Patriots Make No Moves At The Nfl Trade Deadline

A total of six trades took place on Tuesday before the NFL trade deadline, but none involving the New England Patriots.

Even though the team of head coach Mike Vrabel had been the subject of rumors for multiple weeks, no moves materialized at One Patriot Place. The trading window closed at 4 p.m. ET, and the Patriots let it do so quietly.

This means that the 5-4 team did neither add any outside talent to its roster nor remove any players through trade. The most recent change to their roster came on Monday, when they released rookie tight end Tanner Arkin.

This means that any outside reinforcements will have to come either from the free agency market, the waiver wire, or another team’s practice squad. Of course, the Patriots are also counting on some internal changes to what is currently a 52-man roster following Arkin’s release.

They have several players on injured reserve expected to come back at some point, including offensive lineman Greg Van Roten, whose 21-day return window was opened last week. In addition, the expectation is that wide receiver Romeo Doubs and left guard Alijah Vera-Tucker will also return in the near future; both are eligible to come back after the Patriots’ game against the Detroit Lions this week.

On top of those players re-joining the team, it also is dealing with multiple injuries to players not on IR — including wide receiver A.J. Brown and running backs Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson. Their return to full strength, whenever it will come, will also serve as a boost to their respective position groups.

While the Patriots did not join the action this time around, there were some notable moves across the NFL. The most impactful might have come from the Minnesota Vikings, who acquired quarterback Kirk Cousins from the Las Vegas Raiders — a move that means Cousins will face New England for a second time this season: after already squaring off against the team in a 45-17 defeat in Week 5, he will again travel to Foxborough in Week 14.

The NFL closing its trading window until the start of the 2027 league year next March also means that all players who are released will be subject to waivers. Before the deadline, only those with less than four seasons had to pass through the waiver wire to enter free agency.