New England has pulled off another trade.
After striking a deal with the Cincinnati Bengals on Tuesday for special teamer/reserve linebacker Marquis Flowers, the New Patriots were on the phones yet again, sending cornerback Justin Coleman to the Seattle Seahawks for a late-round draft pick.
The 24-year-old Georgia native and product of the University of Tennessee is entering his third season and appeared in 10 games last season with one start. His numbers aren’t eye-popping, thus fetching just a late-round pick in return, as he only had eight combined tackles and three pass deflections last season.
Coleman is no stranger to Seattle, as he used to be a member of its practice squad before being picked up by the Patriots for a second time in 2015.
The trade is curious, however, as the team is now pretty thin at the cornerback position considering the fact that Cyrus Jones suffered a season-ending ACL tear and partially torn meniscus during the 40-38 loss to the New York Giants in the final preseason game on Thursday night.
The depth chart at the cornerback position seems a bit top-heavy talent wise, with the likes of Stephon Gillmore and Malcolm Butler commanding opposing teams top wide receveiving threats, but the question now is who fills the void left by Jones and Coleman.
This has many in Foxboro watching the play of Eric Rowe closely, as he is the undisputed third corner on the depth chart, where he will most likely be covering the slot.
The open slot could propel Will Likely or Kenny Moore on the final roster, as all 32 teams across the league have the trim its respective rosters from 90 to 53 by 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Another possibility that exists is that the team grabs a player who was cut from another team. New England head coach Bill Belichick recently mentioned to reporters that he has watched every preseason game in the NFL this year, so he may have a few players that are worth taking a look at on his radar.
