How Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline moves impact the Patriots

Related: Patriots make no moves ahead of NFL trade deadline

With a total of 10 trades being made, the 2022 NFL trade deadline has been the busiest in league history. A total of 14 teams and 12 players were involved in the action, but the New England Patriots were not among them.

For the second straight year, the Patriots decided to not make any moves ahead of the trading window closing. That does not mean that Tuesday’s transactions will not also have an impact on the team of head coach Bill Belichick.

With that said, let’s briefly go through the 10 trades made on Tuesday to find out what they mean from a New England perspective.

Minnesota Vikings acquire TE T.J. Hockenson from the Detroit Lions: The Lions sending Hockenson to their division rivals in Minnesota means that the Patriots will get to face the former first-round draft pick a second time this year: New England will play the Vikings in Week 12. The first matchup between Hockenson and the Patriots ended with the Lions losing 29-0 and him only catching one 6-yard pass.

Chicago Bears acquire WR Chase Claypool from the Pittsburgh Steelers: The Patriots already played the Bears and Steelers, so that move has virtually no impact on them. That said, it did bring an extra second-round draft pick next year to Pittsburgh — giving the team additional ammunition in hopes of returning into the upper echelon of AFC teams.

Pittsburgh Steelers acquire CB Will Jackson III from the Washington Commanders: The Steelers bolstering their cornerback group means little from a Patriots perspective. That is especially true given that the picks involved in the transaction are all conditional late-round selections in 2025.

Miami Dolphins acquire LB Bradley Chubb from the Denver Broncos: The Dolphins made the biggest move of the day, showing their willingness to invest in an already talented team. To do so, they sent away a 2023 first-round pick, a 2024 fourth-rounder and running back Chase Edmonds. While the price is steep for Chubb and a 2025 fifth-round selection, it might be worth it: Chubb now joins a talented D-line already featuring the likes of Emmanuel Ogbah and Jaelen Phillips. The Patriots will have their hands full in Week 17.

Miami Dolphins acquire RB Jeff Wilson from the San Francisco 49ers: The Dolphins were quite active on Tuesday and brought in another player after picking up Chubb and moving on from Edmonds. Jeff Wilson was the 49ers’ leader in yards from scrimmage so far this year, giving Miami another talented running back with experience in Mike McDaniel’s offense — one the Patriots will face again on Jan. 1.

Jacksonville Jaguars acquire WR Calvin Ridley from the Atlanta Falcons: The most curious of Tuesday’s trades saw an AFC team pick up a talented but indefinitely suspended wide receiver. The move itself is tied to multiple conditions, but neither them nor the trade itself have too big an impact on New England right now.

Denver Broncos acquire LB Jacob Martin from the New York Jets: Two days after he notched a sack and forced fumble against Patriots quarterback Mac Jones, Martin has been sent to the Broncos. The Jets did pick up a 2024 fourth-round pick but also gave up a 2024 fifth-rounder in the process — all while weakening their outside linebacker depth.

Buffalo Bills acquire RB Nyheim Hines from the Indianapolis Colts: The Patriots were set to meet Hines this week, but the Colts decided to trade him to Buffalo for Zack Moss and a conditional draft pick. This means that New England will instead have to defend the talented receiving back twice, once in Week 13 and once in Week 18.

Atlanta Falcons acquire CB Rashad Fenton from the Kansas City Chiefs: This trade is not necessarily big news from a New England perspective, despite the Chiefs being an AFC competitor. They did trade away an experienced member of their cornerback depth chart, but more than anything the move is a vote of confidence in Kansas City’s young defensive backs.

Buffalo Bills acquire S Dean Marlow from the Atlanta Falcons: Marlow, who was acquired for a 2023 seventh-round pick, is a versatile defensive back. His biggest impact comes on special teams, though; he was a five-unit kicking game player for the Falcons and is expected to fill a similar role in Buffalo as well. Like Nyheim Hines, the Patriots will also face him twice this season.

All in all, only a handful of Tuesday’s moves directly impact the Patriots this year. The one that sent T.J. Hockenson to Minnesota is among them, as are the trades made by the Bills.

Most prominently, however, is what Miami did. While Jeff Wilson is a solid running back, Bradley Chubb is a potential game-wrecker being added to an already solid defense — one the Patriots will go up against in Week 17, as noted above. Until then, they hopefully have fixed their offensive line issues or it could be a long day in the pocket for Mac Jones.