The New England Patriots and Houston Texans made a trade on Sunday.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Patriots traded offensive tackle Marcus Cannon to the Texans, and the teams also swapped draft picks. Per Jim McBride of the Boston Globe, the clubs are trading picks in the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds.
A trade among old friends: The #Patriots are trading OT Marcus Cannon to the #Texans, sources say, in a deal that includes swapping picks. Cannon does return after a year away, but not in New England – and Bill Belichick and Nick Caserio do a trade.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 14, 2021
The move comes days after the Patriots acquired offensive tackle Trent Brown from the Las Vegas Raiders.
Cannon has spent his entire nine-year career with the Patriots, winning three Super Bowls. He'll now be tasked with helping protect Deshaun Watson in Houston, provided the disgruntled quarterback isn't traded.
The Texans have been looking to upgrade their offensive line to try to get Watson to be more willing to play for the franchise in 2021. Cannon is a start, but the move alone isn't going to do much on the Watson front.
Cannon, a cancer survivor, opted out of the 2020 campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He's expected to return next season.
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