3 Patriots who should be traded next after Josh Uche and where they should land

You have to give the New England Patriots credit. Days after their football coach called them soft and seemingly lost the locker room in the process, the Patriots played probably their best game of the season, taking down the New York Jets. It was, in a way, turning the page on a tumultuous start to the Jerod Mayo era. After all, Mayo was hand-picked as Bill Belichick’s successor by Robert Kraft; the team valued him for a reason, and it's still awfully early in his tenure as a head coach.

But no amount of feel-good wins are going to take away from what needs to be done in New England. And trading pass rusher Josh Uche away was just the beginning of the rebuilding process for the Patriots. You can’t rush turning a program around, and one win shouldn’t change that. 

The Patriots’ focus this season should be finding draft capital and/or young players that can be building pieces for the future. They need Drake Maye to get healthy so they can continue to use this season to build the foundation for what he and Mayo’s future in New England could be. They also need to start selling, and there are some players the Patriots could flip that could elicit a good return. 

3 Patriots who should be traded next after Josh Uche and where they should land

3. CB Jonathan Jones

Jones isn’t having a great season with New England in 2024. He’s allowed 17 completions on 24 targets when he’s in coverage, a 70 percent completion rate, and has allowed 236 yards. He also doesn’t have an interception yet this year.

His value is likely to relatively low around the league, but veteran corners with that sort of experience and track record are still worth something on the trade market. The Patriots could get a middle- to late-round draft pick for him and let him go to a team that could use an upgrade or more depth in the secondary. 

Right now, the Baltimore Ravens and Minnesota Vikings are the first teams that come to mind. They’ve been hit with injuries to their secondary and could use Jones, who has otherwise had a decent NFL career. Another team that wouldn’t be bad is the Dallas Cowboys, though asking them to make a mid-season trade is apparently expecting too much from Jerry Jones. 

The Patriots have a good young corner in Christian Gonzalez; they could get away with letting Jones walk and finding a decent second corner in free agency, an offseason trade or via the draft. 

Where Jones could land: Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Minnesota Vikings

2. EDGE Deatrich Wise, Jr. 

Deatrich Wise Jr. hasn’t been nearly as destructive as he’s been in the past, but he could add a lot of value to a team in a trade. He’s a good pass rusher that isn’t necessarily a franchise cornerstone, but a great depth piece to have. He’s currently got two sacks and 17 tackles on the season. 

Wise Jr. is another veteran that deserves to be on a contending team, not one on the precipie of a rebuild. With Uche departing the Patriots, one more potential name came off the board for teams looking for pass-rush help, and options are dwindling as the deadline looms. That could make Wise the perfect trade target.

He had his best season two years ago when he finished the year with 59 tackles, 7.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. With pass rushers becoming popular trade targets, Wise could very well end up on a new team before Tuesday as well. 

Where Wise could land: Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions

1. WR K.J. Osborn

Osborn hasn’t quite looked like he did in his first three seasons in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings. He has just seven catches for 57 yards and a touchdown in six games, and there's no way to spin that stat line. (Especially on a struggling team like the Patriots.) But Osborn's heyday wasn't all that long ago, and I believe he can still be a productive wide receiver in the NFL. 

The market is still hot for wide receivers that could make an impact, so the Patriots should find a suitor for him because he’s simply wasting their money remaining on the roster. The Tampa Bay Bucs could use Osborn, as well as Dallas and potentially even the Cleveland Browns. 

I like him in Cleveland because there’s not a clear No. 1 option. Cedric Tillman had a breakout game in the Browns’ win over Baltimore last week and Jerry Jeudy has finally looked like the player the Browns hoped for when they traded for him. With Osborn, the Browns might be a bit overloaded at wideout, but it could help a struggling offense and give Jameis Winston one more player to go to. The Browns should be looking to move some of their current players, not looking to add any, but Osborn could add a fun dynamic to a team looking to make some more noise like this past Sunday. 

Where could Osborn land: Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers