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From Joey Porter Jr. to Quenton Nelson to Jeffery Simmons, we've already seen a slew of big names traded this NFL season, and there's every reason to believe more deals are coming. With the NFL trade deadline less than one week away, these deals can come at any time and in bunches.
With that being said, here's a look at the top 15 players most likely to get dealt on FanSided's updated big board, as well as one predicted landing spot for each of those players.
The Las Vegas Raiders are in a weird spot. On one hand, they're 4-4, which isn't exactly a selling record. On the other hand, they're not currently in a playoff spot and their wins have come against the Dolphins, Chargers, Saints, and Jets, teams that have a combined record of 5-24. They haven't beaten a good team yet. Will they trade Maxx Crosby given the situation they're in? Probably not, but FanSided's Jason La Canfora suspects they'll at least explore moving on, noting that after Jeffery Simmons was traded for two first-round picks, his value would be very high.
If the Raiders aren't getting premium value for Crosby, obviously, it'd make the most sense for them to hold on, but given how well he's played, there might be a team, like the Dallas Cowboys, perhaps, desperate enough to part with two first-round picks to get him.
Now, should the Cowboys gut their draft capital even more for Crosby? I'd say no. However, there's virtually no world in which the Cowboys sell, so why not go all out and get the premier pass rusher this defense is lacking? Losing more draft capital would hurt, but getting someone as good as Crosby under control for as long as he is could very well be worthwhile from their perspective.
The Philadelphia Eagles are going to sell at the trade deadline, but the question is, how far will they go? Moving on from rentals who won't be around in 2027 is a no-brainer, but they ought to explore what they can get for players under control, too, like Landon Dickerson, who is under contract through 2028.
Trading Dickerson would be tough given that the team's offensive line is pretty unrecognizable at the moment, with Cam Jurgens having already been traded and Lane Johnson suddenly retiring, but given how solid a player he is when healthy and the fact that he's locked in for a couple more years after this one, perhaps an offer out there will be too good to turn down.
The Green Bay Packers, for example, could look to bolster their offensive line by acquiring Dickerson. The team's offensive line play has improved as the season has progressed, but there are still some major question marks there that a healthy Dickerson (which is far from a guaranteed outcome) would help solve.
Aaron Glenn says the New York Jets are "in the business of keeping good players," and Breece Hall is unequivocally a good player. He is also one of two good running backs on the roster, and while he's been hurt in the last five weeks, Braelon Allen, a younger and cheaper player, has rushed for over 100 yards in three of those contests.
Allen looks more and more like an RB1 by the week, making Hall expendable. If the Jets can get a good return for a player they don't need, why not go for it, further aiding their chances of being competitive in 2027?
A team like the Cincinnati Bengals, for example, could use a boost at the running back position. Their passing offense is the best in the NFL, but they've rushed for just 80.3 yards per game on average, the third-fewest in the NFL. Hall would help improve that in a major way and would cost less than a back like Jonathan Taylor, keeping the door open for another trade, potentially.
Speaking of the Bengals, another trade candidate is Tennessee Titans safety Amani Hooker, who intercepted three passes in Cincinnati in Week 8. Trading a player who can make that big of an impact is not ideal, especially given that the Titans are 1-7, but since they were willing to trade Jeffery Simmons for a massive return, it'd be surprising if they didn't consider moving on from Hooker as well.
Hooker would not land them a Simmons-level return, but given the fact that he's under contract through 2028 (albeit with no guaranteed money after this season) and is an impactful player, the Titans, a team that should be hoarding as many draft picks as possible, can acquire picks in a potential deal.
Despite the Buffalo Bills averaging over 33 points per game, a mark that leads the NFL by a fairly wide margin, five of their seven games have been decided by one score, showing just how brutal their defense has been. Josh Allen has proven that even with an undermanned receiving corps, he can will his team to score points in bunches. Can the defense help him out at all? Hooker would be a welcome addition to Buffalo's secondary.
Even after an unexpected Week 8 win in Dallas, the Arizona Cardinals are 3-5, good for last place in the NFC West. They've certainly exceeded expectations by winning three of their first eight games, but does anyone really think this team is going anywhere this season? The Cardinals are simply not talented enough, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, to be a playoff team, so why bother keeping 30-year-old Budda Baker, who has no guaranteed money on his deal after this year anyway?
I understand that he's played his entire 10-year career with the Cardinals (and has been a very good player for a vast majority of that time), and those players are always hard to move on from, but the fact of the matter is that the Cardinals are unlikely to be good while Baker is still a productive player. He's struggled in coverage this season but remains elite at getting to quarterbacks and defending the run.
