This is The Gridiron Review’s grading and reactions to the most active NFL trade deadline in years. This was one of the most active trade deadlines with 10 trades being made the day of. There were some expected trades, some shocking trades, some fair trades, and some teams that got finessed. We saw teams who drafted players early in this year’s draft, trade for players at the same position. There’s a lot to unfold here, and our thoughts are below!
Browns get veteran leadership at LB
a. Browns receive: LB Deion Jones, 2024 7th round pick
b. Falcons receive: 2024 6th round pick
Zach’s Grade: Browns (B)/Falcons(D+)
Jack’s Grade: Browns(B+)/Falcons(D+)
I get the LB market isn’t great, but what a steal for the Browns who lost veteran Anthony Walker to IR, and most recently Jacob Phillips to IR. Despite being with the Browns since early October, Jones has just made his first appearance within the last 2 weeks. In those 2 weeks, Jones has recorded 13 tackles and a sack. Not bad for a player that people thought was washed. On top of his play Jones brings a sense of veteran leadership to a defense who overall is still young. For the Falcons, I mean you got what you could get for him, but I’m sure Jones would be an upgrade on whoever they are currently playing at LB.
Cardinals get a new deep threat
a. Cardinals receive: WR Robbie Anderson
b. Panthers receive: 2024 6th round, 2025 7th round picks
Zach’s Grade: Cardinals (B)/ Panthers(C)
Jack’s Grade: Cardinals(A)/Panthers(C)
I’ve never really been a big Robbie Anderson fan, but there’s something about him in Arizona that makes this trade intriguing to me. Obviously, the goal was to replace Hollywood who is currently out with an injury but looking at it now this could be beneficial for everyone. Anderson seemed to have wanted out of Carolina since the Baker rumors started and even threatened retirement. With D-Hop back, Anderson will help take the pressure off Hopkins with his ability to stretch the field, and Anderson will benefit from having Hopkins there as WR1. For the Panthers, I mean I guess you got something for him. I don’t entirely hate this move for the Panthers though. With Anderson gone, it will give the Panthers the opportunity to get a look at guys like Terrace Marshall and Laviska Shenault. It also gets rid of the headache that Anderson was becoming.
Kyle Shanahan loves offensive versatility
a. 49ers receive: RB Christian McCaffrey
b. Panthers receive: 2023 2nd, 3rd, and 4th round picks, 2024 5th round pick
Zach’s Grade: (49ers(C+)/Panthers(A)
Jack’s Grade: 49ers(B)/Panthers(B)
I don’t love or hate this trade for the 49ers. I mean the RB position clearly wasn’t a position of need. Elijah Mitchell is hurt, but you had him, Jeff Wilson who was playing well in Mitchell’s absence, 2022 3rd round pick Tyrion Davis-Price, and 2022 UDFA Jordan Mason who I’ve heard good things about. Not only that, the RB market is not usually strong, and you gave up a large haul to get McCaffrey, who if healthy is arguably one of the most impactful players in all of football, but that’s a huge “if” looking at the last couple of seasons.
For the Panthers, if you showed someone a picture of their logo and said name the first player that comes to mind. I’m pretty sure 99% of people would say CMC, so this is not a great look for your organization, especially after giving Rhule as long as you did. I mean at least you got a significant haul for him, but like what’s the plan? Foreman and Hubbard haven’t looked bad in the last couple weeks, but they also aren’t CMC, so I’m interested to see what the plan is moving forward.
Jets replace the injured rookie
a. Jets receive: RB James Robinson
b. Jaguars receive: 2023 conditional 6th round pick (can become 5th)
Zach’s Grade: Jets(B+)/ Jags(C)
Jack’s Grade: Jets(B)/Jags(B-)
The Jets go out and replace rookie RB Breece Hall (torn ACL) with Robinson who started the season red hot. I understand that most teams, even those with All-Pro backs want to have a committee, but was Robinson necessary? Not that they had to give up a lot for him, but what is the plan next year? Hall flashed his ability to be the primary back in the Jets’ offense before going down for the year. So much so that Michael Carter was slowly getting phased out of the offense. So, looking forward, are you going to move Carter and/or Robinson next offseason? When I had heard Hall was out for the year, I was excited because the Jets have another rookie back that I was really impressed by in the preseason, Zonovan “Bam” Knight, that I was hoping would get a chance, but now with Robinson I don’t know how realistic that is or not.
