NFL trade deadline aftermath: Which teams improved, which clubs should have made moves, and other takeaways

The NFL trade deadline for 2024 is officially closed as of this date, and its final day is expected to witness many activities and exchanges. The Detroit Lions made trades to acquire new pass rushers, the Cincinnati Bengals pursued a new running back, and the Washington Commanders acquired a four-time Pro Bowl cornerback.

Memories of the New York Jets Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills making trades to attain some of the best receivers or the Houston Texans sending running back Akers Chris to the Minnesota Vikings seem ages ago. But January saw a surprising ten trades only. Who were the biggest winners and losers of this offseason’s free agency and trade? Let’s analyze this.

Who improved the most: NFL trade

Detroit Lions

While it is impossible to replace Aidan Hutchinson, the Detroit Lions have acquired a more experienced pass rusher in Za’Darius Smith from the Cleveland Browns. In return, the Lions sent Smith and a seventh-round draft pick to the Browns for a fifth-round draft pick and a sixth-round draft pick. So far in this campaign, Smith has made 23 tackles, hit the quarterbacks 7 times, and sacked the quarterback 5 times. No Lion that is still playing today has more than 2.5 sacks. There’s no question that the Lions have been the best if not the strongest team in the NFL, however, it was necessary to make a change in the defensive end.

Washington Commanders

On the last day of trading, Washington acquired star New Orleans Saints cornerback, Marshon Lattimore. The Saints have received several picks including 3rd, 4th, and 6th round picks, and gave away a 5th round pick in return.

What’s more surprising, is that Washington has started the season at a stunning 7-2, and as a result, general manager Adam Peters decided to trade to strengthen the team. Statistically, the Commanders rank 5th in passing defense in the whole of the NFL but their cornerback room was vastly improved by the acquisition of Lattimore. There is no doubt that injuries have plagued his last three seasons and that he has already been absent for two games in 2024, but Lattimore is locked in until 2026 and might benefit a lot from a new team.

Kansas City Chiefs 

It is evident already what he can do since DeAndre Hopkins caught 8 passes for 86 yards and tallied two TDs during the Monday Night game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Also, remember that the Chiefs also signed pass rusher Joshua Uche who had 11.5 sacks in 2022. The only team that does not have any losses improved at the trade deadline.

Kansas City Chiefs

Since acquiring Amari Cooper from the Browns, the Bills have gone 2-0. He caught four passes in his Buffalo debut against the Tennessee Titans which gained 66 yards with one touchdown while appearing to be a valuable skill position for Josh Allen in the remaining games with Keon Coleman being in a brace for his wrist.

Pittsburgh Steelers 

The Steelers managed to pull off two trades just hours ahead of the deadline, trading a 5th-round pick to the New York Jets for Mike Williams and a 7th-round pick to the Green Bay Packers for Preston Smith. While it is arguable that the Steelers overspent in the pursuit of Williams, they certainly got a bargain in Smith.

In his brief time with the Jets, Williams recorded an average of 18.4 yards per game over nine games, per game. However, the Steelers were in dire need of a new receiver for several months and have finally managed to get one. Regarding Smith, he simply bolsters what is arguably the best pass-rush group in the league. A flexible guy who can play inside and outside.

Who should have made moves

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals did trade Khalil Herbert from the Chicago Bears for a player, but what about along the defensive line? The Athletic stated that the Bengals were looking to make additions on the defensive side of the ball, but general manager Duke Tobin was unable to finalize any trades. Any other fans would have been able to survive a rationalization of the addition to the defensive line or a cornerback, but they got nothing.

Cincinnati is currently third in the AFC North with a 4-5 record so looking at the trade deadline there was something we presumed. As it stands, Stephen Oh, a SportsLine stats analyst, estimated that the Bengals will qualify for the postseason 24.8% of the time.

Tennessee Titans

The Titans went ahead and traded away Hopkins with the Chiefs which probably pissed the rest of the NFL, but at least they could have gone further than that. The team that appears to have been a potential sleeper during the offseason would the one of the worst teams in the NFL this season. Under the present circumstances where the playoffs seem impossible, it would have been prudent for general manager Ran Carthon to offload. Pass rusher Arden Key and Sebastian Joseph-Day, a defensive lineman, are both enjoying a good few weeks and there were indeed people looking for help on defensive lines.

New Orleans Saints

The Saints have been losing for the last seven consecutive games, sacked their head coach, and heading into the 2025 season face the league’s most unfavorable financial outlook. So, why don’t they sell? New Orleans did deal Lattimore to Washington, but why not also offload Cameron Jordan, Tyrann Mathieu, or Chase Young?

New York Giants

The Giants are yet another squad that could eliminate its chances of winning at 2-7. The transaction market was supposed to revolve around pass rusher Azeez Ojulari, per The Athletic’s report. The report suggested that the Giants were willing to deal Ojulari on a high fifth-round pick or late fourth-round pick. Instead, they decided to avoid using a ‘non-exclusive franchise tag’ on him. He is now likely to enter free agency without a contract. Wide receiver Darius Slayton was also one of the players who was brought to the trade market with some interest.