Tag: nfl trade deadline

Ron Rivera explains why Washington might be quiet at the NFL Trade Deadline

There are a number of players who could improve Washington’s roster, but they’re unlikely to make any big moves at the deadline on Tuesday.

The NFL Trade Deadline is just a day away, and while there are a number of deals that are likely to be made within the next 24 hours, don’t be surprised if you see the Washington Football Team stay put for the time being.

That isn’t to say that they arent in desperate need of some help on the open market, or that they don’t have extra pieces here and there that could greatly improve other rosters, netting them some assets for the future. They’re likely to stay put because what’s on their mind right now above competing for the NFC East division title and subsequent playoff spot is a look at the future, and making sure that they can keep a solid roster around for years to come.

When talking to the media on Monday morning, head coach Ron Rivera explained a bit of his thinking on this matter.

Unlike an expiring contract in the NBA, having just a year left on your deal in the NFL makes it less likely for a team to trade for you, as they know that they’ll have to re-sign said player in the coming offseason to keep them around, whereas you could hold onto a player for years to come if they had a few years left on their deal. If you were to look at a player like Allen Robinson, the WR for the Chicago Bears, for instance, he is set to become a free agent this offseason, so Washington might as well wait to try and sign him without giving up an asset for him.

This doesn’t mean that Washington will be silent during the trade deadline, but it does cut down their prospects quite a bit. Stay tuned to see if we get any fireworks.

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11 deals that good (but desperate) teams should make before the NFL’s trade deadline

With the NFL’s trade deadline right around the corner, here’s 11 deals that good (but flawed) teams should make.

Last week, Touchdown Wire’s own Mark Schofield ran the list of the teams on the fringe that are either buyers or sellers. With Week 8 nearly in the books, the push for the right players will be amplified. And with the NFL’s trade deadline coming up on Tuesday, November 3 (a rather epic day for other reasons as well), the teams looking to bolster their rosters for a playoff run are calling the teams that are out of it, and looking to offload money for the inevitable rebuild.

Here are 11 trades that would make sense for all involved before the deadline.

Touchdown Wire suggests 2 trades for Titans to make at deadline

Making both of these trades would instantly turn Tennessee’s defense into a Super Bowl-caliber group.

With the NFL trade deadline rapidly approaching on November 3, the Tennessee Titans could look to bolster their roster as they prepare for the stretch run of the 2020 NFL season.

The No. 1 position the Titans could stand to improve is cornerback, but adding depth at wide receiver and a starter along the defensive line wouldn’t be a bad idea, either.

You could theoretically add outside linebacker to that list with how badly Jadeveon Clowney, Vic Beasley and Harold Landry have underperformed in the sack department, but chances are the Titans believe the solution to that is simply having the trio play better.

However, Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar doesn’t think the Titans should stand pat, and instead he has suggested that Tennessee trade for Washington Football Team EDGE, Ryan Kerrigan, in one of two moves.

Here’s what Farrar had to say about that potential deal:

The Titans stand at 5-1 despite a defense with a deadly combination: Very little pass rush, and slow cornerbacks. You can scheme up the latter to a degree, but with just seven sacks and 50 pressures on the season despite a blitz rate of 29.7%, something’s got to be done in that department. Kerrigan will be a free agent after the 2020 season, Washington has four other first-round picks on its defensive line, and the veteran has four sacks and 10 total pressures on just 81 pass-rushing snaps this season, per Pro Football Focus. He can still get it done in a rotational sense.

With what the Titans have gotten from the position thus far, Kerrigan would certainly seem to be an upgrade. After all, his four sacks are more than Clowney, Landry and Beasley combined.

But, as we already mentioned, it’s doubtful the Titans will make a move to add to a position that already has a load of talent. Instead, the Titans will likely wait things out and hope for improvement.

The more intriguing of the two trades Farrar suggested for Tennessee had to do with dealing for Miami Dolphins cornerback, Xavien Howard.

Farrar says the following about that:

Before we get rolling on this one, we are NOT in favor of this potential trade. The Dolphins are 3-3 and have a decent shot of sneaking into the new seventh playoff spot if everything goes right, and Howard has been one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks this season — he’s given up just 12 catches on 26 targets for 220 yards, 95 yards after the catch, one touchdown, four interceptions (tied with Washington’s Kendall Fuller for the league lead), and an opponent passer rating of 49.0. But the rumors are flying in Miami, and Howard does have some pretty big cap hits over the next few seasons. Tennessee would have to do some work to fit Kerrigan and Howard under their cap, but it might be the difference between a Super Bowl berth or not.

There was a rumor out there that the Dolphins were listening to offers for Howard, but the team quickly came out and shot those down, which makes sense for a team that is playing well and currently in the thick of things with a 3-3 record.

