#Patriots seeking weapon for Cam Newton before NFL trade deadline

The Patriots know they’ll need to give Cam Newton a weapon to work with in order to stay competitive this season.

And that’s why New England is in the market for a pass catcher, CBS Sports reported Sunday.

It’s been just over a year since the Pats dealt a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft to the Falcons for wide receiver Mohamed Sanu, who never really got going in New England before he got hurt and had to be released.

Sanu pulled down one reception for 11 yards in the Patriots’ 20-13 loss to the Titans in the Wild Card round last season, which came after Sanu’s 26 receptions, 207 receiving yards and one touchdown in eight regular-season games with the Patriots. New England placed him on the active/physically unable to perform list at the start of training camp, activated him two days later and released him in September.

The Patriots, who entered Sunday in third place in the AFC East at 2-3, made a splash this past offseason when they signed Cam Newton to replace franchise quarterback Tom Brady. Newton has lived up to expectations despite missing two weeks on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

CBS Sports reported that many around the league know that Newton is not the issue in New England, but rather the lack of offensive weapons he has to work with. With a 34-year-old Julian Edelman slowing down, there aren’t many other consistent options for Newton to throw to.

The Patriots could go for Vikings receiver Adam Thielen, surging Texans wideout Will Fuller or even Jets speedster Breshad Perriman, according to CBS Sports, which also reports that Jets tight end Chris Herndon has been drawing interest from multiple teams as well.

New England has some room to work with under the salary cap beyond this season. Not a single player on the current roster is set to make more than $8 million next year.