The New England Patriots have been mentioned as a possible landing spot for a Pro Bowl wide receiver.
The New England Patriots have lost star wide reciever A.J. Brown to injured reserve for at least four weeks following a Week 1 injury.
Brown, the big offseason acquisition for the Patriots, will now leave a big hole in the Patriots' wide receiving room. New England will have to find a way to manage without him, and at least in Week 1, it was a struggle.
The Patriots are hoping that Brown can return at the first opportunity, but that all remains to be seen. This could force the Patriots to look elsewhere for help, potentially even on the trade market.
Ahead of Week 2, NFL analyst Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report named some trade candidates, including wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Within this, the Patriots were named as a possible landing spot for the Pro Bowl wideout.
"The Jags have dismissed the trade buzz surrounding wideout Brian Thomas Jr. However, it's fair to wonder how tightly they'll hang onto him now. Thomas had three catches for 40 yards in the opener, but Parker Washington has fully arrived as Jacksonville's new No. 1 receiver....moving Thomas, who will be extension-eligible in the spring, could help pave a financial path to paying Washington like a top-tier target," Knox wrote.
Thomas has a conditional second-round pick as expected value, and the Patriots may be willing to pay that price. Given where New England is contention-wise, the Patriots could look to make a move to add an explosive wideout to the roster.
With Brown out for the next few weeks, at least, the Patriots don't have anyone else on the roster who scares defenses. Newcomer Romeo Doubs could provide some production in the absence of Brown, but Doubs is more of a low-end second option than anything.
Adding someone like Thomas, who has seen real success in the NFL, could make this team even more explosive. In his rookie year, Thomas caught 87 passes for 1,282 yards with 10 touchdowns.
This was a full breakout effort for the former LSU product, but Thomas wasn't able to withstand this in his sophomore season. Thomas was used much less often in the offensive attack in Jacksonville, leading to him putting up 47 catches for 707 yards and two touchdowns.
His time with the Jaguars seems to be coming to an end soon, and the Patriots should take full advantage. Pairing Thomas, Brown, and Doubs, along with the other playmakers that New England has, could see this team fully take off throughout the remainder of the year once they get healthy.
