The New England Patriots sit at 2-6 on the season in the early stages of a rebuild.

These types of teams with veterans are often on the selling end of the NFL trade deadline. The Patriots began that process on Monday when they traded edge rusher Joshua Uche to the Kansas City Chiefs for a 2026 sixth-round draft pick.

That should signal the direction New England takes, but could they make surprising moves to buy?

Maybe.

NFL insider Josina Anderson reported on Tuesday that the Patriots could “potentially add” at the trade deadline with targets of wide receiver, defensive tackle and offensive tackle.

Those are all certainly needs for the Patriots, especially for the long-term to build back to contention. But is now the time to make those moves? New England doesn’t particularly have the assets to go out and acquire players with multiple years of team control on their contracts. Not to mention those types of moves are often reserved for the offseason.

The Patriots can benefit now and beyond with upgrades at all three positions to lift up the roster. Whether or not those upgrades come at the trade deadline is yet to be seen.

The NFL trade deadline is set for Tuesday, Nov. 5.