The New England Patriots are just 2-5 heading into Week 8, so everyone is anticipating that if the Patriots are going to make moves before the Oct. 31 NFL trade deadline, they will be sellers.

However, the Patriots could do a little bit of both.

A former NFL executive tells the NFL Analysis Network that New England could look to build for the future before the end of the month and mentions Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins as a potential target.

“The Patriots may become sellers at the trade deadline, but they should be buyers for the future as well. Tee Higgins would be a perfect pickup for them,” said the former exec. “Adding a true No. 1 wideout to build around for years to come should be a major priority for New England.”

This is a very salient point.

Clearly, the Pats aren’t going anywhere this year, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be thinking about their future. Right now, the Patriots have a pretty thin receiving corps that has some decent guys, but really no top-level talent. Adding Higgins would obviously change that.

Of course, it takes two to tango, and the Bengals would have to be inclined to move Higgins first before New England could swing a deal for him.

Earlier in the season when Cincinnati was struggling, Higgins was viewed as a potential trade candidate because his contract expires at the end of the year and Cincy may not bring him back. But, things have changed since then, as the Bengals have won two games in a row to work themselves back into the AFC playoff picture.

At 3-3, Cincinnati sits in contention AFC North, so at this point, it’s hard to imagine the Bengals moving one of their top offensive threats.

Then again, stranger things have happened.

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