The New England Patriots have reached the point in the season where the trade deadline chatter starts circling, but Mike Vrabel doesn’t sound like a coach eager to make noise just for the sake of it.
That matters, because this is a team with obvious questions. The Patriots are trying to chase down the Buffalo Bills and reclaim the top spot in the AFC East after a slow start, and they’ve already made two major offseason swings by bringing in A.J.
Brown from the Philadelphia Eagles and Romeo Doubs from the Green Bay Packers. Neither move has delivered the kind of payoff New England wanted.
Brown has been dealing with multiple nagging injuries and has appeared in only three games this season, a frustrating outcome for a player expected to be one of the team’s headline weapons. Doubs, meanwhile, opened the year with a rough showing against the Seattle Seahawks and has been mostly average since then, posting 14 catches for 261 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Still, that doesn’t automatically mean the Patriots are about to go shopping for another receiver before the Nov. 10 trade deadline. In fact, the more likely outcome appears to be the opposite: New England could be on the selling side.
The name that keeps coming up is defensive end Christian Barmore. He has played in seven games, but his impact in defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr’s scheme has been limited.
Barmore has 7 tackles, 3.5 sacks and 1 forced fumble, numbers that fall short of what the Patriots expected from him. According to the Boston Globe, the team is reportedly looking for a fourth-round pick in return.
Vrabel, though, pushed back on the idea that moving Barmore - or anyone else - is some kind of deadline priority.
“I have not shared that information with anybody,” Vrabel said. “This time of year, I think that all these things kind of get drummed up.
So, we’re focused on trying to prepare for Green Bay and make the corrections from the game. This is business as normal here, so I don’t know where a lot of these things come from.
Certainly not from any conversations with me.”
Barmore isn’t the only player whose name has surfaced. Cornerback Carlton Davis could also be in play. The veteran is in his ninth NFL season and his second with New England, but injuries have limited him to four games this year, and he’s listed as questionable this week with a neck injury.
The production tells the story. Davis has started double-digit games in every season of his career, including a career-high 17 last year, when he finished with 10 passes defensed.
This season, he has only four starts and just 1 pass defensed. That’s a sharp drop for a former second-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and he may not be the cleanest fit in New England’s secondary.
At the same time, backup cornerback Charles Woods has given the Patriots more than enough reason to feel comfortable leaning on him. Woods has 32 tackles, 4 passes defensed and 1 tackle for loss, and he has held up well in the defense.
Last year, New England stood pat at the deadline, and plenty of observers expect a similar approach this time around. But injuries have created real needs at offensive guard, edge rusher and cornerback, so the front office at least has options to consider.
Vrabel may not be discussing those possibilities publicly, but he is clearly talking with Eliot Wolf, the team’s vice president of player personnel.
One possible answer on the interior line could come from the New Orleans Saints in Cesar Ruiz. The 27-year-old is in his seventh season and in the prime of his career.
At 6-4 and 317 pounds, Ruiz brings solid pass protection, something that could matter plenty for Drake Maye. Durability also works in his favor; he has played through multiple injuries, which could appeal to both Vrabel and Wolf.
If the Patriots decide the edge rush spot needs attention, another familiar name is available in Washington. K’Lavon Chaisson signed with the Commanders in the offseason after spending the 2026 season with New England, and he has started 7 games this year. His line with Washington includes 3.5 sacks, 19 tackles and 2 forced fumbles.
Chaisson also played a major role in the Patriots’ Super Bowl run last year, when he produced 31 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 2 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles and 1 fumble recovery. The former first-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020 out of LSU has shown he can contribute in multiple ways, and he would give the Patriots a steady option if they choose to bring him back.
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