3 Immediate Trades the Patriots Must Make to Make a Playoff Push
By Tyler Maher
At home against the heavily favored Buffalo Bills in Week 7, the New England Patriots had a choice. They could either roll over and fall to 1-6, or they could stand and fight to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
They chose the latter, pulling out a shocking 29-25 victory on a last-minute touchdown pass by the beleaguered Mac Jones. New England's outlook for the rest of the season suddenly looks considerably better, and with over a week left until the Oct. 31 trade deadline, there's still time to get help.
The Patriots need reinforcements ASAP, though, especially with another tough divisional game coming up this weekend against the Miami Dolphins. Here are three trades they should make immediately if they want to boost their playoff chances.
1. Trade for a No. 1 Receiver
For the love of God, can we please get Jones a No. 1 receiver now?
Jones has never had one, or anything close to one. That didn't stop him from making the Pro Bowl and leading this team to the playoffs as a rookie in 2021, but it has obviously hindered him since. It's been most glaring at the end of games when he simply has no one who can step up and make a big play, like when Devante Parker dropped his perfectly thrown pass late in Week 6 against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Bill Belichick hasn't drafted, signed or traded for a top wideout in a long time, going back to the Tom Brady years. That's simply unacceptable in the modern NFL, and it needs to change right now.
Belichick blew the chance to sign DeAndre Hopkins in the offseason, and JuJu Smith-Schuster has been an absolute disaster. There's still time to rectify those mistakes, but it's quickly running out.
Someone like Davante Adams, D.J. Moore, Adam Thielen, Tee Higgins, Marquise Brown or even Hopkins might be available. Belichick would have to give up some draft capital to get it done, but at this point he's better off trading picks for proven players rather than actually using them himself based on his recent poor draft record.