At 4 p.m. Eastern on Nov. 1, the 2022 NFL trade deadline will have come and gone. And even while this has already been one of the more active deadlines in recent memory, we should still see a few dominoes fall between now and when the clock strikes midnight tomorrow, er, 4 o’clock in the afternoon.
Certain Super Bowl contenders like the Chiefs and Eagles have already put themselves out there with interesting moves for the upside of an offensive playmaker and a premier pass rusher. But there’s still so much work to be done, especially for any competitive peers who want to keep pace with the NFL’s elite.
From a pair of potentially disgruntled Broncos receivers to a talented running back who, for now, resides closest to Lake Erie, there are a lot of gifted players on the board. Veteran players who might help some squads get over the top. Let’s break down a few names and trade fits that make perfect sense for all parties involved before the end of the deadline.
1
Denver Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy to New York Giants
The state of Broncos football could not be a bigger dumpster fire right now. As Russell Wilson and Denver continue to struggle, focusing on recouping picks will become the prerogative. Someone like a potentially frustrated Jeudy makes too much sense not to deal away.
Enter the Giants and a bully-ball offense that could use more downfield playmaking.
There’s taking the air out of the ball, then there’s taking a pocket knife and slashing it open altogether as the Giants do. The New York attack is averaging just 6.6 air yards per pass while Daniel Jones slings the ball around to the tune of a party 6.73 yards per attempt. To be fair to the Giants, they have Saquon Barkley — the league’s arguable best runner — back at the peak of his powers with 906 scrimmage yards. But leaning on Barkley so much as the bell cow and only true big-play threat is not a mix that will take New York far in January. With all due respect to Darius Slayton and Wan’Dale Robinson, we’re not exactly talking about proven field tilters. And Kadarius Toney, quite literally, is not walking through that door anymore.
Jeudy would be the exception and give the Giants a fresh dimension. He’s averaging over 16 yards a catch (11th in the league), is seventh in yards after the catch per reception (7.2), and he’s only 33rd in the league in targets (47). Get this man a non-Nathaniel Hackett offensive mind like the genius Brian Daboll — who can (more likely) scheme him the ball on a consistently regular basis — and we’re talking about someone who can create more space for others in an elite ground-and-pound attack that simply needs more.
2
Houston Texans WR Brandin Cooks to Baltimore Ravens
Cooks has to be one of the more underrated and overlooked players in the NFL. Since he entered in 2014 with the Saints, all the wideout has done is produce. In six of nine seasons, he’s recorded at least 1,000 yards, a usual handful of touchdowns, averaged 66 catches a year, and is one of the more solid possession players in pro football — regardless of the scheme or talent around him.
Oh, and lest I forget: Cook’s also one of the best deep threats in the game. Ho-hum.
The Texans are rebuilding and, quite frankly, should have little use for a player like the 29-year-old Cooks. A playmaker like him is someone who features on a contender and is worth more in draft capital and younger foundational talent. The Texans won’t be winning in 2022, probably 2023, and maybe even longer than that.
Meanwhile, the Ravens continue to struggle in diversifying their offense. Mark Andrews has the highest target share among all NFL tight ends. In fact, his 64 targets are the next man up with Devin Duvernay’s 32. Andrews is also comfortably Baltimore’s leader in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. Second-year receiver Rashod Bateman was supposed to help in this department, but injuries and consistency issues have derailed this initial plan. Suffice it to say that if you’re a defense and can take Andrews away, life gets a lot more challenging for Lamar Jackson, regardless of how physical Tyler Linderbaum is.
Can the Ravens and offensive coordinator Greg Roman open up the offense a bit more, allowing Jackson to follow a “spread the wealth” mandate? Sure, I can see that. Jackson’s power-read running play is one of the best in the game at the moment, but this contending Baltimore squad needs more firepower when passing. And outside of Andrews, there’s not much there.
Cooks would not only be an excellent running mate for Andrews — he’d also be the perfect vertical complement to his middle-of-the-field presence. And when (or if) Bateman establishes a rhythm again, the Ravens would suddenly have a dangerous pass-target corps that could rival those two Bills and Chiefs heavyweights at the top of the conference.
3
Cleveland Browns RB Kareem Hunt to Buffalo Bills
The Bills are in a place where they don’t necessarily need to address anything significant. This bona fide juggernaut has one of the two best players in the sport at quarterback, is deep in all three phases, and otherwise has very few glaring flaws. But in an “all-in” year where they feel like the presumed Super Bowl favorite, it might behoove the Bills to make sure Josh Allen isn’t their leading rusher every game. Devin Singletary’s an effective player, but it’s not as if the Bills — and their 16th-ranked rushing attack — should ignore an upgrade to give their offense more seasoning.
Making a move for a player like Hunt would nip this “issue” in the bud. The talented Cleveland platoon back is in the last year of a past two-year contract extension, and he hasn’t let feature guy Nick Chubb diminish his production as an RB2. But, this was the rare situation for the Browns where they had two legitimate star running backs and, unfortunately, only one guy could touch the ball at a time.
