Apex Scores Lite Apex Scores Lite flag
back Back
NFL trade deadline: Four Eagles, three Colts and two starting QBs included among top 25 candidates

Saquon Barkley, Jonathan Taylor, Kirk Cousins and more could fetch returns at the trade deadline

Imagn Images

The NFL trade deadline is exactly two weeks away. That means the hot stove will heat up considerably fairly soon. We've already seen multiple high-profile deals this season, with Joey Porter Jr. heading to the Cowboys and Marvin Harrison Jr. heading to the Texans, and we could see several more over the next 14 days, given how wide open the league appears to be at the moment.

With that in mind, we wanted to take a look at some of the top targets who could be on the move. We ranked the top 10 situations that bear the most watching, but with a twist. Some of them are team-wide, meaning there are multiple targets that interested teams could pursue over the next two weeks. There are 25 targets in all.

So without further ado, here's the list...

The Eagles

Saquon Barkley's contract, with all the various option bonuses included, makes dealing with him somewhat financially complicated, but given the Eagles' struggles, his age, and the fact that teams are looking for explosiveness at running back these days, he makes sense as a target for needy teams. His current injury situation muddies the picture a bit, but that could be cleared up in the coming days and weeks as he gets further away from the hamstring pull.

Moro Ojomo is in the final year of his rookie contract. The Eagles just paid big money to two defensive tackles (Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis), so they probably can't afford to keep Ojomo around. He's 25 years old and has shown production upside with 6 sacks last season. 

If the Eagles want to get aggressive, they can consider dealing both him and Nolan Smith, whose fifth-year option they picked up for next season but who they probably can't afford to keep in the longer term. Smith is more of a force in the run game than as a pass rusher, but that could still be valuable for teams that need help on the edge.

Dallas Goedert, meanwhile, signed a renegotiated contract with the Eagles this past offseason and is carrying only a $1.3 million base salary. He's not the most dynamic tight end these days, but he's a reliable pass-catcher and blocker, and any team that needs an additional tight end (teams love multi-tight end sets these days) could get interested for a small price.

The Colts

Jonathan Taylor is one of the best running backs in the NFL and has been able to remain productive even while the Colts' offense has fallen apart around him. (He's only at 4.2 yards per carry, but he's carrying a 55% rushing success rate, per Pro-Football-Reference.) He's the type of explosive back who can change an offense in the way Kenneth Walker III did for the Chiefs. The contract isn't prohibitive for trade purposes, as the Colts would incur only $10 million in dead money next year if they move him.

Quenton Nelson is 30 years old and in the final year of his contract. His $16 million base salary is affordable for a player of his caliber. Any team in need of interior offensive line help should be interested in a hurry, and the Colts should be trying to move him while they still can, before he leaves for nothing in return next offseason.

DeForest Buckner has been getting increasingly vocal about his frustrations with everything that's happening in Indianapolis, and it's hard to blame him, given how things have gone both this year and since he arrived there via trade. Like Nelson, he's in the final year of his contract, and the Colts would do well to see if they can get anything in return before he leaves in free agency.

The Titans

It would be pretty surprising if Jeffery Simmons were dealt away, considering he recently signed a three-year, $105.8 million contract extension that made him the highest-paid defensive tackle in the NFL. But the Titans are going nowhere fast, and Simmons is by far their best asset if they want to kick-start yet another rebuild, which seems to be in the offing. Tennessee would take on a bunch of dead money by dealing him, but it might be worth it if they can get as much draft capital as he's worth.

Amani Hooker is a very good, very versatile safety (he's played 232 snaps in the box, 127 as a deep safety and 56 as a slot corner so far this year), and those are valuable around the NFL. He still has three years left on his contract, including 2026, so there is a team-control aspect that would be valuable to a potentially acquiring team. 

Tony Pollard is in the final year of his deal with only a $6.7 million base salary. He's 29 years old, but if you look under the hood, the numbers show he's actually running pretty well so far this season. He's 10th in yards after contact per attempt among the 39 running backs with 50-plus carries, for example, according to Tru Media. He's also 12th in explosive run rate. He can still play, and help a team in need of a committee back.

Calvin Ridley has completely fallen out of favor in Tennessee and could potentially help a team in need of depth-chart wide receiver help.

The Chargers

Khalil Mack is on a one-year deal with an $8 million base salary. He's got three sacks in six games and has played 71% of the Chargers' defensive snaps. He's not going to be the player he once was, but any team in need of a rotational pass rusher should give the Chargers a call to see if they can get him for a late pick.

Tuli Tuipulotu only has two sacks in the Chargers' six games, but a deeper look at the numbers reveals a player playing better than that. He's 23rd in pressure rate among 148 players with 100 or more pass-rush snaps, according to Tru Media, and 18th in havoc play rate. He's still just 24 years old and you can get out ahead of his free agency by acquiring him now.

Derwin James, like Jeffery Simmons, recently signed a contract extension, so it would be somewhat surprising to see him get dealt. But he's 31 years old, the Chargers are terrible, and he's one of their most valuable assets. His base salaries for the next three years are also pretty high ($17.5 million, $24.6 million and $21.5 million), so the return might not be as much as the Chargers would be looking for.

