New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel during an NFL game in Foxboro, Mass., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel during an NFL game in Foxboro, Mass., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
The Patriots are 5-3 heading into this week’s matchup with the Packers, and key players are eligible to return from injured reserve.
Patriots fans have questions about who’s set to return from IR and what the front office will do at the NFL trade deadline.
Let’s answer them in this week’s mailbag.
@pgomesbranco: If we are making a trade before the deadline, would you get a WR or RB? IF we are healthy I believe RB is the more in need here.
I actually agree.
If the Patriots trade for a wide receiver, there’s a good chance that he’ll be buried on the depth chart for the final third of the season.
Mack Hollins is eligible to return from injured reserve this week, and Romeo Doubs can be activated after the bye week. We’ll see about A.J. Brown’s timeline, but it seemed like a good sign that he was not placed on injured reserve after injuring his knee last week.
At running back, you don’t want to overwork Rhamondre Stevenson, and it’s clear that the Patriots don’t have the same level of trust in TreVeyon Henderson, Corey Kiner or Lan Larison that they do in Stevenson.
That being said, I would not give up a second-round pick for Jonathan Taylor. If, for some reason, Derrick Henry becomes available, he makes more sense from a salary cap perspective. He also might not cost as much draft capital to acquire.
@newyorkpatroit: Who should they trade for I’m thinking OL edge
I’m actually not sure if they need more offensive line depth, as long as Alijah Vera-Tucker is on track to return after the bye week.
For now, the Patriots are in pretty good shape with Will Campbell, Ben Brown, Jared Wilson, Matt Pryor and Morgan Moses as starters. They just brought back Marcus Bryant off of injured reserve. He joins Caleb Lomu, Walter Rouse and rookie Dametrious Crownover as backups.
I definitely think the Patriots need another edge defender, especially if Harold Landry III isn’t close to coming back off of the PUP list.
The Patriots only have three outside linebackers on their 53-man roster: Elijah Ponder, Dre’Mont Jones and Gabe Jacas. Jones and Jacas both didn’t finish Sunday’s win over the Dolphins, which led to defensive tackles Leonard Taylor III and Joshua Farmer taking snaps on the edge.
The Patriots currently have three outside linebackers on their practice squad in Jose Ramirez, Xavier Holmes and Benton Whitley. They could also activate rookie Quintayvious Hutchins off of injured reserve. It makes sense to acquire a veteran, however, to make it into a four-man rotation when Jones and Jacas are healthy.
@Tack_in_FL: Who might they be getting back?
Players who are eligible to return off of injured reserve: Hollins, FB Reggie Gilliam, S Dell Pettus, OL Greg Van Roten, OLB Quintayvious Hutchins, LB Khalil Jacobs, RG Mike Onwenu.
Onwenu isn’t physically healthy enough to return off of injured reserve and might not be all season, so we can eliminate him for now.
I think Hollins is a no-brainer, as long as his calf injury is healthy. I would also look to bring back Gilliam and Pettus when healthy.
The Patriots have an open spot on their roster after cutting safety Elliott Davison and cornerback Kindle Vildor.
Some players on the current 53-man roster who could be released to make room: Larison, S Mike Brown. The Patriots also could take a risk at some point this season and see if they could slip rookie tight end Tanner Arkin through waivers and onto the practice squad.
@NESportsDaily: #MailDoug At 5-3 with guys coming back, whose return moves the needle most? And is the line finally healthy enough to let Maye push it downfield against Green Bay?
Hollins, Doubs and Vera-Tucker definitely move the needle the most.
And yes, I think the second half of last week’s win over the Dolphins proved that, but the Patriots do need to be careful. The Packers have been great at generating takeaways this season.
@JimGilhooly1957: The Patriots took their time with RBs like Vereen and White. Don’t you feel they should do the same with Henderson? #MailDoug
The Patriots were patient with Shane Vereen and James White, but they’re not exact comparisons for TreVeyon Henderson.
Vereen and White were much better pass blockers than Henderson already in Year 2, so they could be utilized more dependably in the passing game.
I’m also not ready to say that the Patriots are fully losing faith in Henderson. He was out last week with an illness. We’ll see if he can return this week and what his role will be. It wasn’t a great sign that Kiner was cutting into his snaps in Week 7, however.
Christian Barmore of the New England Patriots celebrates after a sack against the Miami Dolphins in the first quarter of a game at Hard Rock Stadium on Nov. 1, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Fla. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Christian Barmore of the New England Patriots celebrates after a sack against the Miami Dolphins in the first quarter of a game at Hard Rock Stadium on Nov. 1, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Fla. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
@bostonradio: who’s getting shipped out this week?
I’ve seen the reports from Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer that the Patriots could be willing to listen to offers for Christian Barmore and Carlton Davis III.
I get it if the Patriots are trying to shed salary cap space for this year and beyond. But I’d just say this: If the Patriots are going to trade away two key pieces from their defense, then they better bring in comparable players elsewhere.
The Patriots would be getting considerably weaker if they trade Davis, a starting cornerback, and Barmore, a top pass-rushing defensive tackle.
Personally, I’d be more open to trading Barmore than Davis, if only because the Patriots have better depth on their defensive line than they do at cornerback. Having Davis allows the Patriots to play to Christian Gonzalez’s strengths in man coverage. They would likely need to continue leaning into zone coverage if Davis was traded.
@THEOLDMANMOB: In your opinion if NE could trade barmore for one of these WRs. Who would be the better fit and higher upside? Josh downs or BTJ?
That’s tough, but I’d go with Brian Thomas Jr. over Josh Downs. Thomas is signed through 2027. Downs is a free agent after the season.