Kembali
The NFL trade deadline is rapidly approaching and the market has been hot. Indianapolis and Tennessee have jumped the market with sales, moving Quenton Nelson, DeForest Buckner and Jeffery Simmons for draft pick compensation ahead of Week 8, but there is still time for the market to heat up prior to next Tuesday's deadline.
While the fates of Jonathan Taylor, Khalil Mack and other big names hang in the balance, there are likely a few curveballs to come, like when the New York Jets stunningly unloaded Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams prior to last season's deadline. Let's take a look at 5 outside-the-box candidates who could get moved prior to the deadline, including another Jet in Breece Hall.
The Jets gave Hall a new contract in the offseason and he should fit their rebuilding window at just 25 years old, but they have played without him since Week 3 due to a nagging groin injury. That absence has allowed Braelon Allen to seize the backfield, gaining steam and confidence by the week, which could make Hall expendable if the price is right.
The running back market is hot, as Tony Pollard and Taylor could be had for teams in need of help in the backfield, like Minnesota or the New York Giants. Moving Hall would actually generate an additional $10+ million in cap space for the Jets, so if they can entice a team to part with premium draft capital to aid their rebuild, they could conceivably roll with Allen as their RB1 and draft a compliment for him in April.
The Falcons made a significant investment in Tagovailoa to be their backup quarterback in the offseason but haven't really had a chance to use him. Tagovailoa's own injury knocked him out for the first two games of the season and by the time he was ready to go Atlanta had gotten starter Michael Penix back, leaving him as a very expensive luxury item for Kevin Stefanski's team.
Even if there are question marks with Tagovailoa's game, the mounting quarterback injuries around the league could create a nice market for Atlanta if they want to cash in on him. The Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens stand out as potential fits given their own quarterback injuries while contenders with questionable quarterback play could also take a flier here.
There may not be a steeper fall from grace for a recent top pick than Jeanty has had with Las Vegas. The Raiders have been quite disappointed in Jeanty's production, as he is plodding along to the tune of 3.1 yards per carry entering Week 8, and caused a distraction for Las Vegas by calling out the Jets' defense's ability to tackle prior to their trip to MetLife Stadium.
That comment appears to have irritated Klint Kubiak's staff, which started the game with Mike Washington Jr and demoted Jeanty to third down duty. Since Kubiak's staff has no attachment to Jeanty, they could look to pull a Trent Richardson here and try dumping Jeanty onto another running back-needy team to recoup an asset for a player they clearly have no confidence in.
The Denver Broncos need to get more offensive production going, but Sutton has gotten lost in the shuffle this season. Sean Payton traded a first round pick to add Jaylen Waddle from the Dolphins while Pat Bryant emerged as a starter before landing on IR with an ankle injury, leaving Sutton an expendable piece who has just 16 catches for 168 yards and a touchdown in seven games.
It wouldn't be surprising to see a team like San Francisco or Philadelphia, each of whom has had significant attrition at receiver, make a play for Sutton to add a reliable veteran to their group. If Payton believes that Bryant will be a factor for the team in the second half, it could make sense to move on from Sutton and get a draft pick back for a player that is still capable of producing in the NFL.
The same parameters we applied to Tagovailoa could also apply to Brissett, who is more of a floor-raising play for a team in need of quarterback help. The Cardinals are clearly tank candidates and have a young quarterback they could look at in Carson Beck, making a Brissett trade an intriguing asset grab for them since they don't need Brissett to help develop any young pass catchers right now.
The Ravens could be an intriguing shout for Brissett if Jackson will be out a while since he can be a relatively stable plug-and-play starter for a team in danger of fading in a competitive AFC North. A mid-round pick should be enough to pry Brissett from Arizona, which can use all the help it can get to build a winner in the rugged NFC West.