For the Jaguars, I love that Etienne is getting the chance to be the every-down-back in Jacksonville, and he has flashed the ability to be one of the next great backs in the league. However, what’s the plan if Etienne gets hurt? Are you comfortable with JaMycal Hasty taking over the backfield? I wouldn’t be. I think Robinson being traded was good for Etienne, but not very good for the offense.
Chiefs still trying to replace Tyreek?
a. Chiefs receive: WR Kadarius Toney
b. Giants receive: 2023 3rd round(compensatory) and 6th round pick
Zach’s Grade: Chiefs(B+)/Giants(B-)
Jack’s Grade: Chiefs(B+)/Giants(A-)
The only thing stopping me from grading this trade an A+ for the Chiefs is the question, what’s his role going to be? Zach and I have talked about it, and it’s just hard for us to figure out where he fits in. I mean I LOVE the thought of Toney being in this offense with Mahomes as his QB, I think in KC he will be able to prove why he was a 1st round draft selection. The only other thing that lowered the grade a little bit was what you gave up for him. You gave up a 3rd round pick for a player who has proven pretty much nothing. It’s a big risk, but I think they’ll reap the reward.
For the Giants, I just want to know what was wrong with him? I thought he would’ve flourished in a Daboll offense. Was Wan’Dale drafted as his replacement all along? I mean great job getting a 3rd round pick for a player you did nothing with.
How many edge rushers do you need??????
a. Eagles receive: DE Robert Quinn
b. Bears receive: 2023 4th round pick
Zach’s Grade: Eagles(C+)/Bears(C+)
Jack’s Grade: Eagles(C)/Bears(B+)
Howie Roseman, was this really necessary? I know you like having a deep defensive line rotation, but this was just not necessary. Quinn literally isn’t even having that good of a season, he racked up 10 tackles and 1 sack in his time with the Bears this season. Maybe in a rotation where he can be kept fresh, he may up his production, but it’s also not like he’s going to put up great numbers. I also heard that the Eagles and Quinn voided the last 2 years of his contract, making him a free agent after this season. You gave up a 4th round pick for an aging situational pass rusher for half a season. I don’t like this move. I get you don’t have Barnett who’s on IR, but you also have Hasson Reddick and Kyron Johnson who could line up and rush the edge. I would’ve liked to have seen the Eagles go after something they needed like a safety.
The Bears walked out like bandits in this situation if you ask me. The Bears are a team who is weak all over their roster. You could point to any position on this team and say that they need help there with the exception of maybe RB and CB/S. Getting a 4th for Quinn was huge and will hopefully help Poles and Eberflus make the necessary roster moves to take a step forward next year.
Mike McDaniel wants his guys… literally
a. Dolphins receive: RB Jeff Wilson
b. 49ers receive: 2023 5th round pick
Zach’s Grade: Dolphins(B)/49ers(B)
Jack’s Grade: Dolphins(B+)/49ers(B+)
I don’t hate or love this move for the Dolphins. Honestly, I think this is probably one of the most balanced trades we’ve seen from this season. The Dolphins needed a RB to replace Chase Edmonds who they sent in a package for the Broncos Bradley Chubb. When you’re Mike McDaniel, why not trade for a guy you have extreme familiarity with. Wilson was having a strong season since Mitchell went down and before they traded for CMC. The addition of CMC was clearly going to mean a loss of snaps for Wilson, who will head to Miami and probably split carries with former and once again current teammate Raheem Mostert. Not a bad deal for McDaniel and the Dolphins, nor the 49ers who under Shanahan and Lynch have hit on some valuable mid round picks. My only concern for the 49ers, which is also the reason why their grade isn’t an A, is what happens if CMC gets hurt? Hopefully he doesn’t, but if he does you are relying on 2 unproven rookies (Not including Deebo) to carry one of the most run heavy teams in the league.
