The 2023 NFL Trade Deadline is on Tuesday, Oct. 31 at 4 p.m. ET. As of now, we haven't seen many big-time deals, thought he Seattle Seahawks did make some noise on Monday by trading for DT Leonard Williams from the Giants. But will that be the start of a trade frenzy, or the only whimper in an otherwise quiet trade deadline?
Frankly, we don't know. But recent history has show us that the contenders throughout the NFL have been more inclined to make big moves on the trade market for a second-half run in the regular season and into the playoffs. So perhaps that's the best indicator that we could see some of the top teams in the league make a deal at the deadline.
What deals could they make, though? Connecting some dots or just simply based on other reports, here are six trades, one for six separate contenders, that should go down before the NFL Trade Deadline and actually have a chance to happen.
NFL Rumors: Lions trade for Patriots EDGE Josh Uche
When you look at a Detroit Lions team sitting at 5-2 on the season coming into Monday Night Football in Week 8 against the Raiders, this is clearly a team capable of taking the NFC this season. It's also clear that Dan Campbell's group could stand to be upgraded, particularly in two key areas of the defense.
The Lions made efforts to improve their secondary this offseason, landing C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Emmanuel Mosley, and Cameron Sutton coming into the 2023 campaign. Gardner-Johnson and Mosley, however, have landed on IR with long-term injuries, which makes that a need. However, the other need on defense might be more easily addressed at the trade deadline.
While Aidan Hutchinson appears to have made a leap on the edge, the Lions pass rush has been inconsistent. They could use more juice opposite of the former first-round pick and the Patriots might have an answer for them in Josh Uche.
The former second-round pick is in the final year of his contract in New England and, according to a report from ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler, is a name gaining steam ahead of the deadline. That was furthered when Uche was a healthy inactive for the Patriots' Week 9 game against the Dolphins.
Since entering the league, Uche has proven to be a situational speed rusher who offers little upside elsewhere. That, however, could be exactly what the Lions need, especially as a complimentary piece for Hutchinson up front. More importantly, on an expiring deal, he might come at a reasonable price that could behoove Detroit further and help bolster the defense to a contender level for the stretch run.
NFL Rumors: Bills trade for Giants CB Adoree Jackson
To say that it's not been a pretty 5-3 start for the Buffalo Bills would be quite the understatement.
There's no question that the offense behind Josh Allen -- and the quarterback himself -- has been a bit erratic at times. However, the defense has matched that, specially since the loss of star cornerback Tre'Davious White.
It's been four games since White was injured and the results for the Bills defense have been concerning. They shut down the hapless Giants, but gave up 25 in a loss to the Jaguars, 29 in a loss to the Patriots, and even 18 to Baker Mayfield and the Bucs, even in a win.
This Buffalo secondary has grown incredibly thin, and that's something that GM Brandon Beane needs to address at the deadline. Luckily, right down the road, the New York Giants appear to be selling.
After trading Williams to Seattle, Jordan Raanan of ESPN reported that the Giants roster is garnering a lot of trade interest. One player who would be on the Bills' radar is 28-year-old cornerback Adoree Jackson, in the final year of his contract with the G-Men.
Jackson has not been a perfect player in coverage but has remained solid with high-end athleticism. Buffalo could likely land him for cheap and deepen the cornerback room that was already thin with White on the field and has since been piecing things together as best as possible.
NFL Rumors: Dolphins trade for Broncos IOL Quinn Meinerz
One could make the argument that the success of the Miami Dolphins offense this season has been in spite of the shortcomings on the offensive line. With Terron Armstead out injured yet again, Mike McDaniel has been forced to shuffle this group around quite often again this season and it has been an issue at certain times.
The fact of the matter is that there isn't a surplus of offensive line upgrades available on the trade market, especially ones that could be cheap for the Dolphins, who don't have much cap room and would prefer to not overextend the draft capital they have. However, one of the most likely sellers, the Denver Broncos, could offer a sneaky solid solution for Miami.
All indications are that the Broncos would be willing to trade virtually anyone on the roster who isn't Patrick Surtain II. That could potentially make someone like 2021 third-round pick Quinn Meinerz, who will be a free agent after the 2024 season, an asset they'd be willing to trade.
Meinerz has shown notable improvement throughout his young NFL career and has been one of the better run-blocking interior linemen in the league for Denver at right guard this season. For the Dolphins, though, Meinerz's background as a center and versatile piece would allow them to bring him into the room at a cheap-ish cost and put him where he fits best.
Not only could this help Miami contend in the log-jammed AFC this season, but would offer a cheap solution for the offensive line going into the 2024 campaign too, rather than paying up for a free agent option or drafting someone early.
