New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson (38) celebrates his touchdown against the Tennessee Titans with wide receiver Kendrick Bourne (84) during the third quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024.
The Patriots were natural sellers before the 2024 trade deadline. Then reports suggested they could be buyers if the right receiving or blocking help emerged. In the end, they moved Josh Uche early in the deadline process and… that’s it.
New England didn’t deal away an annoyed K.J. Osborn. It didn’t reunite Kendrick Bourne with the San Francisco 49ers. Davon Godchaux, a space-eating defensive tackle who could have helped a contender through the playoffs, will instead play out a string of increasingly meaningless games in Foxborough.
On one hand, the Pats are building around rookie quarterback Drake Maye, who deserves something approaching a pro-caliber roster. On the other, losing games will only help a team that would benefit greatly from auctioning off the top pick of the 2025 NFL Draft. New England needs a widespread infusion of talent. Piling up draft assets would have been a great way to do that.
Instead, New England mostly stood pat. That’s fine. It’s boring, but fine. As long as they don’t break Drake Maye, this will all work out.