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The New England Patriots have real juice right now. They've won four straight entering a matchup with the 2-5 Cleveland Browns this Sunday. Their quarterback is playing like a legitimate MVP candidate. There's a case to be made that they're the second-best team in the AFC. But with an improved product comes raised expectations, so it's no surprise that this week's Mailbag is chock-full of questions about how the Patriots can improve ahead of the Nov. 4 NFL trade deadline. Let's dive in. Editor's Note: Some questions have been lightly edited for clarity. MORE PATRIOTS COVERAGE Phil, any good player/culture guys with ties to Mike Vrabel and/or the staff who could be potential trade candidates and be impactful this season and beyond? Keep up the great work! - @DougCoupe Thanks for checking in, Doug. Plenty of trade candidates out there with connections to Mike Vrabel (or someone on Vrabel's staff). Easiest place to start, since he fits the criteria you're talking about as a culture add: Jakobi Meyers. Meyers maintains his preseason stance that he would like to be dealt. And though there doesn't look like there's much space for another pass-catcher on New England's depth chart, he could provide valuable depth in multiple roles. At the moment, if Stefon Diggs (whose dependability, especially in critical situations, has been a game-changer) or Mack Hollins (whose size and blocking ability allows for Josh McDaniels to get creative) were to get injured, there's no clear replacement ready to go for either player. Meyers could fill both roles, and he'd show up already understanding the language of the playbook. The Patriots had interest in Meyers prior to the start of the season, but the Raiders preferred to hold onto him. Others the Patriots would be familiar with who could be dealt? Let's look at some of the worst teams in football, who could be sellers. The Titans -- who have said everyone but Cam Ward and Jeffery Simmons are available -- could part with corner Roger McCreary or outside linebacker Arden Key. If it's a running back the Patriots want, would they call Cleveland (where Vrabel coached last season) about Jerome Ford? Would they make a run at Breece Hall of the Jets, who played for Patriots wide receivers coach Todd Downing during Downing's time in New York? This season is fun! Should defense be the top priority for the team in next year’s draft, as things stand now? - @LereimTrygve Long way to go, Trygve! Never a bad idea to build through the trenches, though. The Patriots may want to make a high-end investment on players who can either protect the edge on offense or attack the edge on defense. For instance, nabbing someone who could project as a starter at right tackle could be prudent since Morgan Moses has no guaranteed money on his deal after 2026. Additionally, the edge defender group has looked thin at times this season after Harold Landry and K'Lavon Chaisson. The latter is set to be a free agent after this season. How the Patriots view Diggs' long-term prospects will factor in here, too. Getting another talented wideout to add to the room could prove beneficial. Have you noticed that while Kyle Williams has not registered much offensive stats, rookie WR production in general, outside of Tampa Bay, has been rather thin, including the two picks in Houston. Not as much second guessing as 2024. - @qualitysmoke It's early to be gauging Kyle Williams' production against that of others at his position in his draft class. He's been practicing well, is my understanding, and he's been asked to take on the tall task of understanding all three receiver roles. Even though there have been no real stars taken after him (third round, No. 69 overall) at receiver, the four receivers taken after him do have slightly more production than Williams' two catches for 20 yards: Isaac TeSlaa of the Lions, Jaylin Noel of the Texans, Pat Bryant of the Broncos and Savion Williams of the Packers. Chimere Dike (13 catches, 96 yards, one touchdown) and Elic Ayomanor (19 catches, 225 yards, two touchdowns) went to the Titans a little later in the draft. Let's see if Williams can get himself a little more involved in the near future. Lots of noise about Drake Maye's turnaround through seven games. It's been impressive no doubt and many are focused on weak competition. Let's enjoy the ride. Realistically Phil, what trade pieces should they target first? RB? OL? DE? - @JimLegere I'd start at running back, Jim. Outside of Rhamondre Stevenson (whose ball-security struggles have lingered) and TreVeyon Henderson (only nine snaps in Tennessee), they have Terrell Jennings off the practice squad. They are dangerously thin there. Safety and cornerback are two more of their thinnest positions, in my opinion, so additions there would make sense as well. I really would love to know your thoughts on Josh McDaniels. You think he’s back for good? He’s had two