Bleacherreport
2024 NFL Trade Deadline Winners and Losers
A.Smith23 min ago
- Perry Knotts/ Ahead of the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday, some teams in postseason contention didn't let complacency hinder the urge to improve their rosters. The top three squads in the AFC North made moves ahead of a highly competitive division race. One NFC team ahead of schedule in its rebuild addressed its biggest roster need, while another club in the same division should be embarrassed for failing to identify a potential solution to one of its most glaring issues. Among the other losers at the trade deadline, a few teams missed a chance to acquire significant draft capital in a season headed off the rails. With that in mind, let's dive into the biggest winners and losers at the trade deadline.
- Stacy Revere/ The Pittsburgh Steelers bolstered their roster on both sides of the ball by acquiring edge-rusher Preston Smith from the Green Bay Packers and wide receiver Mike Williams from the New York Jets. Both players should pay immediate dividends. This past offseason, the Steelers were involved in trade talks with the San Francisco 49ers for Brandon Aiyuk, but he signed an extension with the Niners instead. The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported that the Steelers also made an "aggressive" offer to the Las Vegas Raiders for wide receiver Davante Adams before they traded him to the Jets. According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler , Pittsburgh also "took a hard look" at New York Giants wideout Darius Slayton. The Steelers clearly felt they needed more help at receiver. Per ESPN's Adam Schefter , they acquired Williams for a 2025 fifth-round pick. He could see a significant uptick in targets and production now that he isn't buried behind Adams, Garrett Wilson and Allen Lazard. Edge-rusher T.J. Watt is the Steelers' star on defense, but the unit has fallen in the pass-rushing ranks. Based on sacks and pressure rate , Pittsburgh has a middling pass rush. Nick Herbig's absence has dinged the Steelers' edge-rusher rotation. Though he could be back on the field soon, Smith can provide veteran insurance at the position for a team that's usually in the top 10 in both sacks and pressure rate. Per Schefter , the Steelers only gave up a 2025 seventh-round pick to get him. At 31, Smith is slightly past his prime, but the Steelers will add him to a room with Watt, Herbig and Alex Highsmith to form a solid quartet of edge-rushers.
- David Berding/ In the first half of the season, the Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts benched young quarterbacks Bryce Young and Anthony Richardson, respectively. Two weeks ago, the Panthers reinserted Young into the starting lineup after Andy Dalton sprained his thumb in a car accident, and he's shown improvement from his first few starts of the season. Meanwhile, the Colts have already named Joe Flacco the starter for their Week 10 matchup against the Buffalo Bills. Richardson will be on the bench for consecutive outings. The Panthers and Colts held on to their former first-round quarterbacks past the trade deadline, shutting the door on teams looking to get a head start on developing talent at the league's most important position. Given that the 2025 draft may not feature a quarterback class as strong as the 2024 group, teams likely made decent offers for Young and Richardson, who have struggled early in their careers. But for now, the Panthers and Colts seem willing to give their young quarterbacks more time to develop before pivoting at the position.
- Luke Hales/ The Washington Commanders beat out multiple suitors for New Orleans Saints star cornerback Marshon Lattimore. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter , the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers also showed interest in him. Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport , the Commanders gave up 2025 third-, fourth- and sixth- round picks to acquire Lattimore and a 2025 fifth-rounder. That might seem like a steep price for a cornerback who's missed 19 games over the past three seasons, but the Commanders had extra draft capital . That gave them the luxury of gambling on the four-time Pro Bowl cornerback. Though Washington's defense has shown improvement over the past month, it still ranks 21st leaguewide in net passing yards allowed per attempt. The Commanders, who currently sit atop the NFC East, are gearing up for a strong finish to the season and potentially a playoff run in their first year of a rebuild under head coach Dan Quinn and with Offensive Rookie of the Year front-runner Jayden Daniels.
