More from the MMQB: Trade deadline winners and losers | Fact or fiction | Trade notes
The NFL's 4 p.m. ET trade deadline is upon us.
On Tuesday, we’ve already seen a slew of deals, including a blockbuster, with Marshon Lattimore headed to the Washington Commanders.
Some other deals: The Pittsburgh Steelers acquired defensive end Preston Smith and wide receiver Mike Williams, the Detroit Lions strengthened their defensive front with the addition of DE Za’Darius Smith, the Cincinnati Bengals added running back Khalil Herbert, and the Dallas Cowboys made a move, dealing for WR Jonathan Mingo.
We’ve been grading every deal for both sides for the past few weeks already. Let’s get to all the moves, starting with the latest deal.
November 5
Steelers acquire DE Preston Smith from Packers
Steelers grade: B
Packers grade: C
The Steelers made a second move Tuesday, but they received help from a team that wasn’t expected to be a seller before the trade deadline.
The Green Bay Packers sent reliable edge rusher Preston Smith to Pittsburgh in exchange for a seventh-round pick, a surprising move from one of the better teams in the NFC. But the Packers had multiple reasons for parting with Smith, especially the emergence of second-year edge rusher Lukas Van Ness, the team’s 2023 first-round pick.
The move will likely save the Packers plenty of cap space in the future, but it’s unknown how much of the salary they’re eating to make this move with the Steelers, if any. The 31-year-old Smith has generated at least eight sacks in each of the past three seasons. The Packers re-signed Smith in 2022 to a four-year, $52.5 million extension and restructured his deal this offseason.
Again, it’s unknown how much money the Steelers took on, but they had the cap-space flexibility—they’re only paying Russell Wilson $1.2 million this season. Smith will join T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith with the hopes of containing the Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs in the postseason.
It’s always good to have pass-rushing depth in the postseason, something the Packers lost by making this surprising move. —GM
Commanders acquire Marshon Lattimore from Saints
Commanders grade: A-
Saints grade: B+
Both teams won this trade. For the Commanders, they get a four-time Pro Bowl corner who, at 28 years old, still has two additional years on his contract at $32.5 million total in base salary. As for the Saints, they begin to work through one of the worst cap situations in NFL history and got a top-100 pick out of the deal, with Washington sending over third- and fourth-round selections, as well as a sixth-rounder.
For Washington, this is a moment to be aggressive. The Commanders have seemingly found their franchise quarterback in Jayden Daniels and have momentum unlike anything the franchise has enjoyed in the past decade. Washington is 7–2 and leading the NFC East, but with only a half-game cushion on the Philadelphia Eagles. With Lattimore, they can now match up with the likes of A.J. Brown and CeeDee Lamb in upcoming divisional battles.
And for New Orleans, moving off Lattimore was an opportunity to save future cap dollars and get three draft picks. The Saints need to embark on a reboot, and this move will help that cause. —MV
Ravens acquire Tre’Davious White from Rams
Ravens grade: B
Rams grade: B
After being a healthy inactive in recent weeks, Tre’Davious White was dealt Tuesday to the Ravens along with a 2027 seventh-round pick, while getting back a ’26 choice in the same round.
While White was once an elite corner for the Buffalo Bills, those days are behind him due to a litany of injuries, including a torn ACL and torn Achilles tendon. On a one-year deal, White signed with the Los Angeles Rams this offseason, but played in only four games. Since the start of the 2022 season, White has suited up for just 14 contests.
In Baltimore, expect White to be a depth piece behind rookie Nate Wiggins, and veterans Brandon Stephens and Marlon Humphrey. However, with Baltimore ranking last in passing yards allowed, it makes sense that the Ravens are adding White as a no-risk move with a glimmer of upside.
Steelers acquire WR Mike Williams from Jets
Steelers grade: B+
Jets grade: B-
Russell Wilson will now get to throw moon balls to other wide receivers not named George Pickens.