The Queen has been overthrown
a. Ravens receive: LB Roquan Smith
b. Bears receive: LB AJ Klein, 2023 2nd and 5th round picks
Zach’s Grade: Ravens(A-)/Bears(B)
Jack’s Grade: Ravens(A+)/Bears(C)
I had been hearing rumors for a while now that the Ravens have not been happy with their 2020 1st and 3rd round drafted linebackers, Patrick Queen and Malik Harrison. The first sign that they were unhappy should’ve been that the Ravens brought back 32(at the time) year old linebacker Josh Bynes to start, and then brought him back again this year to be a starter again, until now. Roquan will now take on LB1 duties for the Ravens. I think this is a homerun trade for the Ravens. In my opinion Roquan is worth a 1st round pick, so getting him for what they did is a great deal for them. Even for those people who think Roquan is only worth a 2nd, I don’t think they overpaid for him by any means.
As for the Bears, great job showing the whole league you’re tanking. You better hit on these draft picks you’re getting for players like Quinn and Smith because if you don’t the Bears fans are going to be calling for your head. I mean at least you got great value for Roquan given the history of the LB market in the last couple years, but you just traded one of the most significant leaders of your team. #TankForAnderson?
Steelers add much needed secondary help
a. Steelers receive: CB William Jackson III, 2025 conditional 7th round pick
b. Commanders receive: 2025 conditional 6th round pick
Zach’s Grade: Steelers(B)/Commanders(D)
Jack’s Grade: Steelers(C+)/Commanders(D)
Honestly, I don’t know what to think of this trade. It kind of makes me think of a broken pencil… pointless. I agree with the Steelers thinking that they need a secondary player, but you’d think they’d go after a top tier CB like Xavien Howard or something, and not another middle of the road CB. The Steelers CB room is heavily reliant on pretty average players, which isn’t going to fly when any road to the Super Bowl would have to go through teams like the Bengals, Chiefs, Bills, Dolphins, you get the point. I mean I think Jackson takes over as the Steelers top CB, but I don’t think it’s anything to be super psyched out about. The positive and the reason it’s graded as a C+ is because I like the thought of trying to fix the secondary and they didn’t really pay much for Jackson but he’s not the help they need.
As for the Commanders, your secondary was one of the weakest aspects of your team. Trading one of your top CBs is just not the answer. You basically got nothing for him too. Not sure what the thought process was on this one.
Falcons add to the secondary
a. Falcons receive: CB Rashad Fenton
b. Chiefs receive: 2023 conditional 7th round pick
Zach’s Grade: Falcons(A)/Chiefs(F)
Jack’s Grade: Falcons(B+)/Chiefs(D)
I’m not going to cover this trade in extreme depth because I’ll probably end up repeating a lot of what I said in my grade of the William Jackson trade, but I do like what the Falcons did with this trade yesterday. The Falcons had to put CB Casey Hayward on the IR due to a shoulder injury. They did a nice job addressing the CB room and didn’t really have to give up anything for him. I don’t think Fenton got traded because they were unhappy with his play, I believe that when he got hurt the Chiefs were happy with what they saw from 4th rounder Joshua Williams and 7th rounder Jaylen Watson. Unfortunately for Fenton it’s all part of the business, but now he will get a fresh start and a chance to compete for the CB2 spot across from AJ Terrell.
Josh Allen gets yet another weapon
a. Bills receive: RB Nyheim Hines
b. Colts receive: RB Zack Moss, 2023 conditional 6th round pick
Zach’s Grade: Bills(B)/Colts(F)
Jack’s Grade: Bills(B)/Colts(F)
If you told me last season that the Bills traded for Nyheim Hines I probably would’ve graded this trade as an A+; however, this year it’s a pretty head scratching move. I mean I love the fit, and the Bills getting Allen another weapon, but the big question is… Where does Hines fit in? Singletary is probably the best runner of the group and has looked pretty good since the tail end of last season. I doubt very highly that Hines was brought in to run the football, which is fine until you remember that James Cook was drafted in the 2nd round of this year’s draft. Is this a sign that Cook isn’t developing the way that they had hoped? Is Cook in the doghouse or is Hines there to help mentor Cook and be a buffer until he’s ready? There were rumors that the Colts had plans of using Hines as a slot receiver, but what sense would that make in Buffalo? Now granted it wasn’t top tier money, but they still did extend Isaiah McKenzie in the offseason and drafted Khalil Shakir in the 5th round of this year’s draft. I feel like we could see Hines take snaps all over the place, but I’m very curious to know what his role will be for the Bills moving forward. For the Colts, the more moves you make the more it looks like you are in TankFest with Carolina and Chicago. This was a horrible deal for you. Hines could’ve been an extremely significant aspect of your offense and you just wasted him, and now you have Zack Moss who has done nothing to impress anyone since entering the league. Shame on you Indy.