NFL Rumors: Cowboys trade for Bears CB Jaylon Johnson
When the Dallas Cowboys have been good this season, they've been quite good. Case in point of that would be this past week against a quality Rams team that the Cowboys simply bludgeoned to death for 60 minutes in Week 8.
Of course, the flip side of that has been the bad, which has been hard to watch. The Cowboys' two losses on the 2023 season came in a stunner against the lowly Arizona Cardinals and then being on the wrong side of a beatdown versus the San Francisco 49ers.
All of this is to say, there is room for this team to improve. But in what areas?
Reading between the lines with Jerry and Stephen Jones' comments, it seems as if the Cowboys could possibly look to fill the voids left by injuries. Namely, that would mean either adding a linebacker to replace Leighton Vander Esch or a cornerback to help offset the loss of Trevon Diggs.
Cornerback, however, seems like the best approach there, which is why NFL insider Benjamin Allbright reported that Dallas is one of the teams inquiring about Bears CB Jaylon Johnson. And trading for the former second-round pick on an expiring deal would make a gret deal of sense.
Johnson has been one of the best coverage corners in the league this season. The Cowboys, meanwhile, have pieced things together without Diggs, but would be better served adding an outside cornerback to pair with Stephon Gilmore and then move DaRon Bland back into the slot.
In this case, Johnson should check all of the boxes for Dallas. He should be relatively cost-effective on the trade market, though competition from the 49ers and Bills might raise the price a bit. He fills what they need in replacing Diggs. And they wouldn't be on the hook beyond this season, though would have the chance to extend him. It all works and would help the Cowboys get closer to being the class of the NFC.
NFL Rumors: Eagles trade for Broncos LB Josey Jewell
Speaking of the class of the NFC, we know that the Philadelphia Eagles are in that consideration as a contender as well. And general manager Howie Roseman's track record tells us that, if any of these contenders is going to be aggressive at the trade deadline, it would likely be this franchise. Hell, we've already seem the Eagles pull off the biggest trade of the season so far, landing Kevin Byard from the Titans.
One area where the Eagles could look to make another move is at cornerback. The Bradley Roby injury has left an already thin secondary without one of its crucial players. And tht may be where they ultimately look. But linebacker is another spot where Philadelphia could and should be sniffing around at the deadline.
Nakobe Dean has been quite good in his second season but veteran Zach Cunningham or another vet in Nicholas Morrow has left a lot to be desired in the middle of the field. This linebacker corps, all told, is somewhat incomplete the way its currently constructed. Thus, the Eaglers are another team that could benefit from the Broncos fire sale.
Trading for a player like Josey Jewell, another trade candidate on an expiring contract, might not be a cure-all for the Eagles defense, but he's a player who could undoubtedly help the cause.
Jewell is a plus run defender, a great tackler, and better in coverage than you might expect, even if he's unspectacular. Comprising this linebacker room with Dean, Cunningham and Jewell as the top three, however, would give the Eagles a strong, versatile rotation of guys to work with, and they could likely make that deal at a reasonable trade price. That's the type of market they should be hunting in and Jewell might be the best option for what they need in the middle of the defense.
NFL Rumors: Chiefs trade for Cardinals WR Marquise Brown
Coming into Sunday in Week 8, it seemed like the Kansas City Chiefs' trade deadline would come and go with general manager Brett Veach reuniting with Mecole Hardman in a trade and then moving on into the second half of the season. After an ugly loss to the Denver Broncos, though, that becomes less certain.
Thought Patrick Mahomes battling the flu in that loss might be a big factor in why things played out as they did, this is still a team that appears to be searching for answers. The defense is still playing well, but the offense has been stop-and-go far more often than we expect from Mahomes and Andy Reid. And it's impossible to not continue thinking that a lack of consistency at receiver is at the root of the issue.
So why not make one last push for someone who could be a game-changer in this Chiefs offense -- you know, one of the most widely connected potential trades around the league? A trade with the Arizona Cardinals for wide receiver Marquise Brown.
Hollywood Brown has continued to be a legitimately dangerous receiving threat, despite playing this season with Josh Dobbs at quarterback in the desert.
While Brown isn't as electric as Tyreek Hill (few, if any, are), he could provide that same type of dynamic ability and speed in the receiving game that appears to be lacking right now. It's the type of juice the franchise was hoping Kadarius Toney could provide, but that hasn't worked out.
The latest intel has said that the Cardinals likely won't move Brown. But for the right price and, perhaps with a little added motivation on the Chiefs' part, perhaps they could get the Cards to budge in order to get a real fix in the building for this offense that's failed to come close to its ceiling this season.
