Jonathan Casillas Trade Helps Patriots Fortify Linebacker Depth

Until further notice, the New England Patriots should now be considered a lock for a trade at the deadline.

They acquired linebacker Akeem Ayers from the Tennessee Titans last week, and on Tuesday, they also traded for Jonathan Casillas from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media.

It's not clear yet what the Patriots gave up to receive Casillas (the Patriots are reportedly "flipping picks" with the Buccaneers, according to Tom E. Curran of CSNNE.com), but it's already clear what they've received: a linebacker to add to their depth who can contribute on special teams.

At 6'1" and 227 pounds, Casillas is a good fit as an inside or weak-side linebacker in the Patriots defense. For the Buccaneers, Casillas was playing mainly the strong-side linebacker position, but he was projected to be the New Orleans Saints' starting weak-side linebacker in 2010, following the departure of then-starter Scott Shanle, before he suffered a season-ending foot injury.

That wasn't the end of his injury history either. Casillas was also placed on injured reserve with a knee injury near the end of the 2013 season.

So, between Ayers and Casillas, New England has acquired two linebackers with a history of injuries.

In trading for both linebackers over the past week, the Patriots clearly viewed their linebacker room as the one most in need of additions. They were able to fortify their depth at the position without going crazy.

That being said, the Patriots may have avoided this situation altogether if they had addressed their paper-thin linebacking group this offseason. They lost both Brandon Spikes and Dane Fletcher to free agency during the 2014 offseason and did not make any significant additions at the position until the undrafted free-agent period began.

Credit: StatMilk

Losing linebacker Jerod Mayo to a season-ending knee injury was a big blow to the defense, and while Casillas certainly won't fill the void at the top end of the roster, he could be called upon to fill out the bottom of the depth chart with someone else stepping up (Deontae Skinner in particular).

The teams that reach the Super Bowl are often the ones who have the best depth, and while this move probably won't be the difference in whether the Patriots are playing in the final game of the season, it's a sign of how seriously the Patriots are in need of precious depth as we hit the midseason mark.

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