- Lachlan Cunningham/ The Dallas Cowboys bolstered their receiving corps by adding Jonathan Mingo, but they continued to stubbornly ignore the running back position. Star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb suffered a shoulder injury in Sunday's loss to the Atlanta Falcons, although he could potentially play against the Philadelphia Eagles this coming week, according to Nick Harris of the . That might explain why they felt the need to acquire Mingo. However, Dallas should have shifted its focus to bolstering the ground attack with quarterback Dak Prescott (hamstring) likely headed to injured reserve. With Cooper Rush expected to fill in for Prescott, the Cowboys' best chance to stay in the playoff mix is to bolster their 31st-ranked rushing attack with an offensive line that features a few first-rounders and seven-time All-Pro guard Zack Martin. Not only did the Cowboys target the wrong skill position, but they overpaid for Mingo. With Rush under center, Mingo may be the fourth-best pass-catcher in the offense behind Lamb (if healthy), Jalen Tolbert and Jake Ferguson in a low-ceiling aerial attack. Dallas gave up a fourth-round pick for a No. 3 wideout when it could've used that pick or a lesser one to acquire a running back like Khalil Herbert, whom the Chicago Bears traded to the Cincinnati Bengals for a 2025 seventh-round pick. The Cowboys' unwillingness to bolster its backfield to complement starter Rico Dowdle was a big mistake, especially after they made Ezekiel Elliott inactive last week for disciplinary reasons .
- Michael Owens/ The New Orleans Saints have had cap-space issues over the past several years, but they've managed to stay in playoff contention despite that. The Saints still have cap restrictions, and they're now much closer to a top-five pick in the 2025 draft than a postseason berth. Star cornerback Marshon Lattimore no longer has to worry about a complete rebuild in New Orleans. He's headed toward greener pastures in Washington to suit up for a playoff-contending Commanders squad with cap flexibility. Lattimore's contract doesn't include guaranteed money beyond 2024, so with strong performances over the next few months, he could position himself for a payday in the 2025 offseason. Lattimore is going from a 2-7 team to a 7-2 club that can hand him one more big contract before he turns 30. He's a winner in multiple ways.
- Andy Lyons/ While some of the worst teams traded or released players with a look toward the future, the Las Vegas Raiders were idle before the deadline. They're also trying to fix their offense, which puts head coach Antonio Pierce in a lose-lose situation. Raiders owner Mark Davis made it clear that edge-rusher Maxx Crosby is off-limits, but the team didn't trade any other players who could have drawn interest. For instance, wide receiver Jakobi Meyers might have fetched a middle-round pick. Instead of making trades, the Raiders hired Norv Turner to be a senior advisor on a staff with his son, Scott, who will take over for Luke Getsy as interim offensive coordinator. If the Raiders offense improves and they win more games, Pierce could keep his job, but the team may fall out of range to draft a top quarterback in 2025. If this season is any indication, he won't have much success with stopgap signal-callers like Gardner Minshew, Aidan O'Connell and Desmond Ridder. On the other hand, if the Raiders' season continues on a downward spiral with some quality players left on the roster, Pierce could be one-and-done as a head coach in Las Vegas. Pierce has already shown some urgency , firing Getsy and remodeling the offensive coaching staff. Because the Raiders haven't fully embraced an emphasis on developing young players, his seat may be warmer than most coaches in their first year with a team. The Raiders' quiet trade deadline may be the calm before another storm in the form of an offseason coaching shakeup.
- Lauren Leigh Bacho/ According to ESPN's Adam Schefter , the Detroit Lions lost star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson until possibly the Super Bowl. Though Hutchinson has missed the last three games, he still leads the Lions in sacks (7.5), tackles for loss (seven) and pressures (27), which illustrates his importance to the defense. Since Hutchinson's injury, Detroit has struggled to stop the run, allowing an average of 145 rushing yards over the past three weeks. Za'Darius Smith has a reputation as a disruptive pass-rusher off the edge, but he's also a stout run defender. Smith has recorded six tackles for loss along with five sacks in nine games this season. At 32, Smith isn't going to produce at a Defensive Player of the Year level like Hutchinson, but he's an above-average stopgap player on the edge who can reinforce the Lions' run defense and generate consistent pocket pressure. According to The Athletic's Dianna Russini , Detroit gave up a 2025 fifth-rounder and a 2026 sixth-rounder, which is a modest price for a starting-caliber playmaker.
Read the full article:https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10142332-2024-nfl-trade-deadline-winners-and-losers
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