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The New England Patriots' blowout 51-23 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday silenced rumors of their demise in impressive fashion. However, the Patriots and head coach Bill Belichick won't be content until said success carries over once again into January and February.
Will the Patriots make a trade before the deadline to help their chances? What exactly is out there? We'll take a look in this Patriots Rumors Roundup.
Doug Martin's Ankle And The Trade Deadline
The biggest name on the market from a running back perspective is undoubtedly the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Doug Martin. However, Martin suffered an ankle injury in Sunday's loss to the Minnesota Vikings, leading to questions about whether or not he's trade-worthy at this juncture.
Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio noted on NBC's Sunday Night Football broadcast that the Patriots could very well still be in the market for Martin.
While no official word has been given on the status of Martin's ankle as of this writing, expect the Patriots to do their fair share of research before Tuesday's 4:00pm EST trade deadline.
Other Running Backs Available?
Other than the long shots of working a trade for a running back such as Seattle's Marshawn Lynch or Philadelphia's LeSean McCoy, the Patriots' backfield trade options seem especially limited on this year's market.
One name to keep an eye on, however, is the St. Louis Rams' Zac Stacy. The Rams seem content to trot out RBs Benny Cunningham and Tre Mason more often than not, leaving the preseason fantasy favorite out in the cold.
His name hasn't been directly linked to the Pats as of yet, but don't be surprised if they decide take a minor gamble on a halfback who was projected to light up scoreboards by many an NFL pundit during the preseason.
Bill Belichick Surveys The Trade Market
Per Shalise Manza Young of the Boston Globe, Pats HC Bill Belichick says the trade market is currently limited due to the rash of injuries that have affected the league this year:
BB on trade deadline: bc of injuries, there's fewer guys to trade for, and teams more reluctant to let healthy guys go
— shalise manza young (@shalisemyoung) October 27, 2014
While this doesn't mean that the Patriots won't try, a stalled trade market could make facilitating and executing a deal almost impossible before Tuesday's cutoff.
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