The Steelers added much-needed depth at wide receiver after acquiring Mike Williams from the New York Jets in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round pick.
Williams will now be the No. 2 receiver in Pittsburgh behind Pickens after getting lost in the Jets’ receiver rotation, which got crowded after New York traded for Davante Adams last month. Williams never established chemistry with the hard-to-please Aaron Rodgers, but maybe the big-body wideout fits better with Wilson, who’s known for throwing high-arching passes for his playmakers.
The Steelers’ passing offense improved since Wilson replaced Justin Fields two games ago. Pickens’s production drastically improved with Wilson, but he was doing the bulk of the work with the passing game. If Williams regains his top form from his Los Angeles Chargers days, this could be a steal for the Steelers.
The Jets get credit for gaining a draft pick for Williams, but it’s somewhat surprising that they traded him to a contender in the AFC. The Jets are fighting for a playoff spot and might regret this move, which likely increases the odds of at least two teams in the AFC North making the postseason. —GM
Lions acquire Edge Za’Darius Smith from Browns
Lions grade: B+
Browns grade: B-
Detroit desperately needed to bolster its pass rush with Aidan Hutchinson out for the year, and general manager Brad Holmes did so hours before the deadline.
On Tuesday, the Lions acquired Smith from the Browns along with a 2026 seventh-round pick, sending Cleveland a 2025 fifth-rounder and a ’26 sixth-round choice.
This season, Smith has five sacks and now he immediately becomes the most accomplished pass rusher on the Lions. For his career, the 32-year-old has 65 sacks, and thrice earned Pro Bowl honors while with the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings.
Contractually, Detroit will pick up just over $600,000 for the remainder of the year. Smith is owed $1.5 million in base salary next season.
For the Lions, it’s a solid deal where they bolstered their pass rush giving up only one pick. For the Browns, they get an extra fifth-rounder for an aging player. —MV
Cowboys acquire Jonathan Mingo from Panthers
Cowboys grade: C-
Panthers grade: A-
Despite being 3–5 and quarterback Dak Prescott sidelined for multiple weeks with a hamstring injury, Jerry Jones isn’t giving up. Dallas sent a fourth-round pick to the Carolina Panthers on Tuesday for receiver Jonathan Mingo and a seventh-round choice, acquiring the former 2023 second-round pick.
Mingo, 23, has ben disappointing to this point in his young career. In his second season, the Ole Miss product has only 55 catches and 539 yards without a touchdown through 24 games.
For Dallas, this doesn’t make much sense. Mingo does have two years remaining on his deal and perhaps he figures things out in a better environment. Still, giving up a top-125 pick for a player who hasn’t flashed seems like odd business, especially when the season is all but cooked.
For the Panthers, it’s a terrific move. General manager Dan Morgan needs to completely rebuild the team and getting a fourth-rounder should help that effort. Mingo might play better in Dallas with an elevated supporting cast, but Morgan is right to make the move. —MV
Bengals acquire Khalil Herbert from Bears
Bengals grade: C+
Bears grade: C+
The Bengals might be without running back Zack Moss for a bit due to a neck injury, and they provided some insurance for themselves at the deadline by trading for Herbert.
Herbert is in the final year of his rookie deal and has barely seen the field after racking up 1,342 rushing yards over the previous two seasons. This year, Herbert has just eight carries, falling out of favor with D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson getting a bulk of the action.
For Cincinnati, Herbert will once again be an understudy while Chase Brown gets most of the snaps. Still, he’s a veteran insurance policy who only cost Cincinnati a seventh-round pick. —MV
49ers acquire DT Khalil Davis from Texans
49ers grade: C-
Texans grade: C+
The San Francisco 49ers added depth to their defensive front after making a last-second move to end the trade deadline.