Dolphins add pass rush
a. Dolphins receive: DE/OLB Bradley Chubb, 2025 5th round pick
b. Broncos receive: RB Chase Edmonds, 2023 1st, 2024 4th round picks
Zach’s Grade: Dolphins(C)/Broncos(A+)
Jack’s Grade: Dolphins(B/B+)/Broncos(B+)
I really like this trade for the Dolphins. Although I like Andrew Van Ginkel as a player for this team, he just isn’t as much a pass rusher as you need him to be, especially when you play a player like Josh Allen twice a year and have to go through the AFC powerhouses if you have any desire to win a super bowl. I think Van Ginkel can still carve himself out a role in this defense, it’s just not going to be as a pass rusher. Pairing Chubb with 2nd year OLB Jaelan Phillips is going to be a nice edge duo for the Dolphins whose defense has not been as good as many thought they would be heading into this season. The only reason this trade is not an A for me for the Dolphins is because of what they gave up. Chubb has been up and down this season, and nothing has suggested to us that Chubb was going to be worth a 1st round pick.
On the other hand, I don’t entirely hate this trade for the Broncos either. The grade is what it is primarily because they were able to get a 1st rounder for Chubb. They were also able to add a 4th round pick in 2024 and Chase Edmonds who will hopefully help the run game for the remainder of this season with Javonte Williams out. The reason this grade isn’t higher for me is because, what is your plan for pass rush now? It seems like 2nd year LB Baron Browning is expected to take over Chubb’s spot. Don’t get me wrong, I like Browning, I think he’s a bit more versatile than Chubb, but I don’t think he brings the pressure off the edge that Chubb does. I mean you have rookie 2nd rounder Nik Bonitto, but it’s not like he was playing at an all-pro level or anything. It makes you wonder what the thought process was here.
Jaguars take a gamble
a. Jaguars receive: WR Calvin Ridley
b. Falcons receive: 2023 5th round pick, 2024 conditional 4th round pick(becomes 3rd if Ridley is reinstated and reaches incentives; becomes 2nd if he signs an extension)
Zach’s Grade: Jaguars(A-)/Falcons(B?)
Jack’s Grade: Jaguars(C)/Falcons(B+/A-)
I graded this trade a C because as everything sits right now in my head this is an extremely risky trade with high upside. An A/B would be too high because of the risk, and a D/F would be too low because of the upside. It’s not like the Jags are getting Ridley anytime soon, who is currently suspended for gambling. He can’t apply for reinstatement until February 15, 2023, and that’s just an application. There’s absolutely no guarantee that he gets reinstated right away or at all. With that being said, if Ridley is reinstated and continues to play at the level, he was last time he was on the field, this will look like a much better trade. My big question right now is if Ridley plays next year, how much money are the Jags going to throw at their WRs??? I mean Kirk and Zay Jones have played okay so far this year, but I don’t think either one of them have lived up to their contract. They gave Kirk a contract that gave him $18 million APY and Jones $8 million APY. He’s not a receiver, but if you want to talk about Lawrence’s weapons in general, they paid $9 million for Evan Engram too. That’s a lot of money. If Ridley returns and plays at a high level, he’s probably going to request a contract the size of Kirk’s, if not larger. The presence of Ridley would probably help take the pressure off Kirk and Jones and help them play like they were paid to play, but the point is that’s a lot of money to pay to just your receivers.
On Atlanta’s part, great job getting what you did for a player who it seemed like really didn’t want to play for you anyways. The conditions you were able to get on that 2024 pick is great. Extremely smart deal for the Falcons. As it sits right now, I give it around a B+, but that grade could go up depending on if any of the conditions are met.
