What NFL Executives and Coaches Are Saying About Trade Deadline's Biggest Moves
NFL Executives weigh in on some of the biggest moves from a busy trade deadline.
Pencils down.
The NFL trade deadline has now come and gone, and several Super Bowl contenders understood the assignment.
Brad Holmes and the Detroit Lions needed to take a big swing, and that’s exactly what they did early Tuesday morning.
The Cincinnati Bengals are not done, nor throwing in the towel on this season, and added another weapon for quarterback Joe Burrow and the offense.
Here’s a breakdown of some of the biggest trades, including insight from NFL executives, scouts, and coaches on what kind of an impact the biggest moves will make down the stretch this season.
Detroit Lions Trade a 2025 Fifth-Round Pick, 2026 Sixth-Round Pick to Cleveland Browns for Edge Rusher Za’Darius Smith, a 2026 Seventh-Round Pick
The Lions are arguably the most dominant and complete team in the NFL, but, Detroit’s depth was dealt a significant blow when Aidan Hutchinson suffered a season-ending injury.
Za’Darius Smith adds a veteran presence with plenty of experience in the NFL North from his time with the Green Bay Packers, and Minnesota Vikings.
Through eight games this season, Smith has logged five sacks and Pro Football Focus credits the 32-year-old with 27 pressures and two additional quarterback hits.
A dominant pass rush is critical to any defense’s success, particularly one that plays man-to-man defense as often as coordinator Aaron Glenn’s unit does in the secondary, and the Lions plugged their biggest hole with arguably the premier player available at the position.
NFL Executive’s Take: “He’s a power rusher. Brings size and strength to the position. He’ll be a good addition to that defense. They need pass rushers, and probably need to go get one more. Hutchinson was such a difference-maker, and one player isn’t making up his lost production.”
Cincinnati Bengals Trade a Seventh-Round Pick for Chicago Bears RB Khalil Herbert
It would have been easy for the Bengals to throw in the towel on this season, but clearly the front office is all-in on going for it despite the offense’s inconsistent start to this season.
Herbert’s arrival coincides with Zack Moss injuring his neck Sunday afternoon against the Las Vegas Raiders.
The 26-year-old Herbert has proven throughout his career that he' has the traits and skill-set to be a feature back, thanks to his blend of physicality, explosiveness, and elusiveness in the open-field.
Herbert boasts a career 4.8 yards per carry average, and has rushed for 1,791 yards with nine touchdowns through 48 games across his first three-plus seasons. Gridiron Grading points out that Herbert has a 71.4 elusiveness rating, which ranks first among backs now on the Bengals’ roster. After languishing as the part of backfield committees in Chicago, Herbert should have the opportunity to push Chase Brown as Cincinnati’s lead back.
NFC Personnel Executive: “He’s one heck of a runner, with very good hands, too. They’ll get to use him in the passing game, which will help. He’s a great system fit for what Zac [Taylor] does.”
Pittsburgh Steelers Trade a Fifth-Round Pick for New York Jets WR Mike Williams
The Steelers have been shopping for wide receiver help dating back to this spring, and have been linked as a potential destination for Mike Williams since the dust settled on New York’s blockbuster deal for Davante Adams.
Williams and Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers never quite got on the same page, with the veteran receiver catching just 12 passes for 122 yards, so the 30-year-old gets a fresh start in Pittsburgh where the Steelers have a path to the NFC North crown.
Adding Williams to the receiving corps gives coordinator Arthur Smith and company a second field-stretching option opposite George Pickens in the receiving corps, with a quarterback in Russell Wilson who has a propensity for taking shots in the vertical passing game.
Dallas Cowboys Trade a Fourth-Round Pick for Carolina Panthers WR Jonathan Mingo
The Dallas Cowboys have spent much of the first half of this season trying to find a secondary receiving option alongside CeeDee Lamb.
However, despite incremental progress from the likes of Jalen Tolbert and KaVontae Turpin as well as the fact that the Cowboys are 3-5 amid a wildly inconsistent performance from quarterback Dak Prescott and the offense, trading an asset for an underperforming second-round pick like Mingo seems shortsighted.
Mingo simply hasn’t lived up to the expectations that he would become an emerging star, while catching 55 passes for 539 yards while still in search of his first career touchdown through his first 24 games.
Perhaps a change of scenery, and an eventual upgrade in quarterback play from the likes of Bryce Young and Andy Dalton to Dak Prescott with Mingo in a supporting role alongside Lamb and Tolbert will bring out his potential. It just seems that given the trajectory of the Cowboys’ season and state of the rest of the roster, that he’s more of a luxury piece at this stage.
AFC East Personnel Executive: “He had ability coming out of college, but some foot injuries at Ole Miss put him under the radar a bit. For the Cowboys, Jonathan and Tolbert are in the same ballpark from an ability and skill-set standpoint.”
Washington Commanders Trade for New Orleans Saints CB Marshon Lattimore
As an ascending franchise thanks to wunderkind rookie quarterback Jayden Daniel’s rapid ascent and development, the Washington Commanders are all-in. And, why wouldn’t they be?
Trading for Lattimore is the exact kind of move one would expect general manager Adam Peters to make, given Washington’s window being opened to make a legitimate run at the NFC East crown.
Lattimore is a savvy veteran defensive back, who is holding opposing quarterbacks to a 74.4 passer rating when throwing his direction. If the Commanders are going to win the NFC East, they’re going to need to handle business against the likes of A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, CeeDee Lamb, and in the postseason would likely have to deal with some combination of Amon-Ra St. Brown, Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, or Deebo Samuel, so adding an established veteran presence in the secondary is a worthy counterpunch.