After their latest loss, the New England Patriots are now 1-4 and it doesn't appear as though things will improve in a hurry. Head coach Bill Belichick sounded frustrated (more than usual even) in his latest press conference as he stated they needed to "start over."
He seemed to be referring to this season but in all honesty, this franchise should probably start to think about setting themselves up for 2024. In order to do this, they'll need to start trading veteran players to stockpile draft picks for a rebuild.
Here we look at five players who they could look to move ahead of the Oct. 31 NFL trade deadline.
5. Myles Bryant, Cornerback
New England has been really good about adding cornerbacks in undrafted free agency and turning them into competent defenders. They also rarely re-sign them when they hit the open market. Look at J.C. Jackson as an example.
He wound up signing a massive contract with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2022 as the Pats had no intention of locking him up long-term. They did, however, bring him back to replace the injured Christian Gonzalez after the Chargers were ready to move on.
Myles Bryant is another undrafted corner who ended up making it with the Pats. He's not on the same level Jackson was during his first stint with the franchise but he's been a solid nickel corner who can play on the outside as well — but really shines when supporting the run.
Bryant is set to hit the open market in 2024 and rather than simply let him walk, Belichick could attempt to get something now and help them load up during the next draft.
4. Deatrich Wise Jr., Defensive End
Even before the season kicked off, Matt Holder of Bleacher Report thought the Patriots could be ready to move on from Deatrich Wise, Jr. Holder discussed Bill Belichick's tendency to replace veterans before they start to decline and then replace them with a younger player he's been grooming.
That could be what the plan was after taking Keion White in the second round, who could take over for Wise.
"Throughout his tenure with the New England Patriots, Bill Belichick has been known for getting rid of veteran players who have spent several years with the team and has typically ended up on the right side of those decisions. One has to wonder if that's what was running through his mind when he spent a second-round pick on Keion White last April." — Holder, Bleacher Report
Wise has been in New England for seven years and has never been a superstar yet is always doing his job. He has 251 career tackles with 25.5 sacks, notching a personal best in 2022 when he had 7.5.
He's also 29 years old, which is when the Patriots typically consider moving on from their veterans. And with in-house options ready to take over, this could be a player that lands them an extra pick in 2024.
3. Kendrick Bourne, Wide Receiver
An Eastern Washington product, Kendrick Bourne started out as an undrafted free agent with the San Francisco 49ers and became a trusted option in their aerial attack. He put up his best season with the Niners in 2020 when he hauled in 49 receptions for 667 yards with two touchdowns.
He then hit free agency and the Patriots brought him in on a three-year deal worth $15 million. He made an immediate impact with 800 yards and five touchdowns on 55 receptions, proving to be well worth the $5 million per year average.
Since then, he hasn't been targeted as much. He had just 35 receptions for 434 yards in 2022 and so far in the first five games of 2023, he has just 18 receptions for 218 yards — although he has scored two touchdowns. Those two scores came in Week 1 when he had six receptions for 64 yards and appeared ready for a big campaign.
His decline over the past few weeks isn't solely on him though. The truth is, Mac Jones has been struggling under center and while this offense isn't exactly frightening, he hasn't been able to get it done. That means Bourne could still have value — especially to a team that might have recently suffered an injury at wide receiver.
2. Hunter Henry, Tight End
Kendrick Bourne wasn't the only player New England targeted in 2021 to help their passing attack. They also went after two big-name tight ends, signing Jonnu Smith to a four-year deal worth $50 million while also signing Hunter Henry to a three-year, $37.5 million deal that same offseason.
Bourne and Henry are still under contract but Smith was traded to the Atlanta Falcons ahead of this season for a late-round pick.
Smith never turned out to be the threat New England hoped he would as he had just 28 receptions in 2021 and 27 in 2022. Through the first five games in Atlanta, he's been vastly improved with 21 receptions already.
Henry has been much better in New England than Smith with 603 yards in 2021 and 509 in 2022. That could make him very enticing as a trade piece considering the improvement Smith showed when leaving — perhaps another franchise could see Henry as being capable of even more than he's done.
The former L.A. Charger is another player set to hit the open market in 2024 — as will fellow tight end Mike Gesicki. Henry might not be in the plans given his age (he will be 29 in December) making him another ideal player to flip for draft capital.
1. Josh Uche, EDGE
This final player might be a tough one for the Patriots. Former second-round pick Josh Uche is just 25 years old and had 11.5 sacks in 2022 despite not being a regular starter. He's in the final year of his rookie contract and while he hasn't been consistently productive, he's shown he can get after the quarterback.
As most NFL fans know, this often leads to teams overpaying. Take Randy Gregory for example.
A former second-round pick out of Nebraska, Gregory was suspended for two full seasons (2017 and 2019) as well as parts of several more in Dallas. He finally started to see the field later in his tenure and in 2021, he had 19 tackles and six sacks.
That was enough for the Denver Broncos to pay him $70 million over five seasons. Oddly enough, the Cowboys wanted to sign him to the same deal but reportedly messed up the negotiations — which turned out to be a blessing for them. Gregory was a bust in Denver and has since been sent to San Francisco where he will try and get his career back on track.
Having said all that, there's no way the Patriots are getting into a bidding war for a player with one year of great production. So instead of allowing it to come to that, they might want to see if some team is desperate enough for pass rush help that they give up a decent pick — or maybe more — for Uche.
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