Patriots Could Revisit Trade Talks for Key Defender

Back at the NFL trade deadline, there was rampant speculation that the New England Patriots would sell off a bunch of players, and defensive tackle Davon Godchaux's name was littered in those rumors.

Of course, the Patriots mostly opted to stand pat the deadline, and Godchaux stayed put, which was strange given that he had two years remaining on his deal and was already 30 years old.

But could New England revisit trade talks for the defender this offseason?

Michael DeVito of Musket Fire thinks so, naming Godchaux among several prominent players the Pats could potentially move in the coming weeks and months.

"Also, on defense, explore trading Davon Godchaux for an upgrade at wide receiver or edge or even a draft pick to a team that can utilize a space-eating defensive tackle," DeVito wrote. "These players are becoming dinosaurs in the NFL. If a team is willing to eat his salary, by all means, make the deal."

It's not necessarily that space-eating defensive tackles are no longer in vogue, because they absolutely still have value in today's game. It's just that Godchaux is aging and doesn't really fit the Patriots' timeline, so it would make sense to move him if they could find a taker.

The question is, who would trade a legitimate wide receiver for Godchaux at this point? The veteran registered 67 tackles this past season and finished with a subpar 51.6 overall grade at Pro Football Focus. He also logged a 48 run defense grade, which is definitely not impressive.

Godchaux carries cap hits of $8.3 million and $11.8 million over the next couple of seasons, so it seems hard to imagine any team giving up anything of significant worth for the former fifth-round pick.

We'll see if New England can find a taker, but it doesn't seem likely.