The NFL trade deadline came and went as teams made their moves and prepared for the second half of the season.
Pittsburgh reached not one, but two deals before Tuesday’s 4 pm ET deadline. The Cowboys, despite trying to right the ship after a 3-5 start, made the most baffling deal of the day. By contrast, one of Dallas’ biggest rivals, the Commanders, made one of the biggest deals of the day. The Lions also made waves as they look to stay atop the proverbial NFC food chain.
Operations carried out
- The 49ers acquire: Khalil Davis
- The Texans acquire: 2026 seventh-round pick
Davis goes from a 6-3 Houston team to a 4-4 49ers team despite a spate of injuries thus far. Specifically, Davis can help the 49ers with their goal-line defense. While they are just sixth in the NFL in rushing yards allowed, San Francisco ranks 27th in the league in touchdown runs allowed (10).
- The Seahawks acquire: LB Ernest Jones IV
- Titans receive: LB Jerome Baker, 2025 fourth-round pick
This trade occurred well before the deadline. Jones has recorded 24 tackles since moving from Nashville to Seattle. Seattle has yet to win a game since acquiring Jones. Baker has yet to play for the Titans. He recorded 37 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in five games this season with Seattle.
- The Vikings receive: Cam Akers, 2026 conditional seventh-round pick
- Texans receive: 2026 conditional sixth-round pick
Another trade that closed well before Tuesday’s deadline. Akers, who carried the rock 40 times in five games this season for Houston, did not touch the ball during his first two games with the Vikings. He contributed to Sunday night’s win over the Colts with 46 yards on 6 carries.
- The cowboys receive: jonathan mingo
- Panthers receive: 2025 fourth-round pick
In one of Tuesday’s most surprising trades, the Cowboys gave up a lot for a player who has just 55 career receptions. The second-year wide receiver has just 121 yards on 12 receptions this year and has caught less than half of his targets.
Baltimore gets a former two-time Pro Bowl cornerback who they surely hope will help bolster what is currently the league’s 32nd-ranked pass defense. While his career has been derailed by injuries, White was one of the league’s top defensive backs before those injuries. A 2017 first-round pick, he intercepted six passes and deflected 26 more during his first two years in Buffalo. He became an All-Pro in 2019 after recording a league-best six interceptions while helping Buffalo clinch a wild-card playoff berth.
Pittsburgh’s already talented defense has added another piece to the puzzle. In Smith, the Steelers are getting a versatile and accomplished pass rusher with 68.5 sacks to his name. Smith will provide needed depth behind TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith and alongside Nate Herbig. (Commercial grades)
- The Steelers acquire: mike williams
- The planes acquire: 2025 fifth-round pick
The Steelers finally get help at wide receiver before the deadline, acquiring Williams from the Jets in exchange for a fifth-round pick. Williams’ veteran presence will only help George Pickens and the Pittsburgh offense in their fight for a high playoff berth. (Commercial grades)
- Commanders acquire: Marshon Lattimore, 2025 fifth-round pick
- The planes acquire: 2025 third-round pick, 2025 fourth-round pick, 2025 sixth-round pick
The Commanders landed the four-time Pro Bowl cornerback just before the trade deadline. Lattimore, who turned 28 in May, has three more years left on his current contract, including 2024. He has recorded 30 combined tackles and two passes defensed in seven games played this season. Injury issues are a legitimate concern, as Lattimore has not played a full season since 2018. The Saints were expected to consider selling pieces after a 2-7 start, which led to the firing of head coach Dennis Allen on Monday. (Commercial grades)
Cincinnati adds another back to its roster with Zack Moss (neck) out indefinitely. The Bears move on from Herbert, who was left out of the backfield rotation behind D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson. (Commercial grades)
- The lions acquire: Smith and 2026 seventh-round pick
- The brown ones acquire: 2025 fifth-round pick and 2026 sixth-round pick
The Lions are fighting to reach the Super Bowl and needed EDGE’s help after losing Aidan Hutchinson to injury. (Commercial grades)
The first-place Cardinals add pass rush help, while the Broncos part with an oft-injured player for a pick. (Commercial grades)
- The Vikings acquire: Robinson, 2026 conditional seventh-round pick
- Jaguars acquire: 2026 conditional fifth-round pick (could become fourth)
The Vikings fill a big need at left tackle after losing star Christian Darrisaw for the season to a knee injury. Robinson is a free agent at the end of the season and the Jaguars are moving in another direction with Walker Little. (Commercial grades)
- The crows acquire: Johnson, 2025 sixth-round pick
- The panthers acquire: 2025 fifth-round pick
The Ravens add another weapon for Lamar Jackson, who already has Derrick Henry, Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely and Zay Flowers. The Panthers remain in rebuilding mode and are selling their top receiver, who is headed to free agency at the end of the season. Check the ratings of the trade, here.