The Houston Texans traded defensive tackle Khalil Davis to the 49ers in exchange for a 2026 seventh-round pick. Davis only played 32% of the defensive snaps in Houston’s crowded front, but he’ll likely see more playing time with the 49ers, who lost defensive tackle Javon Hargrave due to a season-ending injury in September.
Davis, a 2020 sixth-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, will likely rotate with defensive tackles Maliek Collins and Jordan Elliott. The move was a bit underwhelming, considering how aggressive the 49ers were for last year’s trade deadline when they landed edge rusher Chase Young. Perhaps San Francisco is banking on a few key players returning from injuries to spark the team after the bye week.
As for the Texans, it’s a bit risky to lose some of their depth up front, but coach DeMeco Ryans has a proven track record of getting the most out of his defensive players. —GM
October 29
Vikings acquire LT Cam Robinson from Jaguars
Vikings grade: A
Jaguars grade: D
Quality offensive tackles don’t grow on trees, as the popular saying goes among NFL executives. But the Vikings found one to replace injured left tackle Christian Darrisaw.
The Vikings traded a conditional 2026 fifth-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for Cam Robinson and a ’26 conditional seventh-round pick. Minnesota’s pick can turn into a fourth-rounder based on Robinson’s play time this season, according to reports. Also, the seventh-rounder Minnesota acquired from Jacksonville can go away based on Robinson’s playing time, per reports.
Robinson, 29, is a reliable offensive tackle with 91 career starts. The eighth-year veteran will go from protecting Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville to filling the Vikings’ void at left tackle to ensure Sam Darnold continues his bounce-back season. This was possibly the best outcome for the Vikings after Darrisaw, one of the best left tackles in the league, sustained a season-ending knee injury in last week’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Robinson was probably the Jaguars’ best offensive lineman this season.
It’s rare when tackles as good as Robinson are available before the trade deadline. But the Jaguars didn’t have many assets to flip into valuable draft picks after the season-ending injury to speedy wide receiver Christian Kirk. Also, the Jaguars probably didn’t have long-term plans to re-sign Robinson, whose three-year, $54 million deal is set to expire in the offseason.
With the Vikings’ draft pick, the Jaguars (2–6) can now begin to look forward to the future in hopes of building a better roster around Lawrence. But this trade compensation seems a bit underwhelming for the Jaguars, especially if they were forced to eat some of the remaining money on Robinson’s contract. As for another downside to this trade, Lawrence now has to play nine more games this season with a thin offensive line, which could lead to many hits for the franchise quarterback. This is a risky decision in multiple ways for the Jaguars. —GM
Ravens acquire Diontae Johnson from Panthers
Ravens grade: A
Panthers grade: D+
The Baltimore Ravens needed to make a move after the dud they delivered in a Week 8 loss against the Cleveland Browns.
On Tuesday, the Ravens finally made a splash trade after swapping draft picks with the Carolina Panthers for Diontae Johnson, possibly the best wide receiver available on the market. All it took for Baltimore to add the dangerous downfield threat was a 2025 fifth-round pick in exchange for Carolina’s ’25 sixth-rounder.
The upset loss against the Browns was probably a reminder that wide receivers Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman weren’t going to be enough to keep pace with the Kansas City Chiefs, who already made two trades in the past week.
Now, Lamar Jackson has another reliable target for when the playoffs roll around, and it never hurts to have depth at the position. The Panthers probably made this trade too soon, especially after the Houston Texans recently lost Stefon Diggs to a season-ending knee injury. A different receiver-needy team probably would have offered more than Day 3 pick swaps.
Bryce Young or Andy Dalton will now lean heavily on rookie Xavier Legette to get through this dreadful season. Adam Thielen and Jonathan Mingo could also still be on the trading block for Carolina.