His ability to generate pressure against opposing quarterbacks is why he makes sense as a fit for the Jacksonville Jaguars, a team that has just 15 sacks thus far. In fact, Baker's 3.5 sacks would lead the team, with Travon Walker (3.0) and Josh Hines-Allen (2.0) as the only players on Jacksonville's defense with multiple sacks this season.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a win-now team, which makes Brian Thomas Jr.'s inclusion on this list strange on the surface, but hear me out. Thomas, a wideout who had over 1,200 yards in his rookie year, has combined to record 824 yards in the season and a half since. Not only has his production declined by the year, but it's declined by the week this season. Thomas was somewhat involved in the first couple of weeks of the year but has combined to record four receptions for 37 yards since Week 3. That would be a disappointing game for Thomas, yet it's been his entire production for over a month.
He's tied for third among Jags receivers in yards and tied for fifth overall on the team in that category. He's also played in just 44.1 percent of offensive snaps since Week 3. Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers are the clear top dogs among wideouts, and rookie sixth-rounder Josh Cameron might've leapfrogged Thomas on the depth chart as well. If Thomas isn't going to play, why not trade him in a world where Marvin Harrison Jr., a wide receiver who has not accomplished as much, just went for a second-round pick?
A team like the San Francisco 49ers could be desperate enough to offer a pretty penny to acquire Thomas and add him to their depleted wide receiver room. Ricky Pearsall is out for the year, both De'Zhaun Stribling and Demarcus Robinson are on IR, and Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel are older and banged up. Thomas would give this receiver room a healthy body likely to thrive in a change of scenery.
A lot has gone wrong for the Washington Commanders this season, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, but Amik Robertson has been one of the few defensive bright spots for Washington. His 73.7 PFF grade is good for 17th among 102 cornerbacks, and he's been particularly stout both in coverage and against the run. In fact, his 90.0 PFF grade against the run is the second-best among those same 102 corners.
Robertson can play just about anywhere and does not have any fully guaranteed money on his deal for next season, making him a very attractive option for several contending teams. With the Commanders sitting at 2-4-1 and having a lackluster defense even with Robertson playing well, selling high makes a lot of sense.
A team like the Carolina Panthers makes a lot of sense for Robertson, especially knowing how great he's been against the run. The Panthers are allowing the third-most rushing yards per game and also have both Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson on IR. Secondary has been a weakness all year, and Robertson would really help mitigate that in the short-term for a Panthers team trying to win the NFC South.
The Cardinals won their Week 8 game because they pulled Jacoby Brissett in favor of Gardner Minshew and watched Minshew dominate a reeling Cowboys defense. Now, not only has Minshew been named the new starter, but Brissett isn't even the backup. Carson Beck is the backup, making Brissett the third-stringer. I'm not here to argue that Brissett is the best starting quarterback in the world, but if he's going to be a third-stringer in Arizona, they have to trade him, right?
I mean, Brissett is on an expiring contract and the fact that he's been benched suggests that his future in Arizona beyond this season is very much in jeopardy. If Beck is the next man up, why not get what you can for Brissett from a desperate suitor?
The Baltimore Ravens make all the sense in the world in that regard. Both Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley suffered season-ending injuries in Week 8, making it likely that Joe Fagnano will start the team's Week 9 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Sure, you can argue that the Ravens should just wave the white flag now, but they're still a 4-4 team with a lot of talent. Brissett might be able to keep their playoff hopes alive, even if their Super Bowl dreams are probably dead.
Dallas Goedert remains a productive player for the Eagles. He's missed a couple of games due to injury but still has 258 yards and two touchdowns in six appearances for Philadelphia, despite inconsistent quarterback play at best. He's reeled in at least four receptions in all but one of his appearances this season.
Goedert isn't going to get you 1,000 yards from the tight end position, but he's a reliable target, which every offense needs. He's also on an expiring contract, meaning the Eagles shouldn't be hesitant to trade him and contenders wouldn't need to give up too much to acquire him.
A team like the Seattle Seahawks could make sense here. Even with Goedert's missed action, he'd still rank second on the Seahawks in receiving yards, showing just how Jaxon Smith-Njigba or bust their passing attack truly is. JSN is otherworldly, but he cannot be THE passing offense. Getting a capable tight end to take some of the pressure off would be wise.
Should the Los Angeles Chargers trade Tuli Tuipulotu? I'd say no. He recently turned 24 years of age, was a Pro Bowler last season and has played well this season. The Chargers should be trying to extend him. Is that actually going to happen, though? A deal has not been agreed to, and with Tuipulotu set to hit free agency this offseason, time is running out for one to get done.
If a deal can't get done, why not ensure you get something for him now? The Chargers are 0-7 and they haven't scored a touchdown in almost a month. Who knows when or even if they'll break their losing streak with how they've played? They should be eager sellers, willing to move on from anyone who is not part of their long-term future. Again, Tuipulotu should be, but is he?
