The NFL trade deadline on Tuesday has been among the slowest in recent history. This comes after a pretty eventful past couple weeks on the trade front. It also now includes a rare trade between two division rivals in that of the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins with the former acquiring wide receiver Isaiah Ford.
To say that the Patriots were in need of help ahead of the NFL trade deadline would be an understatement. That’s primarily the case at wide receiver given the injury Julian Edelman is suffering through right now.
Losers of four consecutive games, the Patriots sit at 2-5 on the season and pretty much completely out of the AFC East race. In fact, the Patriots are closer to the last-place Jets than the first-place Bills. Let that sink in for a second.
Related: If you’re a fan of the Patriots, check out #GoPats rumors, rankings, and news here.
As for the Dolphins, this is a pretty surprising trade. Miami finds itself at 4-3 on the season and has won four of its past five games. It is also relying on rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback.
It stands to reason that the NFL trade deadline wouldn’t have passed without the Patriots adding to a weak wide receiver group. Whether Ford will make a major impact remains to be seen.
A seventh-round pick of the Dolphins back in 2017, Ford has caught 41 passes for 428 yards in 16 career games. The Virginia Tech product has hauled in 18 catches on 29 targets for 184 yards in seven games this season. Despite these pedestrian numbers, it’s clear the Patriots are expecting something from the youngster.
A total of one touchdown catch from your top-four receivers. That’s obviously not going to cut it for struggling quarterback Cam Newton and Co.