Well…that was a doozy. We saw a lot of movement this past week in the NFL. There was a record 10 deals made hours before the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday alone. These deals range from high-profile players being traded for substantial draft capital to inconsequential trades being made for depth pieces. Here, we will touch on the 5 best deals before the NFL trade deadline.
5 Best Deals Before The NFL Trade Deadline
1. OLB Bradley Chubb to the Dolphins
This was the deal of the day. The Broncos deal OLB Bradley Chubb and a 2025 5th-round pick to the Dolphins for RB Chase Edmonds, a 2023 1st, and a 2024 4th. Chubb will join a defensive squad that has notched only 15 sacks in 2022, which is tied for the 6th worst. The Dolphins can put up 30+ on the scoreboard, so teams will be passing to keep up. Chubb, a pass rusher, will help in that department.
On the other side, the Broncos acquire a couple of picks and former starting RB Chase Edmonds before the NFL trade deadline. The Broncos lost their up and coming RB Javonte Williams for the year earlier this season. This move was made to provide some explosiveness to the Denver backfield. Edmonds is extremely fast and should produce in a shallow backfield.
Fun Fact: The 2023 1st used to acquire Chubb was one of the 1sts gained when the 49ers traded up with Miami to draft Trey Lance.
2. TE T.J. Hockenson to the Vikings
As a Packers fan, this one hurt. With the Bears rebuilding and the Lions being the Lions, the Vikings are the only team that can challenge Green Bay’s dominance over the NFC North. The Vikings gave up their 2023 2nd-round pick and their 2024 3rd to get the former 1st-round pick T.J. Hockenson, a 2023 4th-round pick, and a conditional 2024 4th-round pick.
T.J. Hockenson is one of the league’s best tight ends. He had an 8 catch, 179 yard, 2 touchdown performance earlier this season. This swap before the NFL trade deadline gives Kirk Cousins another dynamic weapon to use for the Vikings playoff push. Say goodbye to your favorite team’s red zone defense; they will have to defend against the elite Justin Jefferson, the touchdown artist Adam Thielen, the explosive Dalvin Cook, and now T.J. Hockenson.
Fun Fact: Hockenson, who had a bye in week 6, has more receiving yards than any of the Packers starting wide receivers.
3. William Jackson to the Steelers
Steeler nation can hopefully let out a sign of relief. Pittsburgh is ranked second worst in pass defense in 2022 with 277.3 yards passing per game. They are looking to remedy this by trading for the Commanders’ William Jackson III. The Steelers acquired Jackson and a conditional 2025 7th round pick for a conditional 2025 6th round pick.
The Steelers pass defense has struggled this year without TJ Watt. They’ve allowed explosive big play after explosive big play. They didn’t seem to give up too much to get Jackson, so this is definitely one of the better trades of the day. Jackson has struggled in Washington but he was one of the better cornerbacks in the league when he was on the Bengals. The Steelers made the right move to shore up their pass defense before the NFL trade deadline passed.
Fun Fact: Jackson was the Steelers target in the first round of the 2016 draft. The Bengals traded up to draft him right before Pittsburgh’s pick.
4. Chase Claypool to the Bears
This one also hurt as a Packers fan. The Packers were in contention to trade for Claypool by the NFL trade deadline, but fell short. He would have provided a much needed dynamic playmaker to the Packers offense. The Steelers traded away Claypool to the Bears for a 2023 2nd-round draft pick.
This trade was a bit surprising at first considering the Bears have just traded Robert Quinn and Roquan Smith away. Shouldn’t they acquire more picks to build through the draft? Maybe. Is it smart to sometimes trade your picks away for proven NFL players? Yes. The Bears also freed up a ton of cap space for the 2023 season at the tune of $119 million. Getting your franchise QB a WR they can rely on is huge, especially for a player like Fields who is still developing.
Fun Fact: The Packers actually offered the Steelers their 2nd-round pick for Claypool, but Pittsburgh believed that they would get a higher selection by trading with the Bears.
5. RB Jeff Wilson to the Dolphins
The 49ers traded RB Jeff Wilson to the Dolphins for a 2023 5th-round pick. This move came after the deal with Denver where the Dolphins traded away Chase Edmonds. Edmonds has essentially been a nonfactor for the Dolphins over the past couple of weeks, so this trade doesn’t come as too much of a surprise.
Raheem Mostert gets injured a lot. The Dolphins knew this going into the relationship. They acquired Chase Edmonds to play alongside Mostert for this reason. Edmonds proved himself to be ineffective in Miami’s offensive scheme. They wanted to get a running back who could contribute along Jeff Wilson before the NFL trade deadline. Wilson should be familiar with McDaniel’s playbook from their time in San Francisco together. If Mostert goes down, Wilson will be there to pick up the slack.
Fun Fact: The former 49ers coach Mike McDaniel traded for a 49ers running back to play along side his other former 49er running back. Sensing a trend, are we?
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