You can argue that the Cleveland Browns shouldn't be trading for rentals since they probably won't win the AFC North, but at the same time, the Browns are 5-3 and look like a team that, if they can find a quarterback, can be competitive in the not-too-distant future. Adding a 24-year-old star edge rusher would help them now and in the future, assuming they're able to extend him.
The Cardinals winning their Week 8 game complicates things a bit, but at the end of the day, it's hard to take this team seriously. As great as Minshew was, the Cowboys' defense is awful, and he isn't reliable against formidable opponents. That means that the Cardinals shouldn't shy away from selling at the trade deadline, and that means that Josh Sweat should be very available.
Now, Sweat is under contract beyond 2026, so the Cardinals shouldn't trade him just to trade him, but with so many teams needing edge help, there's reason to believe Arizona will get something satisfactory, especially knowing he doesn't appear to want to be there anyway.
The New England Patriots' pass rush could use a boost with Harold Landry out for who knows how long. Elijah Ponder has had a great year, and guys like Dre'Mont Jones and Gabe Jacas have contributed, but Sweat, even in a down year, would provide a major spark. The Patriots could use this kind of high-upside swing if they want to get back to the Super Bowl.
The 2-6 Indianapolis Colts have already fired GM Chris Ballard and traded Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner soon after, so it feels like a matter of when, not if, more moves are made, with Josh Downs being the most obvious player to go, given that he's already requested a trade out of Indianapolis.
Downs is an appealing option for several reasons. He's young (25), productive (330 receiving yards in eight games) and on a cheap, expiring contract, meaning that most contenders can fit him into their cap without issue. It's clear that Downs doesn't want to be in Indianapolis, so now is the time for the Colts to get whatever they can for him in a lost year and continue pushing their rebuild forward.
The Pittsburgh Steelers could use more receiver depth, with DK Metcalf having his share of ups and downs and Michael Pittman Jr. still on the sidelines due to injury. Germie Bernard has been a pleasant surprise, but it still feels like this team could use more depth. Downs would be a great fit in the slot in Pittsburgh.
While the Eagles can trade a ton of players by the trade deadline, I'm not sure anyone makes more sense to move than Riq Woolen, who signed a one-year deal with the team this past offseason. Woolen has struggled a bit of late, but has still started all eight games for Philadelphia this season and was a valuable member of the Seahawks' Super Bowl run last season.
Woolen is a player the Eagles might want to keep around, but he's on an expiring deal, so will they really pay him knowing that both Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell have extensions coming up? It's best to trade him for whatever draft pick compensation they can get.
The Detroit Lions could use any secondary help they can get, given that they've allowed the most passing yards per game in the NFL to this point. D.J. Reed's recent emergence gives them one outside corner to trust, but they could use another. Woolen hasn't been perfect in coverage this season, but he has the tools and track record to make you believe that he can be a valuable addition to the Lions.
I believe the Chargers should extend, not trade, Tuli Tuipulotu, but I feel the opposite about Khalil Mack. In fact, I'm a bit surprised that the winless Chargers have held onto the 35-year-old on an expiring contract for this long. It's clear that even while Mack remains a productive defensive lineman, he is not helping the Chargers win games, so it makes more sense to move on for whatever they can get.
Mack remains a rock-solid all-around edge rusher, as his 74.2 PFF grade (24th out of 111 edge rushers) would indicate. He can help any contender, with one sticking out more than the rest.
The Chicago Bears might've just traded for Jeffery Simmons, but isn't that reason for them to keep going? The Bears are in win-now mode, and I believe Simmons makes them Super Bowl contenders, if not favorites. A Mack reunion would only further improve their odds of winning it all.
Completely tanking is tough to do without control of your own first-round pick, but the Indianapolis Colts need to stockpile as much draft capital as they can conceivably get, and that means trading Jonathan Taylor, arguably the best player left on their roster. At the end of the day, what does keeping Taylor around accomplish?
He's already 27 years old and while he remains an elite back, he's averaging a career-worst 4.1 yards per carry, and that's only bound to get worse with Quenton Nelson gone. The Colts are 2-6 with him and are not in a position to win anytime soon. The time to sell high is right now, rather than holding onto him when the team won't be competitive in 2027 anyway.
The time is now for the Minnesota Vikings to go all in. The team is 6-1 with the best defense in the NFL, but their offense has been an issue. Yes, Kyler Murray is the problem, and Taylor doesn't directly solve that, but upgrading from the likes of Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason to Taylor certainly wouldn't hurt. It'd take a lot of the attention off of Murray, who might be able to settle in more with a star back to lean on. With 10 picks in this year's draft, including four in the first three rounds, Minnesota has the ammo and should have the desire to get a deal done.
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