Tag: NFL trade deadline 2023

9 biggest winners (49ers!) and losers (sigh, Bears) of the 2023 NFL trade deadline

The 49ers’ defense loading up and the confusing Bears headlined a strange trade deadline.

Well, that was kind of disappointing, wasn’t it?

Heading into Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline, we expected a flurry of moves spurred by championship contenders recognizing their flaws and mediocre teams looking to the future. What we got instead was a small spattering of trades that may or may not have had any bearing on the 2023 season, with everyone turtling and mostly playing it safe. Go figure.

But it wasn’t a completely uneventful day.

A Super Bowl 58 favorite added a high-upside pass-rusher. At the same time, the league’s worst marquee team metaphorically drove circles around in the parking lot while a superstar receiver in Nevada resigned himself to an aimless future. And we can’t forget the smart, understated move from a western New York squad addressing a major defensive need.

Let’s break down For The Win’s the winners and losers of the 2023 NFL trade deadline.

Chase Young trade grades: Who won the 49ers – Commanders deal?

The 49ers will pair Young with Nick Bosa while the Commanders reset their defensive line.

The Washington Commanders aren’t messing around.

Earlier on Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline, they sent franchise pass rusher Montez Sweat to the Chicago Bears. Rather than entertain the idea of a future for Chase Young in Washington, they then packed his bags and traded him to the San Francisco 49ers. Put another way in the simplest terms: Phew. I guess we now know how the Commanders feel about building a team around a defensive line. Even they knew that would be foolish.

Meanwhile, as their defense sits in shambles of late, San Francisco takes a low-risk play at Young, hoping he sands over a unit that struggled for most of October. If it pays off, the 49ers might qualify for Super Bowl 58. If not, well, they can try again next year.

Who won this trade between the Commanders and the 49ers? Let’s break it down.

Montez Sweat trade grades: Who won the Bears – Commanders deal?

The Bears get a star pass rusher while the Commanders start investing in a rebuild.

Tuesday’s Halloween NFL trade deadline began with a doozy.

The Washington Commanders sent underrated pass rusher Montez Sweat to the Chicago Bears in a move that will have significant ramifications for both organizations. Washington’s trade potentially signals that it prefers the future of fellow defensive lineman Chase Young. In Chicago, the Bears finally have their hopeful franchise pass rusher (though they still have to re-sign him to a long-term extension).

It’s an intriguing situation for both teams and one we’ll have to monitor closely in the coming months. Let’s hand out some initial grades and determine who came out on top of this blockbuster deal between Chicago and Washington.

NFL trade deadline: 17 top players who could be available in a deal (Derrick Henry!)

Derrick Henry is just one of many NFL names who could be traded soon.

We are past the days of the NFL trade deadline being a dormant period of inactivity.

In recent years, general managers and head coaches have clearly realized it isn’t that hard to integrate new players mid-season. If a good team needs pieces to make a real playoff or championship run, it usually sheds its inhibitions now. Heck, I certainly don’t blame the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers for going all out by adding Von Miller and Christian McCaffrey in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

All this to say: Expect more of the same at this year’s 4 p.m. ET deadline on Halloween. Squads are no longer apprehensive about adding talent where they can. And anyone willing to sell understands it’s worth getting pieces for the future rather than riding out a middling or lost season. That means more fireworks and more whirlwind fun to keep track of in the coming days.

Buckle up.

Below is a list of top NFL veterans who could be traded before Halloween. Some are more obvious — take a particular veteran running back, for example. Others will require some prudence and forward-thinking from organizations that should realize there’s nothing left to play for in 2023.

Note: This is not a ranking.

CBS Sports proposes big trade deal for Bucs in 2023

Do you think the Bucs should try and make this trade before the deadline?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ run game has suffered for two seasons now, but could a new running back help change that? Some pundits seem to think so.

CBS Sports proposed 15 different trades for the upcoming NFL trade deadline, and the very first one involved the Bucs. Writer Cody Benjamin proposed a trade that would have the Tennessee Titans send running back Derrick Henry to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for Tampa Bay’ third-round pick for 2024.

Here is what CBS Sports said about a potential Derrick Henry trade:

The Buccaneers are feisty this year, but they’re also one of the game’s worst rushing teams, which is a problem when you lean so much on ball-control and defense. The bulldozing Henry is on an expiring deal for a stumbling Titans franchise half-committed to a rebuild, and he might welcome a sunnier change of scenery before a return to the open market in 2024.

It’s true that Tampa Bay’s running backs aren’t exactly working with what they have in the run game, but that’s been a very small part of the problem for the Bucs’ running game. Tampa Bay’s interior line is the major reason why the run game suffers, and it’s unknown if a back like Derrick Henry would really move the needle if that’s the main issue.

On top of that, as Benjamin wrote, Henry is scheduled to become a free agent in 2024. Spending a third-round pick for a half-year rental of Derrick Henry when the Bucs aren’t quite ready to go to the Super Bowl anyway might be ill-advised.

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