Mike Vrabel Shuts Down Patriots Trade Deadline Rumors

With the NFL’s trade deadline less than a week away, the trade rumor mill is beginning to heat up. Two Patriots that have been mentioned in said rumors are defensive tackle Christian Barmore and cornerback Carlton Davis.

Coach Vrabel, during his press conference on Wednesday afternoon, spoke about the national report that both players were available for trade.

“Yeah, I think sometimes national reports have the tendency to do that. I have not shared that information with anybody. That’s nothing that’s, you know, this time of year; I think that all these things kind of get drummed up,” said Vrabel.

New England’s head coach also said that the team’s emphasis is on the Packers, saying, “We’re focused on trying to prepare for Green Bay, uh, make the corrections from the [Dolphins] game. I mean, this is business as normal here.”

Trading Barmore and Davis Would Be Detrimental to the Patriots Defense

Christian Barmore and Carlton Davis are two of New England’s most important defenders.

Barmore, when he is on, creates a dominant 1-2 punch along the defensive line with Milton Williams. This season, Barmore has played in seven out of eight games for New England and has 7 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and a forced fumble.

Carlton Davis is a savvy veteran in the Patriots’ secondary. Although he has been battling a Week 1 neck injury all season, Davis is by far the team’s second-best cornerback opposite Christian Gonzalez. Standing at 6′ 1″, Davis is not only great at tracking his assignment in the passing game, but also comes up big with tackles in the ground game as well.

The New England Patriots should be buyers as the trade deadline fast approaches. The team sits at 5-3 and is currently holding the seventh seed in the AFC if the season ended today, with room for improvement.

If the Patriots were to part ways with either Carlton Davis or Christian Barmore, the team’s already thin defense would be taking an unnecessary hit as the calendar turns and the second half of the regular season begins.