One of the biggest questions heading towards the 2020 NFL trade deadline in early November was whether or not the 2-5 New England Patriots would be buyer or sellers. Turns out they were the former: the team kept its potential trade chips — star players such as Stephon Gilmore and Joe Thuney, both regarded as options to be moved — and even brought some help aboard from the outside.
New England sent a conditional sixth-round selection in the 2022 draft to the Miami Dolphins to acquire wide receiver Isaiah Ford. Just a month after the acquisition and with Ford not having appeared in even a single game for the Patriots, he was cut again: the team parted ways with the 24-year-old over the weekend, exposing him to the waiver wire despite apparently hoping to get him back.
“We’ll see how it goes going forward. Hopefully we can continue to work with him,” head coach Bill Belichick said during a media conference call on Monday.
However, it seems that his team will not get that chance at this point in time despite Ford clearing waivers following his release: as first reported by Field Yates of ESPN, he is expected to rejoin the Dolphins by signing with their practice squad. The Patriots therefore have to close that chapter for now, while still having to send a draft pick to Miami as Belichick confirmed earlier this week.
Ford’s release came in the aftermath of veteran wide receiver Donte Moncrief being promoted to New England’s 53-man roster. The former third-round draft pick has since filled the number four receiver role for the team behind Jakobi Meyers, Damiere Byrd and N’Keal Harry, and also worked as its kickoff returner. As a result, the Patriots’ November trade acquisition became expendable.
With Ford now definitively gone, the team’s wide receiver depth consists of the four pass catchers mentioned above as well as Gunner Olszewski and practice squad options Kristian Wilkerson and Isaiah Zuber. Julian Edelman, meanwhile, remains on the Coronavirus reserve list after being moved there from injured reserve.