The New England Patriots are looking for a running back ahead of the trade deadline, which makes sense given their current situation.
The Patriots lost Antonio Gibson for the year and have two backs in Rhamondre Stevenson, who can't hold on to the football, and second-round pick TreVeyon Henderson, who the team clearly does not fully trust yet.
New England doesn't necessarily need to make a big splash, but an addition is needed and based on rumors, the Patriots are looking.
One team New England could call is the Houston Texans, who are likely to be open to moving former fourth-round pick, Dameon Pierce. ESPN's Bill Barnwell has predicted the following trade between the two teams:
- Texans get: S Kyle Dugger, cash considerations
- Patriots get: RB Dameon Pierce
"With Dugger's salary a sunk cost, the Patriots would eat about $5 million of what's left on his contract for 2025 as part of this deal, making Dugger a palatable backup behind Stewart for the Texans," Barnwell wrote. "In return, the Patriots would land running back depth in Pierce, who ran for 939 yards as a rookie before falling down the depth chart with DeMeco Ryans' arrival. Pierce has played just 23 offensive snaps this season and would be the replacement for Antonio Gibson, who is out for the year with a torn ACL, as the third running back in New England."
Naming Dugger a trade candidate is logical. He lost his starting job before the start of the season and has not played well in his limited opportunities. The Patriots would no doubt love to unload his contract, which runs through 2027.
In Houston, the recent release of C.J. Gardner-Johnson leaves a hole at safety that Dugger can fill, and the Texans would likely be happy to get a potentially viable starter for Pierce, who is buried on the depth chart.
The Patriots probably get the worse end of this trade, as Pierce is nothing more than an RB3, at best, but if New England can rid itself of a lot of Dugger's money in the deal, general manager Eliot Wolf might do it.
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