The Winners And Losers Of The NFL Trade Deadline
November 10, 2018
After many lackluster trade deadline days, the 2018 NFL Trade Deadline did not disappoint, as a number of big names got traded from their respective teams ahead of the Oct. 30 deadline.
Overall, it was a pretty active day and week, as contenders were buying and others were selling, as teams prepare to either make a Super Bowl push or wave the white flag.
Here are the winners, losers and the deals that just made sense for both teams.
Winners:
The Washington Redskins went after it at the deadline. They are leading the NFC East right now and recognize it is theirs to be had. After quietly having one of the best defenses in the NFL through the halfway point, they went and got safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix from the Packers to pair alongside the second highest rated Pro Football Focus (PFF) safety, DJ Swearinger. Per PFF, Swearinger is rated at 90.0 and Clinton-Dix is not far behind at 87.7, the second highest grade of qualifying safeties.
The Rams are 110 percent in a win-now and figure everything else out tomorrow mode. Dante Fowler, a former top-five pick by the Jaguars, is a pending unrestricted free agent looking for big money, but the Rams are still willing to spin the wheels on him in hopes of winning a Super Bowl this year. He’ll join a defensive front who will now feature four former first-round picks including the leading candidate for defensive player of the year, Aaron Donald. Edge rusher was one of the team’s few weaknesses and now they have addressed that.
Losers:
There aren’t many losers at the trade deadline, in fact, there’s only one, and the Cleveland Browns seem to lose everything. After winning just two games the last two and a half seasons, they were selling this year as if they had all the talent in the world. They traded starting running back, Carlos Hyde to the Jaguars for a 2019 fifth-rounder in an effort to give rookie Nick Chubb more carries, a problem that could’ve easily been fixed with a proper rotation. And they also traded starting receiver Josh Gordon to New England earlier in the year, only to now need a wide receiver to go alongside Jarvis Landry on a lackluster offense.
Makes Sense:
The Oakland Raiders continue to stockpile the first-round draft picks as they now have five over the next two years after trading wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Cowboys, who get a young receiver they hope can turn his career around. Many suggest that the price for Cooper may have been too high, but when you take into consideration his ceiling and his age (24), the Cowboys were willing to go after him rather than in the draft, which historically has not panned out.
The Lions received a draft pick for a receiver they didn’t plan on resigning at the end of the year, wide receiver Golden Tate. This now opens the door for their young gun, Kenny Golladay, for more opportunities. The Eagles get a proven veteran who can help them go after the division and Super Bowl title.