they aren't moved before Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET deadline, their longer-term future with the organization appears to be in question.

The rest of the Patriots' inactive roster looks like this:

Patriots inactive

• S Kyle Dugger
• DT Eric Johnson
• QB Joe Milton III (emergency QB)
• WR KJ Osborn
• WR Tyquan Thornton

After quarterback Drake Maye was taken off the injury report on Saturday, the Patriots had seven players left who were considered questionable heading into their game against the Titans. One of them was not cleared to play: Kyle Dugger, who himself was mentioned as a trade candidate, will miss a second straight game with an ankle injury.

He joins four healthy scratches on the inactive list, including KJ Osborn and Tyquan Thornton. The other two players in this category are third street QB Joe Milton and backup defensive tackle Eric Johnson.

It also means five players will start the game despite being listed as questionable at the start of the weekend. Offensive linemen Vederian Lowe (ankle, shoulder) and Michael Jordan (ankle), defensive tackle Jaquelin Roy (neck) and linebackers Christian Elliss (abdomen) and Sione Takitaki (knee) received the green light in time.

The seventh and final player left out is cornerback Alex Austin (ankle). While he was back in practice this week to start the clock to return from injured reserve, he was not added to the 53-man roster in time (which is why he is not on the inactive list).

Meanwhile, wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk will return. The second-round rookie missed last week's game against the Jets with a concussion.

Titans inactive

• CB Tre Avery
• LB Cedric Gary
• QB Will Levis
• TE David Martin Robinson
• OL Dillon Radunz
• CB L'Jarius Sneed
• RB Tyjae Spears

The biggest names on Tennessee's inactive list are quarterback Will Levis (right shoulder) and cornerback L'Jarius Sneed (quad). The former was ruled out Sunday, meaning Mason Rudolph will start at quarterback again; Sneed, on the other hand, was already scratched on Friday.

Kickoff between the Patriots and Titans at Nissan Stadium in Nashville is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET. According to the latest odds from FanDuel, New England enters the game as a 3-point underdog.