Tuesday 22 October 2019 15:44, UK
The New England Patriots have acquired wide receiver Mohamed Sanu from the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for a second-round draft pick.
New England had reportedly been active in trade talks for inside receivers and tight ends, including Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders and Buccaneers tight end O.J. Howard.
Former Patriots college scouting director Thomas Dimitroff runs personnel in Atlanta and has previously made deals with his old boss, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
Sanu was taken in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft out of Rutgers by the Cincinnati Bengals.
The 30-year-old has 33 receptions for 313 yards and a touchdown this season.
He has accumulated 402 career receptions for 4,607 yards and 27 touchdowns, including eight postseason games and was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2020 season.
The Patriots gave Antonio Brown a shot at their wide receiver role but he was cut after just 11 days and one game amid an NFL investigation into off-field allegations against the wide receiver.
Injury to Josh Gordon added urgency to the Patriots' search for a new wide receiver.
The NFL trade deadline is at 9pm (GMT) on October 29.
