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Patriots former first-round pick could be traded before Week 1
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- Patriots former first-round pick could be traded before Week 1
Eric Canha-Imagn Images Eric Canha-Imagn Images
We made it, Patriot fans. On Friday, the Patriots are playing in their first preseason game of the 2025 season. It's going to be exciting to see the team finally on the field in a competitive setting once again, and there are a ton of players who need to perform well to make their case for a roster spot.
Most of the major roster shuffling is probably done by now, but the team does still have to cut around 40 players before the end of the month. One of the players firmly on the roster bubble is former first-round pick Cole Strange.
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Strange was a key starter for the Patriots at one time, but the Chattanooga product majorly struggled last season. Then, this summer, third-round rookie Jared Wilson appears to have taken over Strange's former starting spot at left guard.
As a result, Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report believes that Strong could be traded before the regular season. Regarding this potential, Knox offered the following:
While the 27-year-old has started 29 games for the Patriots, he missed most of last season with a knee injury, had his fifth-year option declined and appears to be on the roster bubble.
"He's gone from the starter at left guard to third string at center, Greg A. Bedard of Boston Sports Journal wrote. "There's still time for him to recover, but it needs to happen soon."
With Caeden Wallace, free-agent addition Garrett Bradbury and rookie Jared Wilson all pushing for playing time along the interior, now might be a good time to pivot off of Strange. He isn't likely to bring much in return via a trade, but his starting experience and draft pedigree might generate some interest.
As Knox mentioned, Strange went from starting left guard to third-string center. The team also declined Strange's fifth-year option and he's now set to be a free agent after the 2025 season.
As a former first-round pick, it's possible that another team could be intrigued enough by Strange to offer some draft capital in a trade. Strange is versatile enough to play either guard spot or center, as well, and you can never have too much depth on the offensive line.
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