Johnson has been dealing with a rib injury, but he’ll likely be back on the field soon for his new team to catch bombs from Jackson. Johnson had 30 catches for 357 yards and three touchdowns in seven games for the Panthers. —GM
October 28
Chiefs acquire Josh Uche from Patriots
Chiefs grade: B+
Patriots grade: C
Kansas City is apparently not sitting around. After trading for DeAndre Hopkins last week, general manager Brett Veach made another move, sending a 2026 sixth-round pick to the New England Patriots for 26-year-old edge rusher Josh Uche. Uche has two sacks this season, but had 11.5 in 2022 as one of the league’s most productive pass rushers.
While it’s absurd to expect Uche to provide that level of production in a short stint with the Chiefs, he gives them speed off the edge while allowing natural defensive ends Charles Omenihu and Mike Danna to reduce down inside on certain downs. This is something Kansas City enjoyed doing last year, helping it have the second-most sacks in the NFL.
As for the Patriots, they got a late-round choice for a player about to hit free agency. While the return is nothing special, it’s a little capital for a team with a litany of holes to plug. —MV
October 23
Chiefs acquire DeAndre Hopkins from Titans
Chiefs grade: A
Titans grade: B
General manager Brett Veach watched as the Chiefs lost one receiver after the next this summer and fall, from Marquise Brown and Rashee Rice to JuJu Smith-Schuster. On Wednesday, he fortified that position, acquiring Hopkins from the Titans for a 2025 conditional fourth-round pick.
Kansas City is the league’s lone unbeaten team at 6–0, but the offense has been struggling. Patrick Mahomes has a ghastly six touchdown passes against eight interceptions, largely because he’s throwing to a limited receiving group, including Justin Watson, Mecole Hardman and Skyy Moore. Suddenly, with the addition of Hopkins, Kansas City has a top-tier receiver to pair with rookie Xavier Worthy, future Hall of Fame tight end Travis Kelce and a duo of quality backs in Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt.
Despite being 32 years old, Hopkins remains productive. Last season, he crossed the 1,000-yard threshold despite playing with Ryan Tannehill and Will Levis. This year has been a struggle, as Hopkins has only 15 catches for 173 yards and a touchdown—getting a prominent role in an offense featuring Mahomes should increase those numbers.
As for the Titans, Hopkins was always going to be dealt. Tennessee is 1–5 and Hopkins’s contract is up after this year. General manager Ran Carthon did well to get a mid-round pick considering how the market was shaping up. —MV
Seahawks acquire Ernest Jones IV from Titans
Seahawks grade: C+
Titans grade: B
Linebacker Ernest Jones IV has been traded for the second time in as many months.
The Tennessee Titans sent Jones to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for a 2025 fourth-round pick and veteran linebacker Jerome Baker. This was the Titans’ second trade of the day, an obvious sign that the team has waived the white flag on the ’24 season after a 1–5 start.
Back in August, the Titans had hopes of a quick turnaround, sending a 2026 fifth-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams for Jones and a ’26 sixth-round pick. But Jones wasn’t a missing piece to help the Titans become a sleeper playoff contender after an eventful offseason that saw them trade for cornerback L’Jarius Sneed and sign wide receiver Calvin Ridley.
Tennessee was wise to acknowledge that it needed more draft picks to spur a rebuild. Gaining a fourth-round pick from Seattle after losing a fifth-round pick to Los Angeles was a small win for the franchise.
As for the Seahawks, they desperately needed help against the run. They had no intentions of re-signing Baker, a soon-to-be free agent. But it might be a red flag that Jones has now been traded twice over the past two months. It can’t be good that two teams saw him firsthand and decided he wasn’t worth keeping for the long haul. Jones, who’s scheduled to be a free agent in the offseason, recorded 29 solo tackles in six games for the Titans. —GM
October 15
Bills acquire Amari Cooper from Browns
Bills grade: A+
Browns grade: B-
Only hours after their division rivals made a move to secure Davante Adams, the Bills got busy. Buffalo landed Amari Cooper from the Cleveland Browns, bringing in one of the best on the receiver market.
