The New England Patriots on Thursday made another roster move as they traded disgruntled defensive end Michael Bennett to the Dallas Cowboys for a draft pick. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Patriots will receive a seventh round pick in 2021 that could turn into a sixth round pick. The trade is a win-win for both the Patriots and Bennett, who will now enjoy plenty of playing time with the Cowboys after having limited snap count during his six-game stint with New England.
The Patriots, for their part, have removed a potential distraction in their push for a seventh Super Bowl ring.
Bennett, who finished his short New England stint with 2.5 sacks, was suspended for one game by the Patriots after getting into an argument with defensive line coach Bret Bielema. More importantly, the Patriots have gained enough salary cap room to make another move before the Oct. 29 trade deadline.
Patriots have $2.8 million in salary cap room
According to Miguel Benzan of the Boston Sports Journal, the Patriots now have a salary cap space of $2,812,708 following Bennett’s trade and the signing of Ufomba Kamul off the practice squad by the Baltimore Ravens. “Number accounts for all of this week's transactions. The number presumes a Justin Bethel signed for the minimum,” Benzan tweeted.
The Patriots recently signed Bethel, a special teams ace, and acquired wide receiver Mohamed Sanu from the Atlanta Falcons via trade.
To create salary cap room to accommodate both Bethel and Sanu, the Patriots converted $1.75 million of guard Shaq Mason’s salary into signing bonus, giving them an additional $1.4 million in space, according to Field Yates of ESPN.
Phil Perry of NBC Sports reported that the Patriots could gain an additional $1 million if they release wide receiver Josh Gordon off waivers and claimed by another team.
The Patriots did not release Gordon to create room for Sanu because they would be saddled with the wide receiver’s salary for the rest of the season, per Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com.
Patriots could make another trade before deadline
Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com said the Patriots could use their current salary cap space to get another player via trade before the Oct.
29 deadline. “The short answer is yes, but it isn’t as simple as going after anyone the team desires,” said Hannable. However, he clarified that the Patriots could only target players early on in their rookie deals or players on minimal contracts.
Perry added that the Patriots could also try to extend players like Kyle Van Noy, Dont'a Hightower and Devin McCourty to create more salary cap space to acquire another player who can help their push for another Super Bowl trophy. The Patriots have until 4 PM on Tuesday to make a move.
