The New England Patriots have been hard at work this offseason making moves in an effort to build their roster back up after they missed out on the 2023 NFL Playoffs. While they have been busy, the rest of the AFC East has been as well, which makes it tough to truly tell if they will be able to improve in the way they are hoping to this upcoming season.

The Pats have done a good job at keeping most of their defense together, while also adding some intriguing players through the 2023 NFL Draft, but their offensive upgrades are filled with question marks. Mac Jones will be looking to put together a nice bounce-back campaign, but it remains to be seen whether or not the offense has truly been improved upon this offseason.

There are still moves that could be made if the Patriots wanted to, as there are some interesting players available on the trade market that could shore up areas of need for New England. So with that in mind, let's look at three big name players who the Pats could trade for that would immediately strengthen their team for the upcoming season and beyond.

3. Chase Young

Chase Young has had a particularly strange start to his career with the Washington Commanders. Young looked like a surefire star in his rookie campaign back in 2020, when he racked up 7.5 sacks on his way to winning Defensive Rookie of the Year. But Young struggled in 2021, racking up just 1.5 sacks over nine games before tearing his ACL, an injury which limited him to just three games last season.

The Commanders opted to not pick up Young's fifth-year option earlier this offseason, and the 2023 campaign is clearly a make-or-break season for Young. Rumors have been floating around that Washington could be looking to offload him this offseason, although the fact that he wasn't dealt before or during the draft seems to indicate he will be sticking around for at least one more season with the Commanders.

There are a lot of question marks surrounding Young, particularly in regards to his health and poor production when he's actually played over the past two seasons, but he could be a flier worth taking for New England. The Pats don't have a true number two pass-rushing option behind Matthew Judon right now, and while there's a chance Young wouldn't pan out, he could end up turning the Patriots front seven into one of the most dangerous units in the entire league.

2. Budda Baker

The one truly massive loss for the Patriots on defense this offseason was Devin McCourty, who opted to retire after an extremely successful career spent entirely with New England. The Pats have enough depth in their secondary to get by without him, but they don't have a true deep-roaming free safety who profiles as a straight up replacement for McCourty.

Baker is not the same type of safety as McCourty, but he still could be a perfect replacement for New England's longtime anchor at the back. Baker is a bit more like Adrian Phillips and Kyle Dugger in that he can do a bit of everything, and he is easily one of the top safeties in the NFL. Baker has earned five Pro Bowl and three All-Pro selections through just six seasons with the Arizona Cardinals.

With Arizona seemingly heading for a bit of a rebuild, Baker requested a trade earlier this offseason, and the Patriots should certainly be looking into potentially making a move for the talented safety before the start of the season. It would cost a lot in terms of both money and draft capital, but Baker could be the perfect replacement for McCourty if Bill Belichick decided he wanted to swing a blockbuster deal.

1. Devin White

Another guy who has requested a trade this offseason is Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Devin White. White has quickly turned himself into one of the most disruptive all-around linebackers in the NFL, and with the Bucs set for a rebuild in the wake of New England's old friend Tom Brady's retirement, White wants out.

White is one of the most relentless tacklers in the game, using his unique combination of size and speed to always find a way to make a big play for Tampa Bay. 2020 was easily the best season of White's career, and while he hasn't necessarily been as good following up his breakout campaign, he's still been outrageously productive.

New England could certainly use some help at linebacker, even after selecting Marte Mapu in the third-round of this year's draft. There aren't many better options available than White, and while he may cost a lot in terms of money and draft capital like Baker, this would give the Patriots a foundational piece to build around for the foreseeable future.