Patriots sit out a busy trade deadline around NFL

BOSTON -- Trade deadline day in the NFL can often pass by without generating many headlines. This year was quite different.

Teams were wheeling and dealing ahead of the 4 p.m. deadline on Tuesday, with a total of 12 players relocating on Tuesday.

In the AFC East, the Bills added running back Nyheim Hines and cornerback Dean Marlowe, while the Dolphins got pass rusher Bradley Chubb and running back Jeff Wilson. The Jets entered seller territory, trading defensive end Jacob Martin to the Broncos.

And the Patriots watched it all happen without making a move.

That is, of course, far from surprising. 

Kendrick Bourne -- a very capable receiver who for reasons unknown has dropped down the Patriots' depth chart -- was likely their most appealing trade chip. Yet while the Patriots' usage of Bourne this season has been a head-scratching, the team couldn't have been in a mad rush to get rid of him. He's on a very reasonable deal, and he figures to develop some role as the season continues and the receiving corps deals with various injuries.

Beyond that, perhaps Nelson Agholor was deemed expendable. But -- much like Brandin Cooks in Houston -- his contract had to have been a major hindrance to any trade taking place. Agholor carries a $14.88 million cap hit this season. His 15 receptions for 227 yards and one touchdown -- along with two lost fumbles -- this season hardly justify that salary, and the market for the 29-year-old wideout had to have been quite muted. 

While Isaiah Wynn has fallen out of favor in New England, the team still doesn't have enough depth at tackle to be able to afford to ship him away. If Marcus Cannon or Trent Brown suffers any sort of injury -- minor or major -- then Wynn will be right back in at a tackle spot on the line. Wynn also proved some value last week, when he filled in for Cole Strange as the rookie had his first notably tough game at left guard.

At running back, the ascension of Rhamondre Stevenson might have made Damien Harris expendable, with Harris being in a contract year and with a pair of rookies in Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris also being on the roster. But just like with the tackle depth, the Patriots were unlikely to trade away an established, bona fide NFL back like Damien Harris just because there was a trade deadline. Harris is always one snap away from taking over as lead back again, so removing him from a team that hopes to compete for a playoff spot wouldn't help the cause.

All of that being said, the Patriots could have been active in terms of adding players to the roster.

Chubb (plus a fifth-round pick) cost Miami a first-round pick, a fourth-round pick and Chase Edmonds, which likely was more than the Patriots ever want to pay in a trade. But star tight end T.J. Hockenson was traded (along with two fourth-rounders) for the reasonable cost of a second-round pick and a third-round pick.

Obviously, the salary cap would loom over any addition, and cap finagling tends to be easier in the offseason than in the middle of a season. With the Patriots having around $2 million in cap space, a significant addition on the roster would have likely required a significant cut somewhere else, and that complication made it unlikely that we'd see the Patriots chase any game-changers on Tuesday.

So for now, things stay the same for the Patriots. They're 4-4, looking to get above .500 on Sunday when they host the 3-4-1 Colts, who traded away Nyhiem Hines on the same day they fired their offensive coordinator. Realistically, even if the team could have improved some in its quest to make the postseason in a crowded AFC playoff picture, there was no one move that could make the Patriots real contenders.

While nobody knows what the next two months will hold, the Patriots at least know for certain what their roster will be as they try to make this season worthwhile.