Johnston only has 8 catches for 165 scoreless yards this season, and he's seemingly been surpassed in the target pecking order. He also has an $18 million salary for next season after the Chargers picked up his fifth-year option. So the return is likely to be low, but it's hard to imagine that L.A. wants to keep him around.

The Cardinals

Budda Baker has base salaries of $14.4 million and $16.1 million this year and next, but he's a valuable enough player to make those price tags worth it. He's extremely versatile and can play both the run and the pass, whether lined up deep or in the box. He's 30 years old and still likely has several quality seasons left under his belt. The Cardinals aren't going to contend for the postseason, and Baker is their best asset for future value. 

Josh Sweat is having a down year, both sack-wise (2 in 7 games) and in terms of his pressure rate (7.9%). And his contract doesn't exactly make that type of production attractive. But his track record over the long term, up to and including last year, is much more impressive, and teams could bet that he has a bounce-back in a more favorable environment. He probably wants a new contract, but that could be worked out once you see him play for your team.

Jacoby Brissett is clearly not the long-term answer under center for the Cardinals, and they might turn to Carson Beck sooner rather than later so they can see what they have in the third-round pick before making a decision on whether to select a quarterback in next year's draft. That makes Brissett expendable, and some team looking for a quality backup or fill-in for an injured starter could be interested in his services.

The Dolphins

Win over the Jets notwithstanding, the Dolphins look like arguably the worst team in the league this season. Zach Sieler, though, remains a quality player. He hasn't been at his best this season (nobody on the Dolphins has), but we've seen high upside as both a run defender and a pass rusher from the defensive interior. If you can tap back into that, his base salaries over the next few years are very affordable ($44.5 million from 2027 through 2029, none of which is guaranteed).

Jordyn Brooks, like Jeffery Simmons and Derwin James, recently signed an extension. But his deal actually made him easier to trade and gave the Dolphins the benefit of selling to an acquiring team, knowing they'd have Brooks under team control for multiple years. With the emergence of rookie Jacob Rodriguez and Brooks having recently turned 29 years old, they could look to deal him for a pretty sizable return.

Brian Thomas Jr. 

Brian Thomas Jr. has pretty clearly fallen out of favor in Jacksonville. In the Jaguars' last game, he didn't play a single second-half snap. Rookie Josh Cameron is playing ahead of him, and now it seems that two-way star Travis Hunter might be as well. But Thomas has more of a track record of high-level production than did Marvin Harrison Jr., and MHJ fetched a second-round pick via trade. If the Jaguars could get that type of return, they should be very interested, and teams should be interested in acquiring him as well, considering what he did as a rookie (albeit maybe not for quite that high a price, considering what he's done this year and last).

Daron Payne

The Commanders are going nowhere and Daron Payne is in the final year of his contract. His $16.4 million base salary is high but not prohibitive to a trade. He's still a quality run defender, even if he doesn't give you that much in the way of pass-rush juice these days. The Commies would be wise to get something for him before he leaves in free agency next offseason.

Will McDonald IV

Will McDonald IV has seen his snap rate cut from 66% down to 46% this season after the arrival of David Bailey in the draft. But he had 10.5 and 8 sacks over the last two seasons, and has shown he can be a productive pass rusher. The Jets just lost to the aforementioned Dolphins, so it's not like they're really going to compete for anything this year. McDonald had his fifth-year option picked up for next season, but he's still affordable.

Kirk Cousins

Kirk Cousins

LV • QB • #8

CMP%62.6

YDs1877

TD16

INT5

YD/Att7.3

Klint Kubiak is already getting questions about when he's going to turn the reins over to Fernando Mendoza, which means Kirk Cousins' time under center is likely coming to an end fairly soon. Like Brissett, he could be valuable to a team looking for either a quality backup or a fill-in starter for the rest of the season. The Raiders might prefer to just keep him around and have him mentor Mendoza for the rest of the year, though.

You may like

Colts Week 7 Stock Report: 2 Risers, 3 Fallers as Offense Falls Apart

si.com 1 hour ago

Surprising Stat Shows How Clutch Bills' WR Keon Coleman Has Been in 2026

si.com 2 hours ago

Week 8 NFL Power Rankings Roundup: Bills Move Up During Bye Week

si.com 54 minutes ago

5 NFL Teams That Should Be Sellers at NFL Trade Deadline, Trade Candidates for Each Club

aol.com 1 hour ago

No. 22 Arizona, No. 13 Texas Tech square off in key Big 12 clash

aol.com 1 hour ago

Colts agree to trade Quenton Nelson to Seahawks

nbcsports.com 12 minutes ago

Previewing Northwestern's Upcoming Matchup Against Oregon as They Prepare to Face Another Tough T...

si.com 15 minutes ago

Panthers’ NFL-worst rush defense knows it needs to “stop the bleeding”

nbcsports.com 20 minutes ago