The Nov. 4 NFL trade deadline is right around the corner. For the 6-2 New England Patriots, it provides an opportunity to bolster the roster after recently shipping out Keion White and Kyle Dugger.
New England has 10 picks in the 2026 NFL draft at their disposal to work with, which includes an additional fourth-round selection and four picks in the sixth round.
As for potential targets, here are six players who could be on the radar.
With Rhamondre Stevenson (toe) sidelined from practice this week, the Patriots are left just with rookie TreVeyon Henderson and Terrell Jennings, who was signed from the practice squad Wednesday, on the active roster. If they are in search of an additional body to add to the rotation, Ford could be on his way out of Cleveland after the Browns selected both Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson in the draft. Mike Vrabel also has experience with Ford after spending last year in Cleveland, while the 26-year old also has kick return experience.
Houston’s Dameon Pierce also comes in a similar mold as Ford.
If Stevenson is sidelined for a longer period of time, New England could opt for a more experienced back to handle the majority of carries. Pollard fits those qualifiers as he has three 1,000-yard season to his name from 2022-24. His 3.9 yards per carry this season on a bad Tennessee team is a career-low, but the 28-year old could find better success situated in New England.
New York’s Breece Hall would be the other high-profiled back available, but an in-division trade seems unlikely.
ED Jaelan Phillips, Dolphins
The Patriots biggest area of need could be along the edge, as limited depth has forced Harold Landry and K’Lavon Chaisson into large workloads. A former first-round pick in 2021, Phillips has been limited to just 12 games over the last two games due to injuries and will be a free agent after the season. But plenty of talent remains, as Phillips has tallied 30 pressures appearing in all nine games for the Dolphins this season.
New York’s Jermaine Johnson finds himself in a similar situation as Phillips, but both being in-division again complicates the matter.
Perhaps a more reasonable addition along the edge, Key overlapped with Mike Vrabel and his Titans staff in Tennessee in 2023, where he played 63 percent of their defensive snaps and recorded 6.0 sacks. After finishing with 6.5 sacks last year, the veteran has managed just 1.5 sacks in five games this season as the Titans struggles are leading to a sell-off.
LB Mack Wilson Sr, Cardinals
The one player New England seemed to not re-sign during the 2024 offseason has settled in nicely to the Cardinals defense. This season, he has ranked as one of the top linebackers in football in preventing separation in pass coverage — which could help a Patriots defense that has struggled guarding tight ends and running backs. The 27-year old Wilson is under contract for one more season as the two-win Cardinals find themselves buried in the NFC West.
S Jalen Thompson, Cardinals
Sticking in Arizona, Thompson could bring more coverage ability to the Patriots secondary to play off of Craig Woodson and Jaylinn Hawkins. The 27-year old, who has played 100 perceent of the Cardinals’ defensive snaps this season, will be a free agent after the season while Arizona drafted a safety in last year’s draft.
If New England was looking for pure-depth options behind Woodson and Hawkins to replace Dugger, Jason Pinnock (49ers) and Xavier Woods (Titans), who is now dealing with a hamstring injury, could be options.
