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Here are the teams would could be moving on at the deadline.
Through six weeks of NFL action, some teams are still trying to find out what they can be this season.
But some teams know exactly what they are, and for a few of those teams, it is not looking good.
With the NFL’s trade deadline fast approaching, here are some teams that need to take their medicine, punt on this season, and put themselves in a position for a brighter future. Here are five teams that should be sellers at the deadline.
New England Patriots
Like the coming winter, a harsh reality is beginning to set in around Foxborough.
It is time for the New England Patriots to become sellers.
New England enters Week 7 with a 1-5 record, and staring down two extremely tough games against the Bills and the Dolphins. While it is true the Patriots lost to Miami by just one score back in Week 2, much has changed since then. New England lost two of their best defensive players — pass rusher Matthew Judon and talented rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez — to injury.
Meanwhile, the offense has shown few signs of pulling out of the cellar in many statistical categories.
Given this, it is time to start laying the groundwork for next offseason. Players like pass rusher Josh Uche, or defensive back Jabrill Peppers and Jalen Mills, could find homes via a trade. Start stocking up on some draft capital, and get that scouting work in now for next spring.
Of course, whether Bill Belichick will be around for that offseason work is another story.
New York Giants
What a mess. The Giants seemed poised to take a big step in the NFC East in Brian Daboll’s second year as head coach, but everything has gone to hell. Their offensive line is a mess, Daniel Jones has turned back into a pumpkin, and the potentially vaunted defense — believed to be a strength of this team with Dexter Lawrene, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Bobby Okereke is one of the worst units in the league.
It’s unclear which parts the Giants would be willing to ship off, but there are three names to watch here:
Darren Waller at tight end is the big one here. Waller might be the team’s top receiver, but that’s not saying much. Still, the team could easily trade him to a contender and get some draft capital in return to attempt a rebuild.
Another is Adoree Jackson. The ball-hawking cornerback is the kind of player who could give a team a boost in need of secondary help, and there are some interesting buyers at the position like the Lions who could use secondary help as a way to propel themselves deeper in the playoffs.
The last, surprisingly, is Dexter Lawrence. It might be an infuriating move for Giants fans, but an elite nose tackle is a serious luxury for a team with as many holes as New York has right now. Any top-tier team would fall over themselves to get him as a talent, and Lawrence might be the only player the Giants have who could net them a serious draft haul to fix their issues.
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals have been more competitive than they have any right to be, but they’re still 1-5. This team has solid long-term building blocks on defense, but two offensive players are the ones to watch when it comes to potential movement.
At this point everyone knows about Marquise “Hollywood” Brown. He’s putting up really good numbers with Joshua Dobbs at QB and is legitimately the only true No. 1 receiver who could be had in the trade market. The Panthers are one team that would be calling, along with several more who need a difference maker at WR for the rest of the season.
Zach Ertz is another player to keep an eye on. The pass-catching tight end would fill a need on a lot of teams, and at 32-years old he wouldn’t break the bank. Meanwhile it would get the Cardinals even more draft capital to add to their impressive haul, and some salary cap space to play with. Ertz was signed when the Cardinals were a very different team, with DeAndre Hopkins, Kyler Murray, and he was seen as a “missing piece” for the offense. Now he’s in limbo, and could definitely be traded away.
Carolina Panthers
It’s been no secret that the Panthers are trying to be buyers at wide receiver to help Bryce Young, but as a whole the team could be one of the biggest sellers at the trade deadline.
The big name here that everyone is watching is Brian Burns. One of the best pass rushers in the league, there’s a reason why the Rams offered a haul for Burns a year ago that included two first round picks at the deadline. Carolina really fumbled the bag, and despite desperately wanting to sign him to a new deal — the Panthers and Burns can’t reach an agreement on a long-term deal.
Jeremy Chinn is another player to watch. The multi-tool safety has experience at linebacker as well, and is a plug-and-play guy who can help almost any team. The Panther would be loathed to lose him, but they could definitely ship him away.
One more player to watch is Miles Sanders. Once seen as one of Carolina’s best free agent acquisitions, Sanders has turned out to be a terrible fit in the Panthers offense. Not all of this is his fault, with injuries along the offensive line, particularly at the guard position, resulting in poor blocking up front — which has taken away the chance for home run plays. Numerous teams could use a threat on the ground like Sanders down the stretch, and the Panthers seem comfortable moving to Chubba Hubbard as their full-time back.
Denver Broncos
Were it not for the Broncos’ historically-bad defense, we might be having a different conversation. Russell Wilson is playing, well, a bit better than he was a season ago. While that might not yet justify the massive contract in his hand — a contract the team is stuck with for the foreseeable future — he is not the sole reason the Broncos head into Week 7 with a 1-5 record.
Making matters worse, the schedule offers little relief. While the Broncos host the Green Bay Packers this week, the Chiefs, Bills, and Browns represent three of their following four games. 2-8, or even 1-9, are both on the table here.
Given that the team is tied to Wilson, making some moves around him should be a priority. As our friends at Mile High Report argued recently everyone should be on the table, including cornerback Patrick Surtain, particularly if first-round selections are on the table.
