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Robert Kraft New England Patriots

The New England Patriots‘ one-year rebuild is very much real; from the replacing of former head coach, Jarod Mayo, with Mike Vrabel – to the influx of new talent in both free agency and the draft; New England will feel much better about the state of their roster now than they would have a year prior.

However, there are still questions about the strength and depth at multiple positions. And on defense, those come no more fiercely than at edge rusher, where the team is currently poised to start Keion White and Harold Landry III.

So it will come as not exactly a surprise to many that Fox’s Armando Salguero reports that New England are one of the teams that have contacted the Cincinnati Bengals about the possibility of trading for their disgruntled pass rusher and four-time Pro Bowler, Trey Hendrickson.

“The New England Patriots are one of the teams who have called the Cincinnati Bengals about Trey Hendrickson, I’m told.” Salguero reported on Monday evening. “Pats GM Eliot Wolf said earlier today he’s talking to the 31 other teams about possible additions but didn’t mention Hendrickson. He also told reporters he’d be willing to consider giving up a high draft pick for a top talent, again without mentioning Hendrickson.”

What Is The Patriots’ Current Situation At Edge Rusher?

Harold Landry III came over from Tennessee and reunited with Vrabel this past offseason, after being cut by the Titans in early March, prior to the start of the legal tampering period of free agency.

Landry is not at the peak of his powers, but he has managed at least nine sacks in three of the past four seasons – the only other one being in 2022, where he tore his ACL on the cusp of the start of the regular season in late August.

Keion White is listed as an outside linebacker in this year’s depth chart, having played more as a 3-4 defensive end throughout the course of his career. At 6’4, 285 lbs, White is more of a tweener, but certainly has the capabilities of being destructive on the edge.

The only problem is – White has not reached those heights, at least not yet. 6 cumulative sacks across his first two seasons is hardly terrible, but may not be the kind of return the Patriots would be desirous of from their 2023 2nd round pick, who is set to start for the franchise this year.

What Would Hendrickson Bring To The Patriots?

Hendrickson brings elite level production, motor, and sack-artistry. The former New Orleans Saint has the most sacks in the NFL over the past two seasons with a massive 35. Indeed, over the past half decade, he’s only had one season in which he’s had less than 13.5 quarterback sacks.

And whilst his recognition has only recently started to be shown from broader NFL media circles, having just received his first All-Pro nod this past season, he is unquestionably in the top tier of pass rushers in the league.

Wolf – per Salguero, could be willing to part with a high pick for the 30-year old. And if New England really mean business this year, it could be a smart idea.

Daniel Arwas Daniel Arwas is a sports writer who covers the NFL for Heavy.com. Daniel began his career in sports writing in 2022 and has covered the NFL and college football for Gridiron Heroics and The Hammer. More about Daniel Arwas