The Patriots spent the offseason trying to make sure their offense doesn’t flatten out when the games get biggest.
That urgency makes the idea of Jonathan Taylor worth watching. New England already added veterans A.J.
Brown, Romeo Doubs and Alijah Vera-Tucker, then used first- and third-round picks on Caleb Lomu and Eli Raridon to keep adding youth. But after a postseason in which the offense never really found its gear, the case for one more major swing is easy to understand.
The Patriots put up 16 points against the Chargers, then 21 against the Texans despite five turnovers from the defense. They managed 10 points against the Broncos in the AFC Championship Game, including a touchdown after a red-zone fumble recovery, and then only 13 against the Seahawks in the Super Bowl after going scoreless for the first three quarters. Over the postseason, the offense averaged just 12.5 points per game.
That’s why Taylor keeps coming up as a possible midseason target.
He might not be a pure need for New England’s backfield, but he would clearly raise the ceiling over both TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson. For a team that leans into the run the way Josh McDaniels does, that kind of upgrade carries obvious appeal.
Taylor still put together a big season in Indianapolis. He finished with nearly 1,600 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns while averaging 4.9 yards per carry. He also added 46 catches for 378 yards and two touchdowns in what was just his second fully healthy season.
The Colts, though, went in the opposite direction after a strong start. They opened 8-2, then lost seven straight after their bye week once Daniel Jones ruptured his Achilles. Taylor had gone over 100 rushing yards five times before the bye, but didn’t do it once afterward.
CBS’s Garrett Powell recently floated the possibility that Taylor could be available by the midseason point if Indianapolis can’t put together a strong first half. Jones is back under center, the team traded Michael Pittman, and it has put its faith in Alec Pierce with a massive new contract. That setup leaves plenty of room for problems.
A trade would not come cheap. Taylor is under contract through 2026, and if he were dealt in the middle of the season, the Patriots would only get him for as few as eight regular-season games unless they extended him. And that extension would be expensive.
Taylor has a chance to reset the running back market by topping Saquon Barkley’s deal, which is worth upwards of $20 million per year.
Powell’s view is that any team trading for Taylor would need to part with a top-100 pick. For New England, that likely means a third-rounder. That may not sound outrageous for a 27-year-old All-Pro, but once you factor in the next contract, it becomes a much bigger commitment, especially for a team that doesn’t have a desperate hole at running back.
There’s also the possibility of using Rhamondre Stevenson to help balance the money. If the Colts are moving Taylor, the season probably hasn’t gone according to plan, and Shane Steichen could be on the way out. In that scenario, Stevenson wouldn’t mean much to them as part of the return.
New England could also move Stevenson in a separate deal tied to a Taylor trade. The return likely wouldn’t be more than a sixth-round pick, but it would help clear salary, since trading Stevenson midseason would save nearly $6 million. It would also soften the blow of sending away a third-round pick.
Even with Henderson and Stevenson already on the roster, the Patriots should be thinking big if they want to keep surrounding Drake Maye with talent. If Indianapolis starts to slide, New England at least needs to be in the conversation about Taylor.
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Romeo Doubs Already Faces Pressure To Justify Patriots Gamble
Romeo Doubs arrives in New England with a spotlight that usually comes with a franchise centerpiece, not a second receiver. The Patriots made him their priciest offseason addition on a four-year, $68 million deal, and the expectation is clear: he is supposed to slot in behind A.J. Brown and give Drake Maye another reliable target in an offense that needs more punch.
For Doubs, the pressure starts immediately in training camp and only grows once the games count. His time with the Packers showed flashes of what he can do, but the Patriots are paying for something more certain than flashes, especially with Josh McDaniels helping shape the offense. The question now is whether New England sees the version of Doubs it invested in, or whether this becomes one of those expensive bets that needs a little longer to pay off. [Read more 🡒]
Two Young Patriots Are Suddenly At The Center Of 2026 Hope
TreVeyon Hendersons rookie year gave the Patriots a glimpse of what the offense could look like if one of its young playmakers keeps climbing. After a slow start, the running back finished with a late-season stretch that suggested real momentum, the kind that can change how a team thinks about its backfield heading into the next year. In a roster that already has established pieces, Henderson is suddenly one of the names that makes 2026 feel less like a reset and more like an opportunity.
Jared Wilson is in a similar spot, even if his path looks different. The Patriots believe his move inside can unlock more stability up front, and his finish to the season offered a reason to think the transition could stick. Wilson avoided sacks over the final month and turned in a pair of clean games, which matters for a line that needs dependable play as much as upside. If those two young players keep trending the right way, New Englands future starts to look a lot more interesting than the present might suggest. [Read more 🡒]