It’s official. The New England Patriots stood pat at Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline, and the groans from fans in Foxboro and beyond will definitely be heard by Mike Vrabel and the new regime.
The Patriots felt like a team poised to add this year, especially after collecting added draft capital in previous deals involving Kyle Dugger and Keion White. No one expected their rebuilding team to trade multiple first-round picks for Sauce Gardner, but a more low-key move for help at edge, wide receiver, or running back was widely expected.
It didn’t happen, leaving fans puzzled over why their 7-2 team wouldn’t look to add a piece ahead of this year’s playoff push.