Grading every NFL trade deadline deal as they are announced.
The NFL trade deadline is on Tuesday, which means there should be absolutely nothing to interfere with the fireworks. I imagine the country completely locked into the granular depths of NFL roster improvement, which is why you’re all here of course.
The pandemic will cause some obstacles for teams looking to better themselves late, for sure. On one hand, it might not be worth the hassle. On the other, the extra playoff spot in each conference this year adds a measure of intrigue for teams hoping to earn a postseason berth. There are a good number of clubs that are bottoming out right now. A look at the current 2020 draft order shows a whopping 11 teams with two wins or fewer—many of which are carrying the kind of bloated veteran contracts that would be attractive to get rid of this time of year.
We will be analyzing the deals as they come in from the perspective of both the acquiring team and the trading team. Check back through the deadline for updates …
LB AVERY WILLIAMSON TO THE STEELERS
… along with a seventh-round pick in 2022 for a fifth-round pick in 2022
The Jets continue to sell off the remaining scraps of their roster as they gear up for a significant, lengthy rebuild. The Steelers, meanwhile, supplement their defense with Williamson, a sure-handed tackler who could slide into one of the inside linebacker spots fairly easily and add some run-stopping chops behind this pass rushing behemoth.
That’s not a bad job by Joe Douglas to get a fifth-rounder for a 28-year-old who hits unrestricted free agency in nine weeks. He seems to understand that, if you can be patient and take the picks in a later year, the return is almost always better. Neither of the players dealt by the Jets so far (see the Steve McLendon deal below) are going to be future building blocks, though the rest of the league’s lack of interest in the fire sale may reflect the complete dire straits the roster is in at the moment.
GRADE FOR STEELERS: B
GRADE FOR JETS: B
DE CARLOS DUNLAP TO THE SEAHAWKS
… for center B.J. Finney and a seventh-round pick
When looking back at a few of Dunlap’s snaps earlier this season (depending on which play you stumble upon) there is clearly still evidence of a player with elite instincts and an incredibly advantageous body type who can fit well in Seattle’s defense. Yes, his performance this year has not been great. Yes, there are plays where he’s frozen in the backfield by speedy backs breaking toward the edge. Yes, he clearly did not fit in the Bengals’ scheme anymore and was unhappy about it. But there are moments when he is on, unconscious of the place he desperately wanted to leave. In those moments, he can get skinny, rip through double teams and cause problems in the backfield. Without jumping, he can disrupt passing lanes, which, when you’re in a division with an electric, 5' 10" quarterback who put up three touchdowns on you in your only loss of the season, could come in handy.
The Bengals have not developed nearly enough cachet to be the kind of staff that can simply discard veteran talent because it doesn’t fit the scheme. Good coaches find a way to work in good players, not trade them away for an ultimately meaningless draft selection and a little slice of locker room harmony. Carlos Dunlap will be an effective piece for the Seahawks, on the other hand. Seattle desperately needed a pass rusher who has the kind of presence to warrant a double team from time to time.
Grade for Bengals: D
Grade for Seahawks: A-
DT STEVE MCLENDON TO THE BUCCANEERS
…along with a 2023 seventh-round pick for a 2022 sixth-round pick
While the sample size is small—McLendon played in 25 defensive snaps, or just 38% of the total in his Buccaneers debut against the Raiders in Week 7—his presence was felt. He combined for five tackles and a tackle for loss. His rushing Net Yards Over Average was a positive-0.7, meaning that, when he’s on the field he helps create a marked difference against the run. For what the Buccaneers have become—an all-in veteran road show designed to appease Tom Brady—it’s a sensible move. McLendon is 34 and should bolster the team against a division that contains Alvin Kamara, Christian McCaffrey and Todd Gurley down the stretch. As for the Jets, a 2022 sixth-rounder doesn’t get you much closer to where you want to be, but it does count as getting something for a 34-year-old veteran. Perhaps that sixth-rounder can be bundled somewhere in the future.
We’ve wondered this aloud on the site before, but what happens if the Buccaneers don’t go deep into the playoffs this year? Still, credit the staff for realizing the hole they’ve dug for themselves and that there is no other option but to feverishly plow ahead.
Grade for Jets: C
Grade for Buccaneers: B
DE EVERSON GRIFFEN TO THE LIONS
… for a conditional 2021 sixth-round draft pick
Before he was traded, Griffen was playing on about 50% of the Cowboys’ snaps, which could mean one of two things. One is that the Cowboys are among the worst defenses in the NFL, meaning that they have not been making the smartest personnel decisions. Another way to interpret it? How couldn’t Griffen see the field more frequently for this unit? The Lions will fold Griffen into their pass rushing rotation and, like he was in Dallas, he should be an upgrade over some other supplemental options.
Dallas is clearly trimming the fat ahead of the trade deadline to see what they want to work with moving forward. Despite the egregiously bad nature of this defense, it seems like the Mike McCarthy regime has enough of a standing to blame it on the personnel. If Griffen reaches enough of the incentives in Detroit to make the return a fifth-round pick, it’s basically free money for a team that has waived the white flag on 2020. As for the Lions, it’s an interesting scenario: The coach and general manager know they need to make the playoffs in order to return in 2021. Will that mean veering from the path of responsible spending (I would count this trade as responsible), or will we see them up the ante with Griffen serving as just an appetizer for a team currently ranked 27th in pass rush win rate? Griffen has taken plenty of snaps against the Lions in his career, so there is a solid knowledge base of his skill sets on the pro-personnel side.
Grade for Cowboys: C
Grade for Lions: C
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