Bengals acquire RB Khalil Herbert from Bears for 7th-round pick
I thought Khalil Herbert was going to be traded much earlier than this. I projected the Cowboys to acquire him at the start of the season. Instead, Herbert has been rotting on Chicago’s bench until now.
If the Bengals truly have playoff aspirations, it makes sense to obtain Herbert. Zack Moss will be out for a while, so Cincinnati didn’t have a viable backup behind Chase Brown. If Brown gets hurt, the Bengals can at least turn to Herbert, who is a talented runner. Some would even say that he’s an upgrade over Moss as a pure rusher.
It doesn’t feel as though the Bears played this well. They probably could have squeezed a bit more out of Herbert. Then again, this is a team that traded Justin Fields for peanuts rather than being patient and waiting for a team to suffer a quarterback injury, so they have a history of squandering resources in trades.
Grade for Bengals – A
Grade for Bears – C
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Lions acquire DE Za’Darius Smith from Browns for 5th-round pick, swap of 2026 6th-, 7th-round picks
It would have been shocking if the Lions didn’t make a trade for a pass rusher at the deadline. They obviously had a big need at the position in the wake of Aidan Hutchinson’s season-ending injury, and they managed to fill that need at a very reasonable price.
Smith is 32, but he’s still playing at a high level this year. He has accumulated five sacks while playing about half the snaps each week. He has also held up well against the run. He’s a perfect short-term fix, and the Lions aren’t giving up much. The 2026 pick swap is inconsequential, so all the Lions are relinquishing is a fifth-round pick this year. Surrendering a fifth-rounder to give themselves a better chance to win the Super Bowl is a great move.
I like this trade for Cleveland as well. The Browns need to be focusing on the future, so a 32-year-old edge rusher won’t be part of those plans. They did a good job of obtaining a fifth-round pick for Smith to help with the rebuilding process.
Grade for Lions – A+
Grade for Browns – A
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Cardinals acquire DE/OLB Baron Browning from Broncos for 6th-round pick
Following Arizona’s blowout loss to the Packers a few weeks ago, there was some suspicion that the team could be sellers at the trade deadline. Things have changed quickly, however, as Arizona’s recent victories have put the team in a position to win the NFC West. Arizona, at 5-4, is currently in first place.
I like this trade for the Cardinals. They had the third-worst pressure rate entering Week 9, so they had to bolster their pass rush. Baron Browning isn’t a great player by any means, but he can get after the quarterback somewhat decently. He had 4.5 sacks last year, so he’ll be able to help Arizona rattle opposing passers.
The Broncos are an odd team to be trading players, but they were so deep on the edge that Browning was playing only about a third of the snaps. They could afford to trade Browning, so it makes sense to pick up a resource, which Denver could trade for a position of need.
Grade for Cardinals – A-
Grade for Broncos – B+
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Vikings acquire OT Cam Robinson from Jaguars for conditional 4th- or 5th-round pick
At the risk of sounding too hyperbolic, the Vikings just saved their season. It’s true though. Minnesota lost Christian Darrisaw, one of the top left tackles in the NFL, and couldn’t protect Sam Darnold as a result. Minnesota lost to the Rams as a consequence.
Given how much Darnold struggles while pressured, the Vikings were cooked without Darrisaw. Cam Robinson, however, is exactly what Minnesota needed. Robinson is an excellent pass protector, and he’ll be able to keep Darnold safe in the pocket. The Vikings will surrender a fourth- or a fifth-round pick, depending on playing time. The compensation will be well worth it.
As for the Jaguars, you could say that they’re at least getting a somewhat fair return, unlike what the Panthers received for Diontae Johnson. However, given Trevor Lawrence’s regression, I don’t think trading away his left tackle is a good idea. The Jaguars should be doing what it takes to develop Lawrence; not strip valuable pieces away from him.
Grade for Vikings – A
Grade for Jaguars – C
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Ravens acquire WR Diontae Johnson from Panthers for third-day pick swap
It’s hardly a shock that Diontae Johnson was traded. With Cooper Kupp being taken off the market, and Christian Kirk breaking his collar bone, Johnson was the next receiver most likely to be traded because of his expiring contract.
What is surprising is that the Panthers didn’t get anything more for Johnson than a swap of fifth- and sixth-round picks. This speaks to the incompetence of the organization, which has been responsible for many blunders lately.
