Several members of the New England Patriots’ wide receiving corps are dealing with various injuries. Julian Edelman is playing with a ribs issue, Josh Gordon suffered a knee injury in a 35-14 win over the New York Giants while Phillip Dorsett has a hamstring problem. Despite his injury, Edelman has tallied back-to-back 100 receiving yard games in wins over the Redskins and the Giants. The Patriots could gain additional depth with the return of rookie wideout N’Keal Harry to practice next week. However, Jeff Howe of The Athletic said the Patriots want a wide receiver that could immediately help veteran quarterback Tom Brady, who was held to three touchdown passes in his last three games after recording seven scoring strikes in his first three outings.

It was reported that the Patriots were eyeing Stefon Diggs of the Minnesota Vikings via trade. However, the Vikings declared that they won’t part ways with Diggs, whom they consider a valuable piece in their quest for a playoff spot. Diggs showed his worth when he caught seven passes for 167 yards and three touchdowns in the Vikings’ 38-20 rout of the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

Fitzgerald a potential trade target

The Denver Broncos and the Cincinnati Bengals also stressed that they won’t trade Emmanuel Sanders and A.J. Green, respectively. Former New England executive Mike Lombardi said the Patriots should work out a trade for Mohamed Sanu of the Atlanta Falcons. In his article, Howe said other trade possibilities for the Patriots include veteran wideout Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals.

However, it would be impossible for the Cardinals to trade Fitzgerald, who has been with the team since he was drafted third overall in the 2004 NFL Draft. Howe added that other potential targets for the Patriots are Nelson Agholor of the Philadelphia Eagles, Randall Cobb of the Dallas Cowboys, Allen Hurns of the Miami Dolphins and Demaryius Thomas, whom New England shipped to the Jets last month.

Howe said the Patriots could create additional salary cap room by signing Brady, Devin McCourty or Dont’a Hightower to a contract extension. They can also add cap space by trading defensive end Michael Bennett.

Gronkowski must file for reinstatement before Dec. 7

Recently, retired tight end Rob Gronkowski left the door open for a possible return to the Patriots while team CEO Robert Kraft said he would welcome his return if he decides to cut his retirement short.

According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, if Gronkowski really wants to return, he must apply for reinstatement by Dec. 7 to be eligible to play at all in the 2019 regular season or postseason. Gronkowski, who recently started in his new job as football analyst for Fox, is currently on the league's reserve/retired list. However, Gronkowski was placed on the list before the start of training camp so he cannot request for reinstatement after the club's 13th game or Dec. 8, in the case of the Patriots.