Womp, womp…

If the Titans did have an opportunity to make a trade for Howard, they shouldn’t hesitate. The former second-round pick has been sensational this season, posting an elite Pro Football Focus grade of 80.0, with four interceptions and a ridiculous passer rating allowed of 46.9.

Howard would be an instant upgrade over everyone in the cornerbacks room not named Adoree’ Jackson and would allow the Titans the kind of flexibility to move Jackson to the inside in some situations. And, having a 1-2 punch of Jackson and Howard on the boundary is the stuff dreams are made of.

Making both of these trades would give the Titans a Super Bowl-caliber defense, but the bigger difference-maker of the two would be the one for Howard.

We’d like to think that general manager Jon Robinson has something big up his sleeve like either of these deals, but we certainly won’t hold our breath.

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NFL trade deadline: 7 cornerbacks the Bills could target

Cornerbacks the Buffalo Bills could target at the 2020 NFL Trade Deadline.

The 2020 NFL trade deadline is right around the corner. It’s slated for Tuesday at 4 p.m.

Sitting at 5-2 overall and in control of their own destiny at this point, could the Buffalo Bills add to their arsenal to solidify themselves as a legitimate contender in the AFC? Despite their record, the Bills do certainly have a hole or two they could stand to fill in their roster.

In this part of Bills Wire’s trade deadline coverage, we’ll take a look at a couple of cornerbacks the Bills could target as Tuesday inches closer and closer:

Buy or Sell: 8 players Washington should trade for or trade away before NFL’s deadline

There’s reason to believe Washington should be active at the trade deadline, so here are 8 players they should buy or sell before next week.

The 2020 NFL Trade Deadline is fast approaching, and though it is still a little bit less than a week away, we have seen many teams wheeling and dealing thanks in part to the coronavirus pandemic and the protocol in place to have players ready to play as soon as possible.

For the Washington Football Team, there has been some major discussion as to whether or not they should be buyers or sellers at the deadline, largely mirroring their overall strategy for the rest of the season. Is it a year to tank, or rather go after the NFC East division title? Following their dominant win over the hopeless Dallas Cowboys, the latter seems to be a likely option, so I expect them to try and buy more than they sell before the Nov. 3rd deadline. With that being said, there are still a couple of pieces on the roster that they could stand to give up for some future assets. Here are eight players that Washington should either look to trade for, or trade away before the deadline.

How will the Colts handle the trade deadline?

Indy shouldn’t be expected to make moves at the deadline.

The Indianapolis Colts have less than a week to get a trade done before the Nov. 3 deadline next Tuesday and even though it shouldn’t be expected that they make a move, the team will have discussions.

Most of it will lead to nothing, even as Frank Reich admitted Wednesday, but the Colts will always have their lines in the water—a favorite saying of general manager Chris Ballard when it comes to potential acquisitions.

“Obviously, you guys know what a great relationship Chris (Ballard) and I have,” Reich said Wednesday. “We literally talk about the roster in every facet, form and shape every day as it relates to trades or anything else. As you said Andrew (Walker), 99.9 percent of the time it leads to nothing, but it’s always healthy discussion. It’s always healthy discussion.”

There are a few potential targets for the Colts at the trade deadline. A team that is looking to win now but also one that likely doesn’t want to part ways with draft picks likely means no move will be made.

However, there are some intriguing names on the market like Washington edge rusher Ryan Kerrigan. Or if the front office is feeling especially spicy one day, they might make an offer for Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay—a shocking and unlikely move but not entirely out of the question.

This isn’t to say the Colts aren’t privy to trading. Ballard has proven he’s more than willing to make deals with teams (especially the Jets) whether its a player-for-player or a deal that includes future draft picks.

The Colts are going to keep mostly everything close to the vest so it shouldn’t be expected that their name will be among teams interested in certain players.

Even with some holes to fill on the roster, the most likely outcome is that the trade deadline will come and go and the Colts will be moving on into the second half without having made a deal.

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Is the lack of a real GM preventing the Texans from trading DE J.J. Watt?

The Houston Texans have an interim general manager in Jack Easterby. Is this temporary fix the reason why they aren’t trading J.J. Watt?

The Houston Texans are 1-6 and approaching the Nov. 3 trade deadline as potential sellers, or at least that is how prognosticators view the team.

According to Nate Davis from USA TODAY, one of the big pieces the club has to recoup their first and second-round selections lost in the Laremy Tunsil trade from a year ago is defensive end J.J. Watt. However, Watt doesn’t appear to be on the move. Davis speculates that could be because the Texans don’t have a real general manager in charge at the moment.

Houston Texans (1-6): No question they should be rebooting — and that means replenishing draft resources surrendered by ousted coach/GM Bill O’Brien, who already divested next year’s Round 1 and 2 selections. RB Duke Johnson and WRs Will Fuller, Randall Cobb and Kenny Stills might bring decent value. But bigger picture, whither DL J.J. Watt? The aging superstar might love the opportunity to make a Super Bowl run with, say, Seattle and letting him leave could accelerate a rebuild in Houston. But will team chairman Cal McNair sign off on any significant proposals with no permanent front office in place?

