Marshon Lattimore from New Orleans Saints to Washington Commanders
The deal: Washington Commanders get Lattimore and fifth round pick in 2025; Saints get third-, fourth- and sixth-round pick in 2025
Grades: Commanders A-; Saints B
The Saints did well to accumulate hefty draft capital while Washington needed someone who can make plays in the backfield. The Commanders got the cornerback at a discounted rate: he was a perennial Pro Bowler until 2021, when his play began to fall off. That is how good he can be though, and the dip in production may have something to do with how hard life was in the Big Easy under head coach Dennis Allen, who was fired earlier this week. What better way for a great player to get back on track than boosting a limp Commanders defense hoping to match the excitement on the other side of the ball.
Za’Darius Smith from Cleveland Browns to Detroit Lions
The deal: Lions get Smith and a 2026 seventh-round pick; Browns get a 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2026 sixth-round pick.
Grades: Lions B-; Browns C+
The NFC favourites made the obvious move in snapping up pass rushing help to replace some of the considerable threat of Aidan Hutchinson, who suffered a serious leg injury in October. Detroit’s ridiculous offense has been masking a huge downturn in pressure on opposition quarterbacks, especially on third down. The Lions’ pressure rate when it matters most has plummeted from 53% with Hutchinson to only 20% since his injury. No opposing team has exploited that weakness yet but it would have bitten Detroit in the postseason if they didn’t make a move. Smith, a 32-year-old defensive end, doesn’t have to be much more than a minor short-term fix as the Lions only gave up a pair of day three selections for him.
Related: Rain, doubt or pressure, none of it matters to the naggingly brilliant Jared Goff
Mike Williams from New York Jets to Pittsburgh Steelers
The deal: Steelers get Williams; Jets get 2025 fifth-round pick.
Grades: Steelers B; Jets B-
Mike Tomlin has given the green light to moon-ball mania in Pittsburgh after handing Russell Wilson the starting gig at quarterback. His blinkered ability to throw the majority of passes deep to the sidelines when not checking down makes the 6ft 4in Mike Williams a good fit to outjump defenders, even if he is diminished by last season’s ACL tear. He joins an underrated roster with a chip on their shoulders, and should fit in nicely as he attempts to show up Aaron Rodgers for bombing him out of town. Williams can also give the frustrated George Pickens a break from carrying the offense while the Steelers’ steamrolling defense could also be more fired up by the faith the team are putting in a quietly brilliant regular season.
Jonathan Mingo from Carolina Panthers to Dallas Cowboys
The deal: Cowboys get Mingo and seventh-round 2025 pick; Panthers get fourth-round 2025 pick.
Grades: Cowboys D; Panthers B+
On a bleak day in Dallas after quarterback Dak Prescott looked to be heading to injured reserve, things became darker still. Carolina sent Mingo to Texas for a fourth-round pick and the deal looks unhinged when you take into account the wide receiver’s production and market value.
In 19 career starts Mingo has yet to score a touchdown. This season he has just 121 receiving yards, and was still fourth on the mediocre Panthers’ depth chart. The former second-round pick has averaged fewer than one yard per route run in each of his first two seasons.
The Panthers must be thrilled as they traded away Diontae Johnson, a better receiver, for just a fifth-round pick last month. The return for Mingo is further put into perspective when you look at what other teams have got for superior receivers. The Titans only got a fifth-round pick (which could rise to a fourth-rounder) for five-time All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins. Dallas traded the elite Amari Cooper in his prime to Cleveland for a fifth-round pick; the Browns then sent him to the Bills last month for a third-round selection.
In mitigation, Mingo was highly rated at Ole Miss and could still develop into a solid pass catcher if given the right coaching and opportunities, which he clearly wasn’t getting in Carolina. But with the Cowboys’ season all but over, now was the time to lay low and wait for the draft. Jerry Jones struggles mightily with that concept.
Trades we’d like to have seen
Tyreek Hill from Miami Dolphins to LA Chargers
The Cheetah is a caged animal in Miami. With the Chiefs unwilling to bring the wide receiver and his electric speed back to Kansas City, someone should have unleashed him for a push to the playoffs. That team: the Chargers. Quarterback Justin Herbert is on the way back to his best but lost Keenan Allen and Mike Williams in the offseason and desperately needs a receiver who can rip off huge chunks of yardage.
The main receivers they do have in Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston are gifted but unreliable, and the numbers – the Chargers have only 10 passing touchdowns in eight games and sit 27th in total passing yards – show they need greater talent to make sure of a wildcard. The outlook is still positive for the 5-3 Chargers, with Herbert helping the impressive defense dominate by throwing only one interception so far this season. But the team’s conservative strategy feels too precarious with the aggressive Chiefs and Ravens lurking if the Chargers make it to January. Hill and Herbert teaming up would have been a lethal combination – and he would have looked great in those lightning bolts too.
Jonathan Jones from New England Patriots to Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs offense has been lifted by Hopkins making up for Travis Kelce’s diminishing threat in the red zone. However the Chiefs are thin at cornerback after letting L’Jarius Sneed leave, as well as losing two defensive backs from the starting lineup with injuries. Meanwhile the veteran Jones is in the final year of his deal and New England are willing to sell while they hobble toward the draft. This feels like an easy move that went sailing by for the Chiefs: they could have seen if the Pats were willing to bundle Jones into the package when KC acquired Josh Uche from New England last week.