The Patriots have already spent plenty of time on the trade market this offseason, and the moves haven’t exactly all pointed in the same direction. New England sent Garrett Bradbury to Chicago for a fifth-round pick after Drew Dalman suddenly retired, then worked with the Texans on a Day 3 pick swap to land the rights to Marte Mapu.
The biggest swing, though, was the addition of A.J. Brown for a first-round pick.
Even with that activity, there’s no reason for the Patriots to stop looking for value. They still have six Day 3 selections in 2027, and if Eliot Wolf and company spot the right opportunity, those picks could become useful currency.
One name that could make sense is Dillon Gabriel. On paper, it’s a strange fit.
In practice, the Browns’ quarterback room has turned into a numbers game after they spent the 2025 offseason loading up on passers, taking Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders in the third and fifth rounds while also trading for Kenny Pickett and signing Joe Flacco. A year later, Pickett and Flacco are gone, Gabriel got a look last season, and after a concussion knocked him out of their November game against the Ravens, Sanders took over.
Deshaun Watson is set to be ready for 2026, and Cleveland also added Arkansas athletic freak Taylen Green to the quarterback room. With the friction between Sanders and Gabriel, Gabriel looks like the odd man out.
He was the 94th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and a modest price tag could make him a worthwhile gamble after a rookie year that didn’t go the way anyone hoped. Gabriel finished with 7 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, both against the Patriots, and Cleveland went 1-5 with him starting.
New England already re-signed Tommy DeVito to a two-year deal and drafted Behren Morton of Texas Tech in the seventh round, but if DeVito fades or Morton’s college injury history follows him, a seventh-round offer to Cleveland later in the offseason could be on the table. If the Patriots want to keep digging, they could also check in with Tennessee and Pittsburgh on Will Levis and Will Howard.
Kaleb Johnson is another player who could be worth a call. The Steelers had plenty of optimism around him when they drafted him in the third round out of Iowa in 2025, and that wasn’t hard to understand after his college production: 1,500-plus rushing yards, 21 touchdowns, and 6.4 yards per carry, plus 188 receiving yards and two more scores.
But his rookie season was rough from the jump. He opened with one carry for minus-2 yards, then in Week 2 he failed to catch a kickoff that turned into a Seahawks touchdown in a bizarre lapse.
He only had five or more carries three times all year, and those games produced just 52 rushing yards. For the season, he finished with 28 carries for 69 yards, a 2.5-yard average, and one catch.
With Mike McCarthy now in charge and no obvious loyalty to Johnson, the Steelers have him behind Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle, and they also added Navy slot back Eli Heidenreich in the seventh round. Johnson would cost more than Gabriel, but a conditional Day 3 pick would not be out of line if Pittsburgh is willing to move him.
The Patriots have tried reclamation projects with Josh McDaniels as offensive coordinator before, and this would fit that mold.
Then there’s Karl Brooks, a player New England doesn’t necessarily need but should still have on the radar. The Packers’ sixth-round pick from Bowling Green in 2023 has carved out a real role, logging nearly 1,600 snaps over the last three seasons and producing a 16.6% pressure rate along with 9 sacks.
Green Bay, though, has a long list of players to pay. Micah Parsons got extended last offseason, Devonte Wyatt received a deal worth nearly $20 million per year, and Isaiah McDuffie signed a one-year extension worth $8.8 million.
Jayden Reed and Christian Watson were also extended for a combined value of around $170 million, and Tucker Kraft still needs a new deal. The Packers also brought in veteran Javon Hargrave after re-signing Wyatt, which leaves their interior line in good shape and could make Brooks expendable for a late-round pick.
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Mike Vrabel confirmed Hopkins is around in that capacity, a notable wrinkle for a player who has spent so long on the field and now appears to be looking toward the sideline. Hopkins has not made anything official about his future, but the expectation is that his playing days are winding down, which makes this camp appearance feel less like a cameo and more like the beginning of a career transition. [Read more 🡒]
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Cam Newton Just Took Another Unnecessary Shot At The Patriots
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The comment fits a familiar pattern for Newton, who has already drawn heat from Patriots fans for publicly questioning Drake Maye. Even with New England trying to move forward at quarterback, Newton keeps pulling the conversation back to his own exit, which makes every new aside feel less like reflection and more like another shot across the bow. [Read more 🡒]