New England Patriots - NESN.com
The New England Patriots had a surprisingly busy day on Tuesday, as the front office made three noteworthy moves. One of those moves saw defensive end Keion White get dealt to the San Francisco 49ers ahead of the upcoming trade deadline.
A second-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, White put together a strong start last season for the Patriots, but he quickly flamed out before falling out of the team’s defensive line rotation this year. With the deal in the books, let’s take a closer look at the details before handing out a final grade for both teams.
Entering the 2025 campaign, it was reasonable to expect White to be a contributor on New England’s defensive line. In 17 games last season, White racked up 56 tackles, five sacks, seven tackles for a loss, 16 quarterback hits and two fumbles forced. However, it is worth noting that most of that production came early in the season.
White played in five games this season, but he has struggled to make an impact, picking up just six tackles during his time on the field. After he was a healthy scratch in Week 8, it became clear that he could be getting moved before the trade deadline.
Sure enough, the Patriots sent him to the 49ers, attaching a seventh-round pick to him in order to get a sixth-round pick in return. It’s not a wildly flashy move, but with White no longer factoring into Mike Vrabel’s plans, it made sense to move on from him.
And yet, the return feels a bit lackluster, especially given how White still could have served as a depth option in the event injuries pop up on the d-line. Adding some pass-rushing help was already a priority at the deadline, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Pats add some reinforcements at this spot after moving on from White.
Patriots grade: C+
If there was a team that needed pass rush help more than New England, it was San Francisco. After losing Nick Bosa to a torn ACL back in Week 3, the 49ers have struggled to get any sort of pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Bryce Huff has been a pleasant surprise, but otherwise, it’s been a struggle for this group.
The addition of White should help. Again, his numbers aren’t wildly impressive, but he has shown an ability to get to the quarterback, particularly when rushing on the interior. He likely won’t be a three-down player for the team, but he should be able to make an impact in obvious passing situations.
For the price, White is a solid addition for the Niners. He doesn’t drastically improve the team’s defense, but he should help fill one of their biggest areas of need. And at the end of the day, that earns them a higher mark than the Patriots when it comes to this trade.
49ers grade: B