What the Hock were you thinking?
a. Vikings receive: TE TJ Hockenson, 2023 4th, 2024 conditional 4th round pick
b. Lions receive: 2023 2nd, 2024 3rd round picks
Zach’s Grade: Vikings(B)/Lions(D)
Jack’s Grade: Vikings(A)/Lions(D)
The Vikings made out like bandits in this trade. Stealing one of your division rivals biggest offensive weapons for cheap. It wasn’t reported until after the trade that Irv Smith Jr. was going to be out for 8-10 weeks… Not that it mattered, it’s not like Smith was playing good football or anything. Hockenson is a huge upgrade over what we can safely call a 2019 2nd round bust. Hockenson is not only a better receiving threat for the Vikings but will bring an ability to run block that Smith did not have either. The big knock on Hock since coming into the league was his inability to stay healthy, but that hasn’t seemed to be an issue so far this season.
I don’t know what Detroit’s thinking was on this one. Hock is not only one of your biggest offensive weapons, but he may also be one of the league’s best TE’s when healthy. I mean, you got decent value for him. I was kind of surprised you got a 2nd and 3rd for him, but you also had to give up draft picks with Hockenson. For a guy with injury risk, I guess it’s an okay deal, but I’m sure Goff and the Backs aren’t happy about this. Also, what are you doing trading him in division?? You have to play him twice a year now. Have you ever heard the expression “You have to live with the consequences of your own actions”? If not, you’re going to understand Week 14.
Chicago’s Savior lol
a. Bears receive: WR Chase Claypool
b. Steelers receive: 2023 2nd round pick
Zach’s Grade: Bears(B)/Steelers(B-)
Jack’s Grade: Bears(D+/C-)/Steelers(B+)
The Savior is here!! The man who’s going to turn the Bears franchise around, will take his Corvette and dance his way to the Windy City. He will put the team on his back and carry them to the playoffs…. NOT! LOL Chicago.
In my opinion Claypool has not proven that he’s a top tier WR in the league, nor that he’s worth a 2nd round pick. I understand that the WR and LB markets are different, but if you told me before the season that Chase Claypool and Roquan Smith would be traded for approximately the same value, I would laugh right in your face. Shame on you Chicago.
This isn’t going to be a bash Claypool only explanation because I didn’t hate Claypool coming out of college. I thought he was a super raw WR prospect with the ability to become a great receiver under the right veteran and coaching. However, the veterans he’s had to teach him were Antonio “CTE” Brown and the original tik tok boy JuJu Smith-Schuster. Does Claypool still have the ability to break out and reach his ceiling? Absolutely! Is he going to do it in Chicago? Absolutely not. Who’s going to mentor him? N’Keal Harry? Darnell Mooney? Please, bust and overrated. Let’s not forget that Fields is also not the greatest QB, and the line is not good to put it nicely. Through 8 weeks, Fields has been sacked 31 times, the most in the league, and I’m sure the pressure rate is much, much worse. I’m sure Fields has bailed himself out of pressure time after time.
BUT… let’s play a little devil’s advocate here. Let’s assume that Claypool comes into Chicago and throughout the next 8 weeks has a massive breakout. It won’t matter. Chicago just traded two of their best defensive players and leaders of the team in Roquan Smith and Robert Quinn. Unless Claypool has intentions of playing LB and DE, Claypool could go off for 11-247-4, and the Bears will probably still lose by 2-3 TDs. Trading for Claypool doesn’t solve any issue that you have on your roster. I said it earlier in this article, you can point to nearly any position on this team and say that it needs to be improved, and quite honestly even with Claypool now, I still think you could point at the receiver room and say they are a bottom half of the league WR room. What was the thinking here? Not in love with this move at all for Chicago. You tried at least.
As for Pittsburgh, great job getting a 2nd round pick for Claypool. It does deplete your receiving core a little bit, but you seem to be pretty good at finding 2nd round receivers, so I wouldn’t worry. Plus, I would take Diontae Johnson and George Pickens over the Bears WR room anyways… Your offense takes a hit, but no one was expecting anything of you this year anyways.