Breer: Patriots ‘open for business’ as NFL trade deadline approaches

The New England Patriots are very much a rebuilding team with a 2-6 record, so it would make sense — assuming the right deals come along — for them to be sellers ahead of the Nov. 5 NFL trade deadline.

If contending teams are willing to offer draft picks in exchange for veteran players, the Patriots should seriously consider those options.

What’s the latest on the Patriots’ status with the trade deadline less than two weeks away?

“They’re open for business and they’ll listen on anything,” Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer said Sunday on NBC Sports Boston’s Patriots Pregame Live, as seen in the video player above.

“I think the ones you want to look at are players who might be on second contracts and deeper into their careers where it’s a little hard to see those guys being major pieces of the puzzle two or three years down the line when the program is where they would hope it would be.”

Which positions are teams looking to bolster for the second half of the regular season and the playoffs?

“I think the two markets that have really been hot to this point, as far as discussions behind the scenes between teams, are wide receiver and edge rusher,” Breer said.

“Those are two areas where the Patriots do have a surplus — I’m not saying they have great players at those positions — but they have numbers at those positions, so they could offload a guy and not become non-functional at those spots.

“So that’s where you see Josh Uche — where they already have Keion White and Deatrich Wise Jr. — be a name that could create some interest. Again, I think the edge rusher market will heat up.

“We’ve already seen a bunch of the wide receivers move — DeAndre Hopkins, Amari Cooper. I expect you’ll see some action at wide receiver, too, over the next nine days. So does a Kendrick Bourne or K.J. Osborn move? I think those would be the two spots you’d want to focus in on.”

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The Patriots have a bunch of young wide receivers — including rookies Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, as well as Tyquan Thornton, Kayshon Boutte and DeMario Douglas — who need snaps to develop. So if another team makes a good offer for a veteran such as Bourne and/or Osborn — that would be a smart move for the Patriots to make.

Uche didn’t play Sunday when the Patriots beat the New York Jets 25-22 in their Week 8 game at Gillette Stadium. FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz reported before the game that Uche isn’t injured, and that he “has been a focal point in trade talks around the NFL and his contract is very appealing to contending teams.” Uche is a good player, but the Patriots do have decent depth at edge rusher.

Making a bad team worse by trading veterans isn’t the most ideal situation, but the Patriots have to be mindful of the future. If they can bolster their collection of draft picks ahead of the trade deadline, that would be a positive outcome for the franchise.