With the NFL trade deadline coming up on Oct. 31, reports on the trade landscape are becoming clearer.
WRs around the NFL rumored to be available
There's almost always an appetite for more weapons in the passing game, and with how rapidly receivers in the position can fall in and out of effectiveness, teams are expected to be busy on the phone inquiring about receivers in trades at the NFL trade deadline this year.
As the deadline -- Oct. 31 -- comes up quickly, more and more is spilling out of the NFL rumors pipeline. We heard plenty of clarity on some receivers that are available from columns from two insiders -- Dianna Russini of The Athletic and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN (both articles, linked in this post require a subscription to access).
Fowler reports that several teams are active in trying to add receivers to their roster, including the Colts, Packers, Panthers and Chiefs. One might think that after acquiring Mecole Hardman the Chiefs are less aggressive, and Fowler notes that the winless Panthers could very well bow out of the market.
Fowler names Jerry Jeudy, Hunter Renfrow, Terrace Marshall Jr., and Kendrick Bourne are all expected to be available. Marshall has been granted permission to seek his own trade by the Panthers, and Fowler notes that Bourne received interest at the deadline last year, but was not moved by New England, and that could very well be the case this year.
One has to wonder if other teams other than the four mentioned will get in on the action. The Bears traded for Chase Claypool last year and already gave up on that experiment, sending him to the Miami Dolphins a few weeks ago. At 26th in passing yards per game, does Justin Fields -- or whoever winds up throwing the ball in Chicago -- need more?
The Ravens are another interesting one. They added plenty of names to the locker room to help fortify the passing game for Lamar Jackson, now on a new contract and vocal about his desire to pass more, but poor performance from the corps could have them thinking about ancillary options to -- if nothing else -- up the internal competition at the position group in the locker room. With so much already invested in the position group in Baltimore, though, a big splashy trade shouldn't be expected.
Vikings are picking up the phone, one player looks likely to move
On Friday, Jeremy Fowler reported that pass-rusher Danielle Hunter was someone executives were expected to, "watch closely" as the trade deadline drew near. Well, Sunday morning, and clearly executives are now doing much more than just monitoring the situation.
Ian Rapoport reported that teams have called the Vikings about trading for Hunter. Hunter and the Vikings, before the season, agreed to a contract for one year, $20 million that sought to put an end to speculation on his future with the franchise. Months later, it's done anything but.
That has nothing to do with Henry's performance, as the Pro Bowl pass-rusher has remained as menacing as ever. He's pacing for a shade unter 20 quarterback hits and he leads the league in sacks (8.0) and tackles for loss (11).
So with Minnesota 2-4 and possibly pivoting toward next season earlier than expected, Hunter would make sense as a piece to send out since he's unlikely to return next season. Hunter's extension makes it impossible for the Vikings to franchise tag him next offseason, which feels as if it's one of the only ways they can economically justify returning him to the roster since he'll be in such high demand in the open market.
Derrick Henry trade update
Derrick Henry on the move? Seeing the seemingly eternal power running back play for any team but the Tennessee Titans after over 100 games and his entire career in Nashville thus far would be strange for NFL fans. But looking at the macro, the Titans need to set themselves up for the future, and the one asset sure to net them as many draft picks as possible to secure their future would be Derrick Henry.
Henry is a free agent after this season, so his departure from Tennessee may happen soon one way or another. Similar to Hunter on the previous slide, it makes a lot of sense for Tennessee to net assets while they can rather than seeing Henry walk for nothing in the offseason.
Titans fans can breathe, though, if they're hoping to see Henry stay. Diannia Russini reported that she has yet to find an executive throughout the league that is showing significant interest for Henry.
That doesn't necessarily mean no such executive exists. Perhaps, for instance, execs are holding cards tight and refusing to give that information up just yet to reporters. Or, Russini perhaps just hasn't gotten to the one team that may have significant interest.
But it's also easy to see why a Henry trade could fail to come to bear. After all, Henry will command a massive draft pick haul, and teams are only guaranteed to have him for the remainder of this year. A running back like Henry is a game-changing addition, no doubt, but there are real concerns about adding a player like Henry to the offense midseason. While his efforts seem simple on the surface -- take the ball, bowl over everyone, and run as far as you can -- there are plenty of playbook nuances that are difficult to adjust to midseason for offensive players. There's a world in which the Henry addition doesn't prove to be a Super Bowl-winning adjustment for teams, therefore reducing the appetite for the risk that comes along with such a move.
My prediction is we see Henry play out this last year in Tennessee. The Titans will rightfully ask for a massive haul of picks for him, something I can't see most teams wanting to give up for a rental.
