8 NFL trades that need to happen before the trade deadline

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These are the trades we want to see before the Halloween trade deadline

It wasn’t long ago that the NFL Trade Deadline was the most-hyped date on the NFL calendar where nothing actually happened — but now things are different. Teams have never been more disposed to making player deals around the league, and in recently years we’ve actually seen some major deals go down in the week leading up to the deadline.

In 2022 this was headlined by Christian McCaffrey being dealt to the 49ers, but he wasn’t the only one. Bradley Chubb went to Miami, Roquan Smith joined the Ravens, Calvin Ridley was traded to Jacksonville — and most infamously, the Bears sent a 2nd round pick for Chase Claypool.

Who are the players this year that could find new homes ahead of the deadline?

Patrick Surtain II/Jalen Mills/Jabrill Peppers to the Detroit Lions

As we noted on Wednesday, this is the year for the Detroit Lions to push the chips to the center of the table. Entering Week 7 the Lions have a three-game lead in the win column over the Green Bay Packers — and have already beaten their rivals at Lambeau Field — and when you look at their schedule the rest of the way, the Lions have things set up for a run to the playoffs.

But they are banged up in the secondary, with injuries at both cornerback and safety. They lost cornerback Emmanuel Moseley to an ACL injury, in just his first game back from a separate ACL tear. Then there is rookie defensive back Brian Branch, who has seen snaps at both cornerback and safety this year. He has missed the last two games with an ankle injury, and while head coach Dan Campbell gave a promising update on the rookie earlier this week, adding another versatile player in the secondary might be a smart move.

Luckily for the Lions, there are some players they could target. Surtain might be the best cornerback available via a trade, and while the asking price could be steep for a talented corner still on his rookie deal, again if the Lions are going to be aggressive this is the year to pay that kind of price.

Then there are the Patriots, who should also be sellers at the deadline. That could make both Jalen Mills and Jabrill Peppers options on the trade market. Both players bring some versatility to the table, and in terms of a cornerback/safety hybrid player like Branch, Mills is probably the better option.

Brian Burns to the Los Angeles Rams

It’s a little unclear whether the Panthers are going to be buyers or sellers at the deadline, but either way it might be time to say goodbye to their best defensive player. Burns and the Panthers can’t reach common ground on a long-term deal, and this team needs to fill a lot of holes on offense with draft capital they don’t currently have.

A year ago Carolina rejected a massive trade haul from the Rams for Burns that would have netted them two first round picks and more. This is their chance to rectify at least some of that deal.

Meanwhile Los Angeles gets a top-tier pass rusher who plugs PERFECTLY into their defense, much like Von Miller did during their Super Bowl run. Pass rush has been a huge weakness for the Rams this year, and they get an elite player who can turn them from a middling NFC team, into a potentially very dangerous playoff team.

Ryan Tannehill to the Atlanta Falcons

Much of this depends on the status of Ryan Tannehill’s ankle. The veteran quarterback suffered a high ankle sprain in the team’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens, and while it was reported on Wednesday that he should avoid surgery, his status is up in the air for the Tennessee Titans’ next game, which comes just days before the trade deadline.

But might he be on the opposite sideline by then?

Frustration seems to be growing with Atlanta Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder. The second-year passer threw three more interceptions against the Washington Commanders last Sunday, including two late in the fourth quarter which erased any hopes of a Falcons comeback. The second of his interceptions, an ill-advised throw into the end zone on third down against a Cover 0 blitz, seemed to draw the most ire from head coach Arthur Smith:

Could a reunion between Smith and Tannehill — who he coached in Tennessee — be the answer to Atlanta’s current QB woes?

Davante Adams to the Green Bay Packers

We even tasked our graphics department to give us a preview:

Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Graphic design is our passion here at SB Nation.

Joking aside, the big story out of Las Vegas Wednesday centered on the receiver, and his growing frustration in the Raiders offense. “I’m a human being and I have extremely high standards for myself in this offense,” said Adams, who has seen just nine targets over the past two games, both of which the Raiders won.

“I’m sure people are thinking, ‘They won the game, why is there an issue?’ I mean, you see why it’s an issue,” added Adams. “Y’all should know who I am, know what I’m about at this point … when you’re a player like me, mentally, my benchmark is not wins and losses — it’s greatness. So when I go out there, I expect to be able to have that ability to put that on tape and have an influence on the game. That’s my purpose for being here. I’m not here just to hang out; I came here to win and to do it the right way.”

There has been talk of the Packers adding a veteran receiver, both to help mentor the young players in the receiving room, and to aid in the development of first-year starter Jordan Love. Perhaps bringing Adams back to the NFC North would make everyone involved happy.

Josh Uche to the Baltimore Ravens

As a team, the Baltimore Ravens are tied with the Buffalo Bills with the most sacks on the season.

However, they have done this while some of their pass rushers have been banged up this season. Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo have both missed time this season, and Tyus Bowser has been sidelined since training camp, in a situation that remains … let’s just say odd.

So while the Ravens do not need to add a premier pass rusher, someone who could give them another weapon off the edge in spots and certain situations would be a worthwhile investment. Josh Uche is perhaps the perfect player in that mold. He is also set to hit free agency after this season, and according to one report from FOX Sports, the Patriots have not held any contract talks with the pass rusher.

He may end up being a one-year rental, but for a team like Baltimore, it might be worth the price.

Danielle Hunter to the Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars are a really good team in dire need of pass rushing help. The Vikings are an organization that find themselves in a mess right now, and they NEED to rebuild for the future.

In a lot of ways this is a hand, meet glove deal. Danielle Hunter’s contract expires at the end of 2023, and likely won’t cost the Jaguars a ton in draft capital for that reason. The 28-year-old could be a short-term rental to help them down the stretch, or extend his stay in North Florida on a winning team.

As it stands Hunter’s pass rushing prowess is being wasted on a team with a dearth of defensive talent around him. Even with Minnesota’s propensity to keep their own players and overpay, surely they know that moving forward requires a lot of draft capital and the Vikings could be due for a serious overhaul if Kirk Cousins is done after this year.

Rip the Band-Aid off and make this deal now.

Marquise Brown to the Carolina Panthers

The Panthers receiving unit is so bad right now that it’s turning 33-year-old Adam Thielen into a star. Part of that is his growing rapport with Bryce Young, but it’s far more due to the fact nobody else is worth a damn.

Carolina has been linked to Jerry Jeudy but that move doesn’t make a lot of sense. Hollywood Brown does. The questions remains what the Cardinals see their immediate future as. If Jonathan Gannon and co. want to move forward with Kyler Murray and try to make a run of it, then keeping Brown makes sense — but if they want tho rebuild with their own quarterback then amassing more draft assets and building from the ground up is the call.

Andy Dalton to the New York Jets

Much bigger names have been floated as possible targets for the Jets, but someone like Kirk Cousins at this juncture really doesn’t make a ton of sense. If we assume Aaron Rodgers really does believe he can come back and play at the tail-end of the season (or even in the playoffs) then the cap numbers don’t work out.

Dalton is the kind of veteran the Jets could win with right now. He won’t do anything flashy, he’s not going to put a team on his back and win games — but he’s also not going to throw the game away. In his one appearance as a starter for the Panthers this season Dalton threw for 361 yards and two touchdowns against the Seahawks, which is impressive considering their dumpster fire of a receiving room.

If you take the Jets’ defense and add a consistent chain-mover like Dalton at quarterback and they will win games. It would take little more than a late-round pick to make it happen, and Dalton already accepted a backup role — so he’d be fine moving to the bench if/when Rodgers returns.