As the NFL trade deadline approaches teams are racing against time to make last-minute actions to help their team currently or for the future. The first big trade this week was from no one else other than John Gruden and the Oakland Raiders. They traded their first-round draft pick Amari Cooper to the Cowboys for yet another first round pick. This trade has both its ups and downs for Dallas. The first idea is that the Cowboys were going to draft a receiver in the first round next year anyway. After looking at who the free agents will be and the upcoming prospects, nobody they would draft or sign would be better than Cooper. Also, many people believed that the Cowboys would draft now rookie receiver Calvin Ridley who is only six months younger than Cooper making them both 24. However, Cooper has already been to two Pro Bowls and has two 1000-yard seasons. The other side of the argument is that this is another Roy Williams trade, which any Cowboys fan knows was awful.
Another big trade that should be considered is the New York Giants getting a quarterback. This sounds crazy but what if the Giants traded for Derek Carr? Carr is a proven talent in the league who is having a bad year, and this could be the system, the coach, the atmosphere in the locker room or other factors. It’s no question that Eli Manning is playing horribly this year, and where people feel it’s his offensive line, it’s actually him. As of week six he was hit 20 times, where Aaron Rodgers was hit 19 times. Seeing that he was hit only one more time than Rodgers and is playing a lot worse, the blame cannot solely be placed on the line. If he were to come to the Big Apple and was surrounded with the weapons that the Giants have, I’m sure he could revive his talent and become an MVP caliber player once again.
Another big trade that could occur can be with Arizona Cardinals’ star Cornerback Patrick Peterson. The Jets should make a shot at him and try to get him to come to New York. The Jets have a talented young quarterback that is going to be cheap for the next four years, and with the giant space in salary cap they should make moves on defense and try to make their current defense even better for their young quarterback. With a stronger defense it can give Sam Darnold better fields position making it even easier for him to get into the end zone.
Another blockbuster trade can be the Steelers dealing Le’veon Bell to the Texans. The Texans have a very strong defense, a talented young quarterback and a stud at wide receiver in Deandre Hopkins. All that they are missing is a star running back to take the pressure off of Deshaun Watson. Watson runs a little too much which can lead to unnecessary hits, so, the addition of Bell would greatly lessen the pressure on Watson. With a more balanced offense along with their good defense, they can become a contender. Even if they gave up a first round pick it would be worth it. The only issue is that this is Bell’s last year so it would not be certain if he would stay.
Another trade that could help a team is the Ravens contacting the Broncos to get Demaryius Thomas. The Ravens are not a bad team this year, and they were an extra point away from possibly being 5-2 and top in the division with a confused Steelers’ team. The addition of this once top-receiver could greatly help Joe Flacco and possibly help take the Ravens to the next level. If they score a few more points with the third-ranked defense on the NFL, they could be a sleeper force in the league.
The Bills trading LeSean McCoy to the Green Bay Packers is another possible, big trade. McCoy has been a huge disappointment this year especially for fantasy owners. If McCoy was to go to the Packers, this could change the way they play on the offensive side of the ball. This would greatly take the pressure off of Rodgers which could help keep him healthy for the entire season. Also, McCoy can open the running game which can help Rodgers use his arm talent to shred defensives and hopefully return Jimmy Graham to the player he once was.
Finally, a significant trade can include one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL, the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jacksonville clearly needs a quarterback to help take the pressure off of their defense and get back to the AFC championship game. They could make a phone call to the Saints and trade for Teddy Bridgewater. Bridgewater had a horrific knee injury causing him to lose his job in Minnesota. However, it seems like he’s back with his strong play during the preseason games with the Jets. The Jags could make a run at him and add a huge boost to their offense; all this while also possibly signing free agent Dez Bryant. The addition of these two players, with Leonard Fournette, could turn the Jags’ pathetic offense into a top force in the NFL, that combined with their defense could almost guarantee them a trip to the Super Bowl.