Houston currently has executive vice president of football operations Jack Easterby filling in as interim general manager. Easterby took over the role after the club fired coach and general manager Bill O’Brien on Oct. 5 after the club fell 31-23 to the Minnesota Vikings to start the year 0-4.

Easterby’s wheelhouse is character development. The only football operations experience Easterby has prior to being a maven in character development was in 2004 with the Jacksonville Jaguars. From 2005-10 in the South Carolina athletics department, it was character development, the same as it was from 2011-12 with the Kansas City Chiefs, same as it was from 2013-19 with the New England Patriots.

McNair has also indicated Easterby would go back to football operations once the 2020 season is over and they have a full-time general manager in place.

Even if the Texans had a full-time general manager in place, there is no guarantee a trade would happen as Watt has expressed numerous times he intends to win a championship in Houston, not elsewhere, no matter how beneficial it could be to his career resume.

USA TODAY Sports believes Ravens don’t need to make any more trades this season

According to Nate Davis of USA TODAY Sports, the Baltimore Ravens are one of very few teams that don’t need to make a trade deadline move.

Baltimore Ravens fans have been hungry for the team to make another trade this season. After acquiring defensive end Yannick Ngakoue from the Minnesota Vikings last week, social media has been abuzz about which players the Ravens should still be eyeing up ahead of the NFL’s trade deadline.

But not everyone feels that way. Nate Davis of USA TODAY Sports took a look at all 32 teams to determine which moves they should make at the NFL trade deadline. Davis believes Baltimore is one of the few teams that are actually well set right now and don’t need to make any more moves.

No glaring holes here, especially after the addition of DE Yannick Ngakoue. And though the Ravens are in good shape cap-wise next year, they need to re-sign LT Ronnie Stanley and will enter an extension window for QB Lamar Jackson in 2021. More depth at receiver or offensive line would be nice but also qualify as luxury moves.

Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta hinted at the team making some more moves this season following the trade of Ngakoue. Whether he was speaking about building the team long-term, adding wide receiver Dez Bryant, or actively looking to pull off another trade will have to wait to be seen. But if Baltimore is picking up the phone to gauge trade interest, it makes the most sense to look at wide receiver and tight end.

Beyond tight end Mark Andrews and wide receiver Marquise Brown, the Ravens’ pass catchers have been underwhelming this season. They aren’t helped much by quarterback Lamar Jackson, who has regressed somewhat this season, but they’re also doing him no favors either. Adding a big-bodied possession receiver or another capable deep threat would give Jackson another weapon and dramatically improve the offense across the board.

As Davis pointed out, getting some help along the interior of the offensive line would be nice but is more of a luxury at this point. The Ravens returned four of five starting offensive linemen from last year’s record-breaking unit. Even though they haven’t played up to that standard in 2020, getting an upgrade at guard or even center would be a costly proposition if one is even available to begin with.

Baltimore doesn’t need to make another trade at this point but it also wouldn’t be shocking if they did either. We’ll see if DeCosta is able to cook something up before the Nov. 3 trade deadline passes.

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NFL trade deadline: 9 long-shot trades we want to see happen

Let’s get nuts, NFL.

The NFL trade deadline will hardly be the biggest news of the day on Nov. 3 when America votes for its next president. But by 4 p.m. ET, the NFL will have concluded its trading window until 2021 when we’ll get to reopen the discussion of who will get traded (even though they probably won’t.) Bengals receiver A.J. Green, for example, has been the subject of trade rumors for years — only to see each trade deadline pass without moving on from Cincinnati. Players want out, but get stuck.

So let’s get a move on, NFL. I’ve cooked up some trades that would make the deadline fun. Admittedly, some are far-fetched. But we can hopefully agree that all of these scenarios would be exciting. Here’s a look at nine long-shot trades we want to see happen.

4 potential trade deadline moves for the Cardinals

With the trade deadline approaching, the Cardinals could be in the mix for some high-profile players.

The NFL trade deadline is upon us — a time where struggling teams ship off pricy veterans and contending teams look to find that missing piece for a championship run.

The Arizona Cardinals have already made a trade, acquiring OLB Markus Golden from the New York Giants. Golden’s return to the valley has been welcomed with open arms by the fanbase. His presence should bolster a Cardinal defense that is already seventh in the NFL in sacks.

The Cardinals, however, may not be done acquiring talent. Our own Chuck Harris reported the Cardinals may be looking into a big name trade prior to the deadline.

I don’t have the Cardinals giving up their first-round pick in any of these trades given their circumstances of each player, as well as their evident need for cheap talent next year.

So, what players make sense for the Cardinals to bolster their playoff hopes?