The NFL trade deadline is officially behind us and several teams should be excited about their moves ahead of the regular season’s second half. Meanwhile, other clubs don’t have as many reasons to celebrate.
Here are the biggest winners and losers from the NFL trade window.
đź‘Ť Winner: Commanders
Washington made Tuesday’s biggest move by acquiring cornerback Marshon Lattimore from the Saints. The Commanders also got a fifth-round pick as part of the move in exchange for third-, fourth-, and sixth-round selections. Granted, Lattimore hasn’t claimed a Pro Bowl berth or stayed healthy for a full season since 2021, but this move for the four-time Pro Bowler makes a lot of sense for Dan Quinn and Co.
Lattimore instantly becomes the top corner on a Commanders roster desperately seeking more talent. Washington used first- or second-round draft picks on CBs in each of the last two years, yet the team’s allowed a 103.9 passer rating to opposing quarterbacks in 2024. The expectation is that a healthy Lattimore will benefit from a change of scenery and regain his best form. He’s used to covering some of football’s best receivers, while Washington corners Benjamin St-Juste, Emmanuel Forbes, and rookie Mike Sainristil aren’t.
The Commanders entered the day with nine draft picks and did send a Round 3 choice to New Orleans, but the NFC East club still owns a third-rounder as part of the Jahan Dotson trade from the Eagles (via the Dolphins). Washington opened its Super Bowl window after drafting QB Jayden Daniels in April, and making a big trade for a Pro Bowl corner to fill a roster need is fitting for a contender.
đź‘Ž Loser: Jerry Jones
The 3-5 Cowboys were buyers?!
Jones said Tuesday morning that Dak Prescott is likely to land on injured reserve, and then made a trade for Carolina Panthers receiver Jonathan Mingo not long after. Making matters worse, the Cowboys gave up a fourth-round pick for Mingo, a 2023 second-round wideout yet to score a touchdown in 24 NFL appearances.
Everything about this deal looks wrong for Dallas. Jones said he liked Mingo predraft, but giving up a Round 4 selection for a WR with a 12-121-0 stat line in 2024 is a clear overpay. The Chiefs landed DeAndre Hopkins two weeks ago for a conditional 2025 fifth-rounder. The timing here also doesn’t make sense for the Cowboys, who are two games below .500 and expected to be without their superstar QB for multiple games due to a hamstring injury.
đź‘Ť Winner: DeAndre Hopkins
Hopkins was sent from Tennessee to Kansas City on Oct. 23, but the five-time Pro Bowler entered Tuesday’s trade deadline as a major winner. Going from the 2-6 Titans to the undefeated Chiefs was a monster upgrade for Hopkins, who caught eight passes for 86 yards and two touchdowns in his Arrowhead Stadium debut Monday to help Patrick Mahomes and Co. beat the Buccaneers in overtime and stay perfect.
The 32-year-old fits well in Andy Reid’s offense and gives Mahomes a legit go-to weapon for contested catches, while also taking some pressure off Travis Kelce. In two games with the Chiefs, Hopkins proved he has a lot left in the tank.
đź‘Ž Loser: Bengals
This wasn’t the year for the Bengals’ front office to do the usual and stay quiet at the deadline.
The only thing Cincinnati did was send a seventh-round pick to the Bears for Khalil Herbert. The 26-year-old running back was recently a healthy scratch in Chicago and has only eight carries for 16 yards and one touchdown in 2024. Once a promising tailback, Herbert averaged 5.7 yards per carry on 129 rushing attempts in 2022 for Chicago but hasn’t been able to replicate that production.
Landing Herbert makes some sense, as Cincy placed running back Zack Moss on injured reserve Tuesday. Still, more was expected from the Bengals, whose defense ranks 26th in EPA/play and has particularly struggled to pressure opposing QBs. Cincinnati has only 17 sacks in 2024, and Trey Hendrickson accounts for 11 of them. Adding a new defensive back also would’ve been nice, especially after the Ravens and Steelers added new receivers.
A late-season playoff push will now be even harder for the 4-5 Bengals to make.
đź‘Ť Winner: Lions
The 7-1 Lions entered Tuesday with only one major need after losing Aidan Hutchinson to a season-ending injury, and they did what had to be done to add an established pass-rusher, acquiring Za’Darius Smith from the Browns for late-round draft compensation.
Hutchinson may be irreplaceable for Detroit at this point, but Smith should be able to help a red-hot Lions team that’s already generated 89 pressures, the third-best mark in the NFL in 2024. The 32-year-old and three-time Pro Bowler has five sacks in nine games this season.
đź‘Ž Loser: Jadeveon Clowney
The 2-7 Panthers not trading Clowney was one of the day’s biggest surprises. Carolina added more future draft picks by moving receivers Diontae Johnson and Mingo, but the team wasn’t able to deal Clowney, who’s now stuck in Carolina after signing a two-year contract this past offseason.
Yes, the 32-year-old has only one sack in seven games this season, but the former No. 1 pick is coming off an excellent campaign that saw him rack up 9.5 sacks with Baltimore. The expectation was that a contender looking for pass-rush help would acquire Clowney, but that wasn’t the case and he remains with the rebuilding Panthers.
đź‘Ť Winner: Russell Wilson
Pittsburgh finally landed another receiver. After missing out on Brandon Aiyuk and Davante Adams, and getting close to acquiring Christian Kirk before his season-ending injury, the Steelers landed Mike Williams from the New York Jets before the deadline. The Steelers had been looking for months for a new weapon to line up alongside George Pickens.
Williams isn’t as dominant as Adams or Aiyuk, but he could help Wilson. The veteran QB, known for his deep passes, looked good in his first two starts with the Steelers. Williams, coming off a torn ACL, has caught only 12 passes and 166 yards this season but is a two-time 1,000-yard wideout who’s averaged 15.5 yards per catch in his career. Even at age 30, Williams could stretch the field for Wilson while adding immediate depth around the QB.
đź‘Ž Loser: Non-elite AFC teams
The first half of the 2024 season saw the Chiefs land Hopkins, the Bills get Amari Cooper, and the Ravens add Diontae Johnson. In other words: The AFC’s top contenders got even better with in-season trades, while other teams in the conference hoping to at least reach the playoffs didn’t make any splashes.
That’s particularly fitting for the Los Angeles Chargers, who are currently the No. 6 seed in the AFC. The Chargers were linked to wide receivers and cornerbacks recently, but Jim Harbaugh’s outfit didn’t make any moves Tuesday. L.A. remains in the playoff race, along with Denver, Indianapolis, and Cincinnati, but making a deep run in January seems unrealistic right now.
