1 – Bill Belichick and the Patriots chose to stand pat at the NFL’s trading deadline this week.
Though there were reports that New England might move fourth-year pass rusher Josh Uche or one of its other talented players set to hit free agency this coming spring – guys like safety Kyle Dugger, offensive lineman Mike Onwenu and veteran tight ends Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki – no deals came to fruition in Foxborough.
So now all those guys will play out the final nine games of the season for a 2-6 floundering football team. Of course over the coming months the Patriots could still obviously sign contract extensions with those players to keep them as part of the core of wherever the franchise is going to look like in the coming seasons.
In fact, the Kraft Family and whoever will be making personnel decisions in New England come winter may get a chance to learn much more about the impending free agents over the final two months of 2023.
Sure there is already a track record for the players in question.
Dugger is a versatile, physical option with upside at safety. Onwenu can play both guard and tackle at a high level with power. Uche showed the ability last season, at least, to be a secondary pass rusher with impact potential. Henry is a reliable if unspectacular option and red zone contributor.
But the Patriots may learn even more about the players’ in question in terms of professionalism and leadership moving forward. As team captain Matthew Slater noted this past week, these Patriots are in “unchartered waters” given their record and on-field struggles. The All-Pro declared that guys will have to fight “human nature” to continue to put their best effort and performances on the field.
Guys that do that might be worth greater consideration for a contract extension and earn themselves a better offer from New England as it charts its organizational course moving forward and tries to figure out who some of the mid-career guys are it wants to retain and build around for 2024 and beyond.
2 – Speaking of guys set to hit free agency in New England this coming spring, the torn ACL suffered by wide receiver Kendrick Bourne is obviously a blow to his value on the open market. The veteran receiver was having a bounce back season leading the Patriots in receptions, yards and a touchdowns when he was lost for the year. Coming off a torn ACL at the age of 29 heading into next season, Bourne’s value is down. It would probably make plenty of sense for both sides if the Patriots might be able to work out an extension with the guy who brings unique energy to the team and has proven in two of his three seasons in New England to be the team’s most capable, consistent playmaker. Bourne is liked and respected by his teammates, and a contract extension for him would probably send a good message to a locker room and roster that seemingly could benefit from keeping as many capable culture-setting options as possible.
3 – With Bourne on IR and DeVante Parker ruled out for Week 9 due to a concussion, there is certainly the possibility that New England will turn to its young wide receivers for increased contributions on Sunday against Washington. Given JuJu Smith-Schuster’s dismal start to his career in New England, it’s not crazy to consider sixth-round rookie Demario Douglas the Patriots’ No. 1 option against the Commanders. Coming off what Belichick called his best week of practice, fellow sixth-round rookie Kayshon Boutte also indicated that he’ll have a bigger role, at least seeing the field for the first time since he played 55 snaps in Week 1. And then there is Tyquan Thornton, the second-year former second-round pick who was a healthy scratch as recently as last Sunday’s loss in Miami as the disappointing start to his professional career carries on into his sophomore season. Thornton was actually added to the injury report late this week with a Friday foot injury. Still, one or some combination of the young receivers is going to have to step up both in terms of playing time and potential contributions if Mac Jones is going to have a competitive passing game Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium.
4 – Jahlani Tavai may not be a sexy story in New England, but the veteran linebacker is one of the bright spots on a season that’s been a bit dark. Arriving with the Patriots practice squad in 2021, the former second-round pick has ascended to not only starter status but a role as a leader both on and off the field. Tavai is now a regular as a team spokesman holding a press conference each work week, ranks fourth on the team with 47 tackles and is one of just three Patriots (Kyle Dugger and Christian Gonzalez) with both a sack and an interception on the season. As New England looks for leaders to step up down the stretch this difficult season, Tavai is one of those guys on defense. Asked this past week how he’ll stay motivated and on his game he said simply that he and his teammates are professionals and it’s literally their job do to just that. Tavai may not be a household name, but he’s become a trusted key core contributor and leader for the Patriots.
5 – Just when it seemed the New England offensive line was finally finding its footing by starting the same group for consecutive weeks against the Bills and Dolphins, the unit faces questions yet again in its battle with the Commanders. Left tackle Trent Brown missed practice on both Wednesday and Thursday due to knee and ankle injuries before returning on a limited basis on Friday. He’s officially questionable to play against Washington. When Brown was out in Week 2, he was replaced by Vederian Lowe, who remains an option although he missed practice time this week to an ankle issue.
Conor McDermott is also certainly an option to step in. Either way, it’s another week where the offensive line will have to prove itself against a still-talented Washington front even after its trade deadline departures.
6 – The rumor and speculation that Pro Football Talk brought to Patriot Nation this week is certainly a juicy one. The idea of New England trading Bill Belichick to the Commanders makes some circumstantial sense for all parties involved, which is usually key to any rumor being believable. In a world like the NFL, rumors fly everywhere at all times. And most of them are just that, rumors that will never come to fruition and really aren’t based in credible facts. But they can be fun to talk about on social media, sports radio and in the gossip corners of the internet. And the fact that such a rumor was put forth by Pro Football Talk – which has run with lots of information that’s been proven false and unfounded over the years – the week that the Patriots and Commanders play in Foxborough is also certainly convenient. Heck, we should probably thank PFT for adding a layer of intrigue to a pretty lackluster game between two pretty lackluster football teams.
7 – Prediction Time!: Washington traded away two of its best defensive players, sending 11 sacks packing in dealing away Chase Young and Montez Sweat. That can be tough to recover from for a locker room and organization, given the signals that such moves send. Meanwhile New England is scuffling along. Whichever team tries harder and is more invested in the day’s effort might just have the leg up on the way to potential victory. The Patriots get a break not having to block Young and Sweat. New England’s own banged up pass rush should be able to find success again Washington’s bad offensive line that’s allowed 41 sacks. Sam Howell is a gunslinger who gets the ball in the end zone, including pushing the Eagles into a shootout last week. And certainly Mac Jones faces a challenge piecing together his young receivers to pull together the New England passing attack. This is a mediocre game pitting two mediocre teams off against each other, and that might be a kind description. It’s cliché, but whichever team does a better job avoiding turnovers on offense, protecting its QB and creating turnovers on defense is quite likely to win. It’s up for grabs. We’ll give the home squad the benefit of the doubt and go with a 20-17 win for the Patriots on a late field goal for rookie kicker Chad Ryland.
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