Patriots keep Christian Barmore and core roster intact
Boston passed on trades ahead of the deadline while rivals Buffalo and Kansas City made moves, leaving the 5-4 Pats to rely on returning injured players.
By Kevin Iyer ·
The New England Patriots did not execute a single trade before the NFL deadline Tuesday. The team kept its current roster despite shopping veteran defensive tackle Christian Barmore and expressing interest in outside linebackers, according to a league source.
Front office officials decided to retain their banged-up group, which has struggled against playoff-caliber opponents. This inaction stands in contrast to rival American Football Conference contenders. The Kansas City Chiefs signed former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs, who is on an expiring contract. The Buffalo Bills added former Tennessee Titans safety Amani Hooker to their secondary.
New England faces both of those teams next month. The Patriots play their final game before a Week 11 bye this weekend. They travel to Munich to face the Detroit Lions in an international kickoff. Quarterback Drake Maye will be without several key offensive weapons for that contest.
Running back Rhamondre Stevenson and wide receiver Romeo Doubs are out. Wide receiver A.J. Brown and running back TreVeyon Henderson are also questionable after missing the last two games. The Patriots are down several offensive linemen as well. The coaching staff is counting on these players to return to health for the second half of the season.
The team sits at 5-4 in a tight playoff race. Their division title chances have dimmed since Buffalo improved to 7-1 last Monday. The Patriots travel to play the winless Los Angeles Chargers on Nov. 29. They then return home for a rematch with Buffalo.
Reports indicate Brown, Doubs, and Stevenson should be healthy by the time of the Buffalo game. The defense faces a major test as well. Green Bay Packers scored 45 points on head coach Mike Vrabel’s unit recently. That is the most points the Patriots have allowed in nearly five years. Despite this defensive lapse, Vrabel and executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf chose to stand pat.
The front office previously sought to add an edge pass rusher. They ultimately kept their current personnel. The team will now see if its available players can perform well enough to keep their Super Bowl hopes alive.
