A general manager who knows how to play their hand is at the core of every successful NFL team’s construction. If their team is on the verge of greatness, perhaps they’ll take a calculated risk and make a sizable bet on further success with an acquisition. If their team is flying around in the wind with no direction, it’s probably time to start considering trading assets off, understanding there’s likely little to play for in a lost season.
It’s a delicate and challenging balance to straddle, especially at the annual NFL trade deadline.
Today, we’re talking about the NFL teams in 2023 who should really consider waving the white flag ahead of this year’s Halloween trade deadline. Sure, they could technically save their respective seasons. All of the cliches about it not being over until it’s over and “playing to the whistle” apply. But this is the NFL, folks. We’re almost halfway through the year. The number of awful teams who turn their campaigns around on a dime after giving us plenty of horrific sample sizes is minimal historically.
The list below features five teams who should see the forest for the trees and start making proactive calls to “contenders” who need players to make a run. As Kenny Rogers once said: You’ve gotta know when to fold ’em.
Let’s dive in.