head coach stints … both failed. I’d hate for his name to be circled around again next year and Drake have a third OC in as many years. Hoping Vrabel brought him in because he’s done with trying to be a head coach. - @FrankiePrend Never say never, Frankie, but I'd be surprised if one of those opportunities came for Josh McDaniels this offseason. His departure from Vegas, where he was paired with new general manager Dave Ziegler in order to try to achieve a unified approach between the coaching staff and the front office, is still fresh. Doesn't mean McDaniels won't be coveted down the line. Especially if Drake Maye solidifies himself as one of the best quarterbacks in football. But as soon as this offseason? Not so sure. What might a trade package for a depth running back like Zamir White or Dameon Pierce look like? Do they like Terrell Jennings enough to stand pat? - @andyhutch5 Would be interesting to see if they'd view players like that as upgrades over Jennings. For players like that, a late-round pick swap would seem like logical compensation. Any news on the RB situation? Jennings has one more call-up from the practice squad, then who?? - @MichaelDiCo95 Unless they swing a trade, Michael, it wouldn't stun me if Jennings was ultimately promoted to the active roster once he's out of elevations. When will people realize K'Lavon Chaisson is playing like the 20th overall pick that he was? - @Orchids_of_Asia Chaisson has been excellent. One of their best finds of the offseason. He has 25 total pressures, and among players with at least 20 pressures, he ranks fourth in pressure rate (18.5 percent), behind only the Denver duo of Nik Bonitto (24.5 percent) and Jonathon Cooper (19.7 percent) and Green Bay's Micah Parsons (21.8 percent). Seems like we don’t really have a defensive philosophy yet. Also feels like (with the eye test) our four-man fronts are very inconsistent at getting pressure. Could we see some more Cover 1 man, with an extra rusher and Craig Woodson as the deep man? What’s the way forward? - @dino_sooop It's interesting: While Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, Harold Landry and Chaisson all have had good seasons to this point, I don't think the Patriots have found their pass-rushing sweet spot just yet. They rank 17th in quarterback pressure rate when not blitzing (30.7 percent), per NextGen Stats. That's been a relatively volatile number for them of late, however, with a 36.8 pressure rate sans blitz in New Orleans in Week 6 and a 22.1 pressure rate last week in Nashville. They've been victimized by some big plays in those no-blitz situations, allowing 6.8 yards per pass when they don't blitz, which ranks sixth-worst in the NFL. Clearly room for improvement. What you mention -- more single-high looks -- could help. And perhaps as Christian Gonzalez continues to round into form, they'll be more comfortable going with more man-to-man calls. That could allow for quarterbacks to hold the ball a little longer in the pocket and more opportunity for the big bodies up front who want to create disruption in the pocket. What, if anything, will teams do to defend Drake Maye differently as we near the second half of the season? And will it even matter (at all? to Drake? the run game?) - @Hangin_Banners It looked like the Titans tried to play more two-high safety structures against the Patriots early last week, which helped allow Rhamondre Stevenson and the run game to go off for multiple chunk runs. It appears defensive play-callers are dealing with a double-edged sword when it comes to playing with loaded boxes versus light boxes against the Patriots. Load the box, and Maye has been extremely efficient down the field against single-high looks. Drop more bodies into coverage, and that gives Stevenson more room to run. (Maye also has been dynamite against two-safety looks; his touchdown to Kayshon Boutte and his hole shot to Mack Hollins last week both came against shell coverages.) The best way to try to defend Maye might be playing tight man-to-man coverage with jams at the line to disrupt the timing between him and his receivers. The danger there for defenses is that if defensive backs turn their backs to Maye to run with their assignments, he can escape the pocket and run for huge gains. To play man effectively against an athlete of Maye's caliber might require having a "spy" who's equally athletic, and/or defensive ends who are disciplined enough to keep Maye in the pocket. Easier said than done. Will be fascinating to see how Jim Schwartz and the Browns defense attack Maye this weekend. Could be Maye's toughest test of the season to this point. Way to early to talk draft? Looking at need: a 6-foot-2 X receiver with sub-4.5-second 40-yerd dash speed, a 6-foot safety with sub-4.5-second speed, an edge rusher and a tight end. Top four picks? - @DK_Merc Never too early, DK! Check out this week's Next Pats for a receiver who fits those qualifications…
