Mark Barron isn’t the only player traded away by the Buccaneers just before the NFL trade deadline.
Tampa Bay also traded linebacker Jonathan Casillas to New England, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
The 27-year-old Casillas has been a backup for most of his NFL career and has played in five games with the Bucs this year. There’s no immediate word on what the Patriots gave up to acquire Casillas, but it’s likely a late-round pick conditioned on Casillas reaching a certain level of playing time.
This is the third straight year that the Patriots have added a player to their defense at the trade deadline. Last year they acquired defensive tackle Isaac Sopoaga in a trade with the Eagles, and two years ago they acquired cornerback Aqib Talib in a trade with the Buccaneers.