Kansas City is the first team to start 7-0 after winning consecutive Super Bowls since the 1990 San Francisco 49ers, according to CBS Sports Research. That 49ers team reached the NFC Championship, but lost to the New York Giants just two wins away from achieving the third title. No team has repeated three times in the Super Bowl era since 1966, but that’s exactly what the Chiefs are trying to do with this move for New England’s former 2020 second-round pick.
The Chiefs have a fairly consistent pass rush in that their 38.9% quarterback pressure ranks sixth-best in the NFL, but they are struggling to end those pressures with sacks. The Kansas City team’s 15.0 sacks this season are tied for the seventh-fewest in the NFL, and their 6.1% sack rate is the 11th-worst in the league. They have struggled to put together consistent pass rush production outside of pass rusher George Karlaftis (3.0 sacks) and All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones (3.0 sacks). Uche’s two sacks now tie for fourth-most in Kansas City, while his 13 quarterback pressures stand alone as fourth-most among the Chiefs’ pass rush.
The transaction makes all the sense in the world for a 2-6 Patriots team looking to accumulate draft capital while rebuilding around 2024 third overall pick quarterback Drake Maye.
- The bosses acquire: Hopkins
- The titans acquire: Conditional 2025 fifth-round pick (can become a fourth-round pick)
Despite having an undefeated record of 6-0 at the time, Kansas City desperately needed to add a wide receiver after losing Hollywood Brown and Rashee Rice for the year. Hopkins comes in and gives Patrick Mahomes a high-ceiling weapon as they go for the NFL’s first three-peat.
Meanwhile, the deal makes sense from Tennessee’s point of view, as they are 1-5 on the season at the time of the trade and Hopkins was in the final year of his deal. Since the 32-year-old is not on the team’s schedule for its current rebuild, it was a logical move to gain some assets for him before leaving in free agency. (Commercial grades)
- The planes acquire: adams
- The raiders acquire: Conditional 2025 third-round pick (may become a second-round pick based on performance)
Adams has to be named All-Pro, or be on the active roster for the AFC Championship Game or Super Bowl for the pick to be elevated from third to second for the Raiders.
In three games this year with the Raiders, Adams caught 18 passes for 209 yards and just one touchdown. He missed the last three games due to a hamstring injury, but made his Jets debut in Week 7, finishing with three 30-yard receptions. Adams Deal Qualifications can be found here.
- The invoices acquire: Cooper, 2025 sixth-round pick
- The brown ones acquire: 2025 third-round pick, 2026 seventh-round pick
Cooper, 30, just reworked his contract with the Browns ahead of the 2024 season, but he goes from one of the worst teams in the NFL to a potential AFC title contender in Buffalo. Cooper recorded a career-high 1,250 receiving yards for the Browns in 2023, his second consecutive 1,000-yard season.
Cooper had 24 receptions for 250 yards and two touchdowns with the Browns. He had four receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown in his Bills debut in Week 7. The grades on the Cooper deal can be found here.
In six games this season with two official starts, Robertson-Harris has recorded seven combined tackles, two sacks and four QB hits. He was in his third season with the Jaguars and actually signed a three-year, $30 million extension last year after recording a career-high 3.5 sacks from the interior in 2023.
Harris had five tackles in his Seahawks debut as a reserve defensive tackle.
Robertson-Harris went undrafted out of UTEP in 2016 and signed with the Bears. In five seasons with Chicago (2017-20), he recorded 75 combined tackles, 7.5 sacks and 30 QB hits. Robertson-Harris Commercial Grades can be found here.
