Ethan Engellau
Sports, Editor
Every NBA season has a high-volume trade deadline with numerous big names changing teams. The NFL on the other hand usually has quiet trade deadlines. This may be because the length of the season allows NBA teams to see what’s working and what isn’t, while in the NFL, mid-way through the season, almost every team still believes that they have the tools to be a playoff team. This year was much different.
Pre-Deadline Deals:
October 17
Robbie Anderson had multiple arguments with the Carolina coaching staff before being sent to the locker room in what would be his last game as a Panther. Anderson was traded to the Arizona Cardinals for a 2024 sixth-round pick and a 2025 seventh-round pick. Through two games in a Cardinals uniform, Anderson has been targeted four times but has yet to record a reception.
October 21
The biggest blockbuster of the season involved the Panthers once again trading away their star, injury-prone running back, Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers. Carolina received a 2023 third-, fourth- and fifth-round pick and a 2024 fifth-round pick. McCaffrey is expected to thrive in the Kyle Shanahan offensive system, one of the best rushing offenses ever constructed. McCaffrey was eased onto the field in his first game on the team with eight carries for 38 yards and two receptions for 24 yards. In the Niners’ Week Eight matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, McCaffrey was a jack of all trades as he passed, rushed and caught a touchdown. His stat line included the three touchdowns, 34 passing yards, 18 carries for 94 yards and eight receptions for 55 yards. The 49ers have emerged as true contenders as long as McCaffrey can stay on the field.
October 25
Breece Hall was destined for Offensive Rookie of the Year before unfortunately tearing his ACL and ending his season. In response, the New York Jets traded for running back James Robinson, sending a 2023 conditional sixth-round pick to the Jaguars. This trade is an attempt to keep the New York rushing attack alive and allows Jacksonville to unload an underutilized roster spot and give the keys to sophomore running back Travis Etienne.
October 26
The undefeated Philadelphia Eagles bolstered their already strong defense by acquiring defensive-end Robert Quinn in exchange for a 2023 fourth-round pick.
October 27
Kadarius Toney was a first-round pick in 2021 who has seen little time on the field with injuries and the new regime in New York making Wandale Robinson the number one receiver in their offense. Instead of continuing to keep him on the bench, the Giants traded him to the Kansas City Chiefs for a 2023 compensatory third-round pick and a 2023 sixth-round pick. Toney will be a lab rat for a Kansas City team trying to find quality receivers.
Trade Deadline – November 1
Roquan Smith has made it clear since the beginning of the season that he wanted to depart from the Chicago Bears and become the highest paid linebacker in the league. Roquan got his wish when the Bears sent him to Baltimore for linebacker A.J. Klein, a 2023 second-round pick, and a 2023 fifth-round pick. The two-time second-team all-pro and tackle leader on the season should boost a Ravens defense that is currently allowing the fourth most yards per game. The question remains how much Smith will get paid and if Baltimore will be the team to do so as they have Lamar Jackson to worry about as well this offseason.
Bradley Chubb is another talented linebacker who needed to get paid. The Denver Broncos decided they wouldn’t be the team to do so as they shipped him to Miami along with a 2025 fifth-round pick for running back Chase Edmonds, a 2023 first-round pick, and a 2024 fourth-round pick. The Dolphins have the offense to keep pace with the powerhouses that are the Bills, Chiefs and Bengals. Chubb joins the Dolphins as the team’s sack leader with five and a half sacks on the season and will bolster a struggling front seven in Miami. The Dolphins have already agreed to a five-year $110 million extension, solidifying Chubb as a core piece of the team’s championship hopes.
The Broncos replaced Chubb with edge-rusher Jacob Martin in a trade with the Jets downgrading a 2024 fourth-round pick to a fifth-round pick in the process.
The Dolphins also later replaced Edmonds with 49ers running back Jeff Wilson Jr. who rejoins his former backfield mate, Raheem Mostert, and coach Mike McDaniel.
The Lions are committing to a full rebuild and tanking the season in hopes of getting top quarterback prospects CJ Stroud or Bryce Young as they trade away their longest-tenured player tight-end T.J. Hockenson in-division to the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings send a 2023 third-round pick and a 2024 third-round pick in exchange for Hockenson, a 2023 fourth-round pick and a conditional 2024 fourth-round pick. The Vikings at 6-1 are going all-in on this season, giving their offense a strong third option to complement Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen.
The Bears on the other hand are utilizing the rest of their season to see what their young quarterback Justin Fields can do with more weapons at his disposal. Chase Claypool is going to Chicago while Pittsburgh receives a 2023 second-round pick. Claypool is a deep ball threat and should complement Darnell Mooney well, giving the Bears the opportunity to form a passing attack to complement their strong rushing game.
The Steelers have let up the second-most passing yards per game, aligned with a secondary that has been injury-riddled all season, and have snatched cornerback William Jackson III from the Commanders who planned to cut him had a deal not been completed.
Calvin Ridley was suspended for the season after being caught betting on his own team’s games while nursing an injury. Before the suspension, Ridley was on the cusp of being a top-ten receiver in Atlanta. The Jaguars hope to see him return to that form next season as they acquired him from the Falcons in exchange for a 2023 conditional fifth-round pick and a 2024 conditional second-round pick.
Last year’s Super Bowl Champions, the Los Angeles Rams, went heavy at the trade deadline, bringing in Von Miller and Odell Beckham Jr. most notably. Teams are attempting to replicate this style of team-building that has treated us to one of the most exciting NFL deadlines we’ve seen in quite some time. If the Dolphins or the 49ers are crowned champions of Super Bowl LVII, will we see this trend continue?
THE CAROLINIAN 
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