Given that Hunt, who has averaged over 30 catches every fall in his six-year career, wouldn’t (or shouldn’t) cost much for a half-year rental, this deal is a no-brainer for Buffalo. I’m not advocating for the Bills to take the ball out of Allen’s hands — he’s accounted for over 80 percent of Buffalo’s offensive yardage this season. I’m just saying it wouldn’t be a bad thing to be able to lean on a solid potential five yards a pop from Hunt and some “gimme” routes out of the backfield in the rare instance that Allen might not be feeling it on a big-game particular afternoon.
It’s a lot of responsibility to put on any quarterback to be perfect every Sunday, and Hunt (pun intended) would help carry the offensive responsibility load of the star quarterback.
4
Washington Commanders CB William Jackson III to Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs will likely need more on defense to upend the primary antagonist of their running drama in the Bills. While Patrick Mahomes is at the helm of the league’s most explosive, effective, and balanced offense in most relevant measurements — opponents are finding it easy to move the ball on Kansas City’s defensively-challenged makeup. Rookies George Karlaftis and Trent McDuffie were supposed to elevate this dynamic, but Karlaftis (a half-sack, four QB hits) has been largely invisible as he adjusts to NFL blocking. In contrast, McDuffie has been hurt for most of the year.
At present, the Chiefs are 25th in total defense and scoring defense and 26th in Football Outsiders’ DVOA efficiency metric. Their main problem is the NFL’s third-worst pass defense and a unit that can’t get off the field when it needs — Kansas City is 18th in third-down defense, allowing teams to convert 41.1 percent on the money down. Look, I know Mahomes makes it seem like he can throw for four touchdowns and put up 40 points on the scoreboard with ease every week, but that isn’t sustainable. A legitimate championship contender doesn’t need to be centered around its defense, but it does need to have the capacity to get a stop now and then.
Thus far in 2022, this iteration of the Chiefs is failing in that regard.
One way the Chiefs could improve their defense is by adding a starting cornerback on the outside like William Jackson III. Before he let the stink of the Commanders contaminate his career, the 30-year-old Jackson III was one of the Bengals’ formerly more gifted defensive talents. From 2017 to 2020, Jackson III was consistently one of the league’s most solidly-graded corners in coverage, according to Pro Football Focus. He wasn’t a star, but he did his job effectively. And in 2020, he allowed just a 51 percent completion rate.
It’s not a shock that his career cratered the moment he put on the maroon and gold of the Commanders, as, in his third season with the team, Jackson III’s 47.8 PFF coverage grade is one of the league’s worst this year.
L’Jarius Sneed is a no-doubter No. 1 corner on the outside in Kansas City. But the Chiefs have been devastated on the left side without McDuffie’s services, having to lean on struggling fourth-rounder Joshua Williams more than they’d like. Jackson III likely wouldn’t cost too much and would act as an actual CB2 to a defense that doesn’t have the horses right now.
5
Denver Broncos WR K.J. Hamler to Dallas Cowboys
On the surface level, the Broncos probably won’t be the biggest sellers at this deadline. But if they saw what was happening with Russell Wilson, they’d know now might be the time to really start stockpiling for the future. Like Jeudy, every player who isn’t part of the potential long-term outlook at Mile High should be on the trade block.
Someone like former second-rounder K.J. Hamler finding a new home with the Cowboys makes almost too much sense.
Almost three years into his career, Hamler hasn’t lived up to his draft status. Part of that has been the situation — the Broncos, even now, haven’t had a quarterback worth writing home about — and part of that is the hybrid Hamler not exactly being a classic possession receiver. In an ideal world, in a competent offense, Hamler would have the football schemed into his hands on jet sweeps, simple bubble screens, and pitches on a regular basis. Anything that can get him into the open field outside of the usual route running. The Broncos, shall we say, have not done that for him and have missed the receiver even when he does get open. Instead, he has 40 catches in 22 games and it doesn’t seem like his experiment with Denver will ever go anywhere.
On the Dallas end of the matter, it has the construct of a Super Bowl-contending team but leans entirely too much on CeeDee Lamb. Dak Prescott (and Cooper Rush) have steadily fed the No. 1 to the tune of 66 targets (fifth-most in the league) and otherwise lean on the exploits of Noah Brown (39) and Dalton Schultz (22) in a distant second and third, respectively. Lamb gets the lion’s share of attention almost by necessity, but that also means it’s easier to stop the Dallas offense if he’s not getting open.
Hamler wouldn’t fix this Lamb focus issue on his own, but he would come cheap with upside and the opportunity to fill a multifaceted role the Cowboys currently do not utilize. The NFC is weak and there for the taking. The Eagles just traded for a premier pass rusher. Dallas needs to do something, and taking a flier on Hamler qualifies.
