With Week 9 of the NFL season underway, these games will be the last ones before the trade deadline takes place on Tuesday, November 4.
It's always interesting to see if players are held out of games to keep them healthy so they can be moved, as we saw with Keion White in Week 8. Players also get one last chance to prove that they can make an impact on the team.
For the New England Patriots, the team has been busy already, making two trades this past week. New England moved on from both White and Kyle Dugger, receiving one sixth-round pick for each of them.
A position that the Patriots have been linked to over the last couple of weeks is running back. One member of the roster could change the team's mind with a strong Week 9 performance, though.
Terrell Jennings Could Affect Patriots' Plans Ahead of Trade Deadline
Since Antonio Gibson suffered a season-ending ACL tear in Week 5, Terrell Jennings has been elevated for each game, serving as the team's third back. The second year back has seen limited carries, with only seven attempts on the year, but has been successful with 33 rushing yards.
Entering Week 9, Jennings has a chance to see more snaps with starting back Rhamondre Stevenson out with a toe injury. Stevenson has played 62% of offensive snaps, while averaging 10.4 carries per game.
With Stevenson sidelined, Jennings will take on a bigger role, alongside rookie TreVeyon Henderson. Henderson, the former Ohio State standout, is looking to build off his performance from Week 8, where he had 75 yards on 10 carries against the Cleveland Browns.
Should Jennings have a big game in Week 9, he could make the team reconsider acquiring another running back. But if we see Jennings struggle, the Patriots may become more active in their search for an additional running back.
The Patriots might not go after the top name on the trade market at running back (Breece Hall), but they might be tempted to entertain a trade for Tony Pollard, who continues to be linked to New England due to his ties to Mike Vrabel.
Fortunately for Jennings, the Patriots will host the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. So far this season, the Falcons rank 22nd against the run, having allowed 126.4 yards rushing per game. If there's any game for the Patriots RBs to take advantage of and quell the trade chatter, it's this one.