With less than an hour to go before the NFL’s official roster cutdown deadline, the New England Patriots decided to swing another trade. After adding running back Corey Kiner the previous day, they have now brought in Walter Rouse, a versatile offensive lineman from the Minnesota Vikings. To facilitate the move, the Patriots sent a sixth-round draft pick to Minnesota and got a seventh plus Rouse in return.
Let’s put a grade on the move based on the information we have available.
Patriots’ Walter Rouse trade with Vikings, graded
Bernd Buchmasser: Similar
to the Corey Kiner trade, this is another “jumping the queue” move that allows the Patriots to skip the waiver wire to bring a player on board who would have otherwise been released. The cost is therefore minimal, and the result a net positive: a player who likely will not be used in any extensive capacity this year but still offers positional versatility and experience. | Grade: C+
Matt St. Jean: Rouse is a third-year offensive lineman and former sixth-round pick who was a backup at both tackle spots last season and both guard spots this preseason for the Minnesota Vikings. For a marginal cost, hopefully Rouse can fill a depth role in New England that players like Caedan Wallace and James Hudson could not. | Grade: C-
Pat Lane: The Patriots were in need of depth, and they clearly didn’t like what they had on the roster, so they traded for Rouse, who has yet to show much of anything, but has position versatility, playing both tackle and guard. It might not be great, but it’s better than having James Hudson on the roster… | Grade: D
Andrew Guindon: New England needed offensive tackle depth after Marcus Bryant’s injury that landed him on short-term injured reserve. Rouse didn’t see any action on offense during his rookie season, but that number increased to 88 snaps last year. He has positional versatility along the offensive line, which is a plus. Although I’m not a fan of sending away late-round picks for depth pieces who might not see game action, it’s needed depth. | Grade: C
What do you think about the Rouse trade? Do you like it? Do you not? Please participate in our poll and head to the comment section below to explain your thinking.
