Keep Or Trade? 6 Players Who If They Stay or Leave Will Make The Patriots Dangerous
It’s no question to anybody if the stakes for the Patriots are high or not. Frankly, they are higher than they’ve ever been.
The ups and downs of players throughout seasons have either benefitted or hurt the Patriots in a big way. After having a top defense, they gave up 47 points to the Bills in the playoffs.
Today, the Bills still reign supreme in the division, and the Dolphins are right on our tail. In order for the patriots to succeed long-term, here are some players they must keep or trade for their future.
Keep: Trent Brown
Trent Brown was a great pickup for the Patriots last year, and he ended up paying off. With the addition of Cole Strange to the offensive line, it’s crucial to keep any big men on the offensive line.
Mac may need the extra protection so New England doesn’t risk injuring him, as last season he got sacked 28 times, which is high for a rookie.
Trent Brown had a decent year for the Patriots last season, showing his athleticism, strength, and agility on the field not allowing many players by him.
Especially with the new addition to the Bills, Von Miller, someone must rise to the occasion to try to stop that threat to Mac, which can be Trent Brown.
Trade: N’keal Harry
There have been a lot of backlashes since Nkeal Harry joined the team. Being the potential first-round answer for the wide receiver, now many want him on the trade block.
On top of being injury-prone, in his three seasons with the Patriots, he’s had 57 catches, 595 yards, and 4 touchdowns. Being a first-round pick, he was meant to be the future for their receiving core and yet ended up being a bust for the patriots.
What hurts the most is since he’s declining quickly, the Patriots can’t really trade him to a team and must either drop him or accept an unfair trade.
With the addition of Davante Parker, N’keal Harry isn’t really needed on the roster anymore, and putting him on the trade block could help the pats clear cap space and get key players. If they could find a willing trade partner id imagine they would have done it already.
Keep: Matthew Judon
Matthew Judon is a huge necessity to keep for many reasons. He’s a big asset to the patriots weakening defense.
For one, he’s one of the few defensive stars the patriots have left (him, McCourty, and Guy), so these three are important to keep around.
He also had the best numbers of his career last year, with 60 tackles and 12.5 sacks on the year. He could slowly improve as the years go by. Not to mention, he brings a quality not many players have: heart and ambition.
I’m sure many patriots fans noticed his tweets of him jokingly trying to recruit players to the patriots, such as Allen Robinson, Bobby Wagner, and Odell Beckham Jr. Although it may have been for fun, the effort he put in to try to get the Patriots’ help is thoughtful and really shows the fans he truly cares about this team.
Putting him on a trade block may not only affect our defense on the field but may affect the chemistry and heart of the team in general.
Trade: Devin Asiasi
Being a very mysterious player, Devin Asiasi was basically the Patriots’ last-minute replacement for when Gronk left for Tampa Bay.
Since then, the Patriots have had time to regroup and pick up bigger tight-end threats, such as Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry. Since then, Asiasi has had less of a role on the team as the years go by, playing nine games and getting 39 yards in that span, to not even playing at all.
He’s also someone who gets paid around one million a year, and letting him go will clear some cap space to extend more important players (such as McCourty).
Either way, it’s better to trade him to a team that needs a tight end such as Houston or New York, and get something we need in return, such as cornerbacks.
Keep: David Andrews
Another lineman who has come through is David Andrews. Responsible for the middle of the field where Mac can get sacked the most
Having him along with Trent Brown and Cole Strange will make the line for Mac a lot stronger (considering Joe Judge isn’t the best candidate for offensive lineman coaching).
David Andrews during the combine was recalled as someone who is athletic, has a lot of upper body strength, and rarely lets up sacks.
He is also a steal, only getting paid 4.75 million a year which clears a lot of cap space for other needs. He was also a very good replacement for Joe Thuney, who went to the chiefs.
Giving Mac all the time and protection in the pocket will lead to less chance of an injury and ensure more accurate passes from him.
Trade: Nelson Agholor
Nelson Agholor was considered a smart pickup at the time along with Kendrick Bourne to further help the wife receive core for the patriots after Edelman left.
However, his stats haven’t been as successful as intended, getting 37 receptions, 473 yards, and only three touchdowns
Agholor is also very injury prone, as he’s had a history of ankle sprains, knee sprains, concussions, and dislocated fingers. On top of that, Agholor gets paid 11 million a year, and risking him getting injured again is a waste of 11 million dollars for the team.
Considering all these things, Agholor should be on the trade block and maybe be replaced by someone more healthy, such as Jakobi Meyers or Ty Montgomery.
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Conclusion
The Patriots regardless of who they have will have to face a lot of challenges this year, especially within their division.
These players may or may not stay with the team, but some will impact the Patriots’ future better than others, and the Pats’ main concern for the future is to clear cap space.
Whatever happens this season, hopefully, the Patriots can utilize trades and the drafts to ensure a cheap and talented team that they’ve had for years.
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