The Ravens are getting a steal. They’re giving up nothing for a dynamic play-maker, which they sorely needed because they had nothing at receiver outside of Zay Flowers.
Grade for Ravens – A+
Grade for Panthers- D
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Chiefs acquire DE/OLB Josh Uche from Patriots for 2026 6th-round pick
The future seemed extremely bright for Josh Uche when he recorded 11.5 sacks in 2022. He did so playing about a third of the team’s snaps, but he never developed beyond that, serving as just a situational edge rusher.
Despite this, I like the move for the Chiefs. Uche is still young (26), and it never hurts to add a player who can get to the quarterback when there are impending playoff battles against Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and C.J. Stroud. The Chiefs aren’t giving up much, so they’re the clear winners of this trade, whereas New England appears to be selling low.
Grade for Chiefs – A
Grade for Patriots- C
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Seahawks acquire LB Ernest Jones from Titans for LB Jerome Baker, 4th-round pick
This trade is a bit surprising, but not because the Titans acquired Ernest Jones recently. It was unexpected because the Seahawks surrendered a fourth-round pick in what is almost a lateral move.
Jerome Baker has been a huge disappointment this year, so I can understand why Seattle wanted to move on from him. Ernest Jones will give the Seahawks a linebacker who is much better in run support. However, Jones is weaker than Baker in coverage.
I like the fit for the Seahawks because they needed someone to help in run support, but I don’t understand why a fourth-round pick had to be dealt. I could see a sixth, but a fourth is too much. The Titans definitely won this trade.
Grade for Seahawks – C
Grade for Titans – A
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Chiefs acquire WR DeAndre Hopkins from Titans for conditional 4th-round pick
The Chiefs are 6-0, but they needed to make a move to improve their roster. Their defense is stellar, ranking second in adjusted EPA, but their offense has had issues scoring. Patrick Mahomes has no touchdowns in the past two games, and only one touchdown in the previous three.
With Rashee Rice, Marquise Brown, and now even JuJu Smith-Schuster injured, it made sense for Kansas City to trade for DeAndre Hopkins. While Hopkins is 32, he has shown that he can still be productive. He caught six passes for 73 yards and a touchdown in Week 3, and he made four catches for 54 yards versus the Colts in Week 6 despite being paired with the atrocious Will Levis. Hopkins will be able to be productive for Mahomes, serving as a temporary No. 2 complement for Travis Kelce that the Chiefs desperately needed.
A fourth-round pick to give the Chiefs a better chance to win their third-consecutive Super Bowl is definitely worth it. As for the Titans, Hopkins didn’t want to play for them any longer, so getting a fourth-round selection for him is actually a decent haul.
Update: The Titans will get a fourth-round pick only if the Chiefs make it to the Super Bowl, and Hopkins plays 60 percent of snaps. Otherwise, it’ll be a fifth-rounder. I’m upgrading this to an A+ for the Chiefs.
Grade for Chiefs – A+
Grade for Titans – B+
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Seahawks acquire DT Roy Robertson-Harris from Jaguars for 2026 6th-round pick
There were four trades that occurred Tuesday. I graded three of them below, but missed this one, likely because I was also busy posting my NFL Picks.
This is a decent addition for the Seahawks. They’re not giving up anything of consequence to obtain a solid rotational piece for their defensive line. Roy Robertson-Harris is a Jack-of-all-trades, master-of-nothing player. He’ll be a welcome presence for a Seattle team that can’t stop the run. Meanwhile, it makes sense for the Jaguars to sell off an aging player because they obviously aren’t winning this year.
Grade for Seahawks – A-
Grade for Jaguars – B+
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Vikings acquire RB Cam Akers from Texans for late-round pick swap
Cam Akers started a couple of games for the Texans in the wake of Joe Mixon’s injury, but he did not take advantage of his opportunity. He was one of the least-efficient runners in the NFL, ultimately getting supplanted for Dare Ogunbowale.
The Texans did well to get something for Akers, even if it was just a sixth-round pick in exchange for a seventh-rounder. The Vikings, on the other hand, could have just signed someone comparable with Aaron Jones sidelined, so I don’t know why they wasted a resource, even an insignificant one, on someone as pedestrian as Akers.
Grade for Vikings – C
Grade for Texans – B+
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