NEWSLETTER
A wild NFL trade deadline has come and gone and there was plenty of movement to discuss, which Luis did on Tuesday afternoon after the dust settled, but we’re going to use this space today to talk about some of the winners and losers of the NFL trade deadline.
NFL Trade Deadline Winners
The Miami Dolphins had the splashiest deadline in the AFC with their acquisition of Bradley Chubb from the Denver Broncos being the headliner for them. Chubb brings a much-needed additional pass rush presence to the Dolphins and with that trade seeing the final of three first-rounders acquired in the trade with the 49ers that allowed San Francisco to draft Trey Lance, the Dolphins have secured a substantial haul for that pick.
Chubb joins Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle as the three players acquired with those picks either via the draft (Waddle) or trade. Waddle caught 104 passes for 1,015 yards and six touchdowns in his rookie season last year and already has 42 catches, 727 yards, and five touchdowns in his sophomore campaign. Waddle is on pace for 89 catches and 1,545 yards this season, while his teammate Tyreek Hill has caught 69 passes for 961 yards and a pair of touchdowns and is on pace to catch 147 passes for 2,042 yards.
Throw in Chubb, and the Dolphins have turned the chance to draft Lance into one of the biggest coups in recent memory. The Dolphins also added running back Jeff Wilson, a player whom Mike McDaniel saw success with while in San Francisco.
The San Francisco 49ers made the most significant move of the deadline last week, sending a package of draft picks to Carolina for Christian McCaffery. All McCaffery did in his 49ers debut last weekend was score three touchdowns:
With the Rams sitting on their hands ahead of the deadline despite glaring needs, San Francisco now becomes a legitimate contender in the NFC.
The Minnesota Vikings basically got a pro bowl tight end (T.J. Hockenson) for free from their division rival to replace Irv Smith Jr. — who will miss significant time with a high ankle sprain — in a mind-boggling trade.
The Vikings are getting Hockenson, a 2023 fourth-rounder, and a conditional 2024 fourth-rounder in exchange for their 2023 second-round pick and a 2023 third-round pick, which will belong to the Lions now.
So, Detroit slightly improved their draft positioning and gave the Vikings a star tight end who will serve as a security blanket for Kirk Cousins in Kevin O’Connell’s version of the Shanahan offense.
The Chicago Bears flipped Roquan Smith to the Ravens for a second and fifth-round pick and traded Robert Quinn to the Eagles for a fourth-round pick. The Bears then sent their second-round pick to the Steelers for wide receiver Chase Claypool.
So, the Bears got Claypool, a fourth-round pick, and a fifth-round pick in exchange for Roquan — an expiring contract whose demands they were unlikely to meet — and Quinn. I like it. I like it a lot. It also signals that Ryan Poles is all-in on Justin Fields. Talk about making two of the best performances of his career coming right before the trade deadline very timely.
NFL Trade Deadline Losers
The Green Bay Packers were in on Claypool and even considered a front-runner to land him on Tuesday morning, and they whiffed. Not only did they have their target snatched from them hours before the deadline, but it was also the Bears who did it.
The Packers have lost four straight, trail the Vikings by three wins in the NFC North, and Aaron Rodgers’ head might explode soon. Doing nothing to improve that team was a massive loss for Brian Gutekunst.
The Los Angeles Rams are another team that was viewed as a contender by virtue of being the defending Super Bowl champs, but they’re 3-4 and in need of help at multiple spots, yet they did absolutely nothing ahead of the deadline.
Plus, they watched the 49ers get significantly better at the deadline, adding insult to injury. Los Angeles is staring up at the 49ers and Seahawks in the NFC West as we approach the halfway point of the season. That’s not great.
The Detroit Lions basically gave Hockenson away and did nothing else to improve. So they’re losers, even though we already knew that.
