RB D’onta Foreman
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – AUGUST 26: D’Onta Foreman #33 of the Carolina Panthers scores a first quarter touchdown against the Buffalo Bills during a preseason game at Bank of America Stadium on August 26, 2022 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
With the news the Damien Harris is expected to miss multiple games with a hamstring injury, the Patriots suddenly find themselves needing to add running back depth. Earlier this week we laid out some free agency options to fill that role, but could a trade be in play?
We’ll get to the Panthers’ other running back in a bit, because given this context Foreman is a much more realistic option. The 26-year-old is currently signed to a one-year, $2 million contract. He’s a stylistic fit for the Patriots at the position at 6-foot-1, 236 pounds, and even has some strong head-to-head tape after gashing the Patriots for 109 yards on 19 carries when with the Titans last year.
Foreman is currently Carolina’s third-string running back, so it likely wouldn’t cost much for the Patriots to acquire him. They currently own three sixth-round picks, and that’s before comp picks. A late-round pick swap would probably get the deal done.
WR Robbie Anderson
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – SEPTEMBER 25: Robbie Anderson #3 of the Carolina Panthers catches the ball while defended by Bradley Roby #21 of the New Orleans Saints during the first half at Bank of America Stadium on September 25, 2022 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
It seems worth mentioning Robbie Anderson because there was talk about him getting traded to the Patriots this past spring, and given the way the first five weeks have gone the price to acquire him may have gone down. That being said, Anderson’s contract is still a significant commitment, and the Patriots don’t currently have the gaps at wide receiver they did in April.
Trading for Anderson definitely isn’t the kind of move the Patriots would make in-season, but depending on how things go it could be something that gets brought back up in the offseason. Even then though, it feels like the time for such a move has passed.
TE Stephen Sullivan
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – AUGUST 19: Stephen Sullivan #84 of the Carolina Panthers lines up during the preseason game between the New England Patriots and the Carolina Panthers at Gillette Stadium on August 19, 2022 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
For the first four games of the year, the Patriots didn’t use a true third tight end. Against Green Bay they turned to some jumbo packages with Marcus Cannon as a tackle-eligible tight end, but that’s it.
If the Patriots want to break out some true three tight end sets, they need to add a true third tight end. Enter Sullivan, who is currently the Panthers’ third tight end playing just over two percent of the team’s offensive snaps this year while contributing heavily on special teams. Sullivan stood out a few times during the joint practices.
The third tight end in the Patriots’ offense is usually a blocking-heavy role, and Sullivan is built for it at 6-foot-5, 248 pounds. Again, he’s a player who could likely be acquired with a late-round pick swap.
LB Frankie Luvu
Oct 2, 2022; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) is tackled by Carolina Panthers linebacker Frankie Luvu (49) in the second half at Bank of America Stadium. Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
If the Patriots are still looking for linebacker help, Frankie Luvu could be a target. They’re likely very familiar with him given he spent three years with the New York Jets to begin his career.
Luvu can play multiple linebacker positions, and his mix of size (6-foot-3, 235 pounds) and athleticism fits the mold of the linebackers the Patriots have targeted in recent years. He’s currently in the first year of a two-year, $9 million contract. Trading for him would probably cost a bit more than players like Foreman or Sullivan, but still shouldn’t take a major investment.
LB Shaq Thompson
Sep 11, 2022; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson (7) eyes the Cleveland Browns offense during the second half at Bank of America Stadium. Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Thompson is an interesting case. He’s 28 years old, making him one of the older ‘star’ players on the Panthers. He’s in the second-to-last year of his contract, with a $13 million cap hit this year and a massive $24.4 million cap hit next year. That’s not to say he’s not living up to the contract – he’s been all over the field for the Panthers this year – but he’d be an expensive acquisition.
While it makes more sense for the Panthers to part with Thompson than some of their younger players, they’re not just going to give him away either. It’d probably take significant draft capital to trade for him, on top of the financial commitment. A contract extension after the deal could help justify such a trade by both lowering next years cap number and keeping him in the plans longer term, but that only makes the move a bigger investment.
If the Patriots were to explore such a deal, in-season wouldn’t be the time. Depending on what happens with their cap space though, it may very well be worth revisiting this offseason – especially with Raekwon McMillan, Jahlani Tavai, and Mack Wilson all on expiring contracts.
Just for fun, if the Patriots did trade for Thompson it wouldn’t be his first stint with a Boston sports team. He was drafted by the Red Sox out of high school in the 18th round of the 2012 MLB Draft, and played one season in the Gulf Coast League before ending his baseball career to focus on football full time at the University of Washington.
CB Stantley Thomas-Oliver III
Aug 19, 2022; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Carolina Panthers cornerback Stantley Thomas-Oliver III (23) warms up before a preseason game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
A seventh-round pick in 2020, Thomas-Oliver has seen less of a role on defense over his three NFL seasons but increased his role on special teams. If the Patriots want to add to their kick coverage unit, he’d be a fit. He’s currently in the third year of his four-year rookie contract with a cap hit of just under $1 million.
RB Christian McCaffrey
Sep 19, 2021; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey (22) runs for a touchdown as New Orleans Saints strong safety Malcolm Jenkins (27) defends in the fourth quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
We finally come to McCaffrey, who like Thompson is slightly on the older side of things – although he’s only 26. He’s currently in the third year of a six-year contract, with cap hits of $19.5 million, $19.5 million, and $15.4 million between 2023 and the end of the deal in 2025.
That’s a massive investment for a player that, among other things, has struggled to stay on the field. McCaffrey has played just 15 games total over the last three seasons, and no more than seven in any of those three.
Even with that injury history, McCaffrey’s skillset and pedigree makes him a valuable commodity on the trade market. Super Bowl-contending teams who can afford to only think in the short-term would likely overpay to get McCaffrey to boost their offense for a Super Bowl run.
That’s all assuming, of course, the Panthers want to move McCaffrey – which doesn’t appear to be the case. According to The Athletic’s Jeff Howe, “the Panthers aren’t actively trying to trade running back Christian McCaffrey.” Howe also noted that a previous report that the Bills had called about McCaffrey wasn’t true. It appears if the Panthers are going to trade McCaffrey, it won’t be until this offseason at the earliest.
Matt Rhule
Aug 19, 2022; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule on the field before the start of the game at Gillette Stadium. Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Rhule’s availability doesn’t exactly fit with the rest of this piece, but we’re throwing it in because his next landing spot has been talked about quite a bit. Bill Belichick hasn’t been shy in recent years about bringing in recently-fired head coaches to add to his staff. Matt Patricia and Joe Judge instantly come to mind, with Bret Bielema being another example having turned a 2018 stint in Foxborough into a head coaching job at Illinois in just two years.
Would the Patriots leave the door open for Rhule if he was interested in joining the staff? Belichick spoke glowingly of him this summer, so there’s no reason to think he’d be against it.
The real question though is would Rhule want to come to Foxborough? Given his success at the collegiate level at both Temple and Baylor, he’s expected to have his pick of the Division-I openings over the next few months. Blue blood programs like Nebraska and Wisconsin have already been named favorites to hire him, with potential openings at schools like Auburn and Stanford also being discussed. Unless Rhule – who had spent just one year of his 21-year coaching career in the NFL before taking the Panthers job – is dead set on remaining in the pros, it wouldn’t make a lot of sense for him to look for a job in New England over any of those college head coach openings.
