By Matt Stuart | Published | No Comments
The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday October 31. There have already been a handful of trades that have impacted several teams in the NFL. From the Tennessee Titans trading one of their best defensive players in Kevin Byard to the Philadelphia Eagles, to the New York Jets sending Mecole Hardman back to the Kansas City Chiefs. The NFL trade market could heat up over the next few days. Could another Titans star be on the move. All pro running back Derrick Henry is playing on the last year of his contract in Tennessee and the future hall of fame running back could certainly help a contending team down the stretch. Would the draft pick strapped Carolina Panthers really deal their best defensive player in Brian Burns.
The question is, which moves make the most sense, and where could players thought to be on the trade block wind up? Let’s take a look.
Titans RB – Derrick Henry
Henry has shown that when he has a good offensive line to run behind he can still be a dangerous three down back in the NFL. And while three down backs aren’t exactly in hot demand much these days in the NFL, there are certainly more than a few teams that could change their fortunes by adding the future hall of famer.
The Candidates : Ravens, Jets and Bucs
The Ravens are appealing because they lost J.K. Dobbins early in the season and have really struggled to replace him. Lamar Jackson has been the leading rusher in three of the Ravens seven games this season, and with the durability issues regarding Lamar Jackson the last two seasons, the Ravens would really like to avoid having to put the ball into his hands too much.
Henry would have a much better line to run behind in Baltimore and would also benefit from having a quarterback that could really sell RPO’s much more effectively than the Titans. The question is, would the Ravens be willing to part with some draft picks just to get what would, at least at the moment, be more of a want than a true need?
The Jets are still alive at 3-3 for a possible playoff berth; which is more than most people thought after Aaron Rodgers went down with a torn ACL in game one. If we are being honest, the Jets run game has been fine, but not exactly off the charts. They are averaging just over 117 yard per game on the ground. Leading rusher Breece Hall has been good so far in his comeback season, after suffering a knee injury a year ago that caused him to miss most of the season. The problem here is that Dalvin Cook, who the Jets picked up as a free agent before the season started, has not been much of a difference maker. Cook is averaging just 2.8 yards per carry and has just 109 yards on 39 carries so far in six games this season.
That puts a lot on the shoulders of Hall, who again is coming off a pretty severe knee injury from a year ago. With the Jets trying to limit what QB Zach Wilson has to do each week, they would certainly like to get better on the ground. Henry would likely just be a half season rental here and obviously the Jets don’t have much spare draft capital to send back to the Titans, thanks to the Aaron Rodgers trade. Still though, if the Jets could get creative here, Henry could certainly eat up some yardage and score some much needed touchdowns behind that Jets offensive line.
The Bucs have some draft capital to play with here, and could sorely use more in a run game that ranks 29th out of 32 reams. The Bucs are averaging a terrible 77 yards on the ground this season. Mayfield has actually played quite well this season, but he is averaging just over 35 pass attempts per game, and the Bucs would like to get those numbers under 30 if they can.
The Bucs only consider making this trade if they truly think they can stay in the NFC South division race. They are just a game off that mark at 3-4 and the NFC South isn’t the type of division that anyone is going to runaway with. If the Bucs think Mayfield can keep his nice season going, adding a veteran running back like Henry could certainly make the Bucs the favorites to win a wide open NFC South. Remember Mayfield’s best years in Cleveland came when he had a dominant running game led by Nick Chubb.
Broncos WR – Jerry Jeudy
If there is one player that could really use a fresh start right about now, its Jerry Jeudy. To say that the highly touted prospect coming out of Alabama has struggled so far in his young career would be an understatement. Jeudy has all the tools a top WR in the NFL needs. He has good size, nice hands, and has better than average speed to gain critical separation in the deep game. What he lacks is a consistent offense and a quarterback that can properly utilize those talents.
The Candidates : Bills, Patriots and Panthers
When highly touted prospects struggle in their first few seasons in the NFL we often just toss the “bust” word at them and call it a day. In some cases that is appropriate, in many cases it’s really unfair. Jeudy has struggled to get the ball in Denver and I think bad quarterback play and offensive scheming are mostly to blame. The Bills could use another speedy pass catcher and it would be nice to see what Jeudy could do with an elite passer like QB Josh Allen throwing him the ball. The Bills have struggled this season to get good production in the passing game, especially deep down the field, and adding Jeudy -opposite of Diggs – could really open the offense up.
The Patriots’ issues at wide receiver have been well documented and chronicled and all that is really left is for a Lifetime movie of the week to dramatize the long, winding saga. Mac Jones needs help. He needs somebody who can consistently get open down the field. Demario Douglass has emerged over the last few weeks, but even if Douglass turns out to be a true game changer, the Patriots could really use at least one more piece that can take the top off the defense. Jeudy played with Jones at Alabama and perhaps the two could rekindle those good times in New England
The Panthers are another team in desperate need of a game changing wide receiver. The Panthers best pass catcher so far this season has been 33 year old Adam Thielen. Thielen is more of a slot receiver than a true deep threat and that is really what QB Bryce Young needs right now. The Panthers have a couple of draft picks still left in the bag from when they sent Christian McCaffrey to the Niners. Perhaps it’s time to pull the trigger and see if Jeudy can help unlock Bryce Young’s full potential.
Panthers LB – Brian Burns
This would be a tough trade for the Panthers to make. Burns has not only been their best defensive player, he is a vocal team leader and an all pro who can really get after the opposing teams quarterback. But it’s hard to look past the fact, that as good as Burns is, he is playing on a winless team. The defense overall in Carolina is no longer good and Burns is not enough to change those dynamics. Burns is the Panthers best shot to get some much needed draft capital sent back to a team, that at the moment, does not have a first round pick in next years draft.
The Candidate : Dolphins, Jaguars, Niners
The Dolphins defense has just been decimated by injury. They lost Jalen Ramsey before the season even started and their other all pro corner back Xavier Howard has been in and out of the lineup, mostly out, much of this season. If that weren’t bad enough, Javon Holland, arguable their best safety is now banged up. My my my! Burns could really help a decimated Dolphins defense as he is one of the better pass covering linebackers in the NFL. The question here is whether or not the Dolphins think they can get Ramsey back on the field in the next few weeks and keep him on the field. With some big games, with big QB’s, on the horizon for the Dolphins, it could be tempting to see if perhaps a creating package of players and picks could be sent to Carolina for Burns services.
The Jaguars could use one more pass rusher to get after the quarterback, especially as they now look to create some distance between themselves and the rest of the AFC South. If the Jaguars are viewed as true contenders in the AFC, and I think they are, Burns could be huge come playoff time as he does a great job in both coverage and causing a lot of disruption in the backfield. The Jaguars have a good defense and don’t need to go crazy here, but if the price is right, now might be a good time to take their shot at a deep playoff run.
Speaking of deep playoff runs, the Niners are certainly looking to get over the NFC Championship game hump, that has seemingly been their ceiling the last few years. The Niners would like to shore up a secondary that has been a little shaky as of late. Burns plays the ball well and has great instincts when plays start to break down. Burns also brings above average speed around the edge and could help add some more pass rush depth behind Nick Bosa. This could be truly the time that the Niners go all in to get back to the Super Bowl.