For Buffalo, this is likely a rental, but an impactful one. The Bills are sending a third-round pick to Cleveland while getting back a 2025 sixth-rounder, and then also parting ways with a ’26 seventh-round choice. Still, that’s a small price to pay for a receiver who has seven 1,000-yard campaigns and less than $1 million in base salary for this season.
After six weeks, it became increasingly clear that Buffalo didn’t have enough on the outside. While Khalil Shakir is a nice slot presence, the conglomerate of Keon Coleman, Curtis Samuel, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Mack Hollins weren’t getting separation on a consistent basis, and Cooper fixes that.
As for Cleveland, the season is lost. The Browns are 1–5 and floundering with Deshaun Watson under center. To get a top-100 pick for Cooper, who was likely going to leave in free agency anyway, was the right move. —MV
Jets acquire Davante Adams from Raiders
Jets grade: D
Raiders grade: F
When was the last time a team two games under .500 made a significant midseason move to acquire talent instead of offloading it for future draft capital? Can’t remember? Nobody can.
The Jets acquired Adams on Tuesday morning, sending a conditional third-round pick to the Raiders. Vegas would receive a second-rounder if the Jets reach the AFC championship game, or if Adams earns All-Pro status in 2024.
Here’s the issue for both sides. New York isn’t good, not because it doesn’t have enough weapons, but because the coaching is abysmal, the run defense is average and the discipline is lacking. And while Aaron Rodgers remains a quality quarterback, he’s a far cry from the player who won consecutive MVPs with the Green Bay Packers in 2020 and ’21.
In acquiring Adams, the Jets are taking on an expensive 31-year-old receiver who will want to restructure his deal (he has two non-guaranteed seasons left), which runs through the 2026 season. So either New York will release him after the season and get a smaller return on its investment, or have to pack the contract with more guaranteed money. Not ideal.
As for the Raiders, why not take on some salary and get a better pick in return? Owner Mark Davis doesn’t have the cash on hand like other owners around the league, but he was slated to pay Adams anyway. Smart business says take on a good chunk of salary to sweeten the deal.
Also, Vegas can’t claim this is a good trade. The Raiders traded for Adams before the 2022 season, giving up first- and second-round picks before signing him to a five-year, $141 million deal. Las Vegas then released Adams’s college teammate, quarterback Derek Carr, after one year, replacing him with Jimmy Garoppolo, Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew II over the past two seasons.
Ultimately, the Raiders failed on every level, with Adams wasting years of his prime, while the Jets got a terrific yet aging player. —MV
Vikings acquire Cam Akers from Texans
Vikings grade: C-
Texans grade: B+
Either the Minnesota Vikings really like running back Cam Akers or Aaron Jones might not be close to returning to the field.
The Vikings acquired Akers in a trade for the second consecutive year after sending a conditional 2026 sixth-round pick to the Houston Texans. Minnesota also gained a ’26 conditional seventh-round pick from Houston.
It’s essentially the same terms as last year’s trade—just with a different team. Last year, the Los Angeles Rams sent Akers and a conditional 2026 seventh-round pick to the Vikings in exchange for a ’26 conditional sixth-round selection.
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell has expressed optimism about Jones, who’s dealing with a hip injury. The 29-year-old running back was also seen on the practice field on Monday, perhaps a good sign for him being available for Sunday’s showdown against the Detroit Lions. Landing Akers might be more about depth and adding a player who’s familiar with O’Connell’s offensive scheme. Akers played six games with the Vikings last season and worked with O’Connell in Los Angeles when O’Connell was the offensive coordinator.
Akers will need to earn snaps in Minnesota because the team also has Ty Chandler, who has struggled a bit this season. But Akers made the most of his opportunities when injuries hit the Texans’ running backs room. Now with Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce healthy again, the Texans gained a higher draft pick simply for already having plenty of depth and quality options at the position. —GM
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as 2024 NFL Trade Deadline Tracker: Commanders Acquire Marshon Lattimore.
