NFL trade deadline: Four Eagles, two more Colts and a starting QB included among top candidates

The NFL trade deadline is less than two weeks away. That means the hot stove will heat up considerably fairly soon. We've already seen multiple high-profile deals this season, with Joey Porter Jr. heading to the Cowboys, Marvin Harrison Jr. heading to the Texans, Quenton Nelson heading to the Seahawks, DeForest Bucker landing with the 49ers and Jeffery Simmons being traded to the Bears, and we could see several more in the coming days, given how wide open the league appears to be at the moment. 

With that in mind, we wanted to take a look at some of the top targets who could be on the move. We ranked the top situations that bear the most watching, but with a twist. Some of them are team-wide, meaning there are multiple targets that interested teams could pursue over the next two weeks. There are 25 targets in all. (The Nelson, Buckner and Simmons deals make us 3-for-3 on predicting players that could be dealt, from the original list below. The list has since been updated.)

So without further ado, here's the list...

The Eagles

Saquon Barkley's contract, with all the various option bonuses included, makes dealing with him somewhat financially complicated, but given the Eagles' struggles, his age, and the fact that teams are looking for explosiveness at running back these days, he makes sense as a target for needy teams. His current injury situation muddies the picture a bit, but that could be cleared up in the coming days and weeks as he gets further away from the hamstring pull.

Moro Ojomo is in the final year of his rookie contract. The Eagles just paid big money to two defensive tackles (Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis), so they probably can't afford to keep Ojomo around. He's 25 years old and has shown production upside with 6 sacks last season. 

If the Eagles want to get aggressive, they can consider dealing both him and Nolan Smith, whose fifth-year option they picked up for next season but who they probably can't afford to keep in the longer term. Smith is more of a force in the run game than as a pass rusher, but that could still be valuable for teams that need help on the edge.

Dallas Goedert, meanwhile, signed a renegotiated contract with the Eagles this past offseason and is carrying only a $1.3 million base salary. He's not the most dynamic tight end these days, but he's a reliable pass-catcher and blocker, and any team that needs an additional tight end (teams love multi-tight end sets these days) could get interested for a small price.

The Colts

Nelson is already on the move, traded to the Seahawks for a pair of draft picks. Bucker is gone, too, having been sent back to the 49ers after seven years away.

Jonathan Taylor is one of the best running backs in the NFL and has been able to remain productive even while the Colts' offense has fallen apart around him. (He's only at 4.2 yards per carry, but he's carrying a 55% rushing success rate, per Pro-Football-Reference.) He's the type of explosive back who can change an offense in the way Kenneth Walker III did for the Chiefs. The contract isn't prohibitive for trade purposes, as the Colts would incur only $10 million in dead money next year if they move him. DeForest Buckner has also been traded away. 

Josh Downs has reportedly requested a trade away from Indianapolis, and with the wide receiver in the final year of his rookie contract, the Colts should seriously consider moving him if they're not going to give him a new deal this offseason. He hasn't been particularly productive this year due to Daniel Jones' struggles, but he's been a per-route star in prior years, so he could help a team in need of receiver depth.

The Titans

Simmons has already been dealt, heading to the Bears for two first-rounders and more. 

Amani Hooker is a very good, very versatile safety (he's played 232 snaps in the box, 127 as a deep safety and 56 as a slot corner so far this year), and those are valuable around the NFL. He still has three years left on his contract, including 2026, so there is a team-control aspect that would be valuable to a potentially acquiring team. 

Tony Pollard is in the final year of his deal with only a $6.7 million base salary. He's 29 years old, but if you look under the hood, the numbers show he's actually running pretty well so far this season. He's 10th in yards after contact per attempt among the 39 running backs with 50-plus carries, for example, according to Tru Media. He's also 12th in explosive run rate. He can still play, and help a team in need of a committee back.

Calvin Ridley has completely fallen out of favor in Tennessee and could potentially help a team in need of depth-chart wide receiver help.

The Chargers

Khalil Mack is on a one-year deal with an $8 million base salary. He's got three sacks in six games and has played 71% of the Chargers' defensive snaps. He's not going to be the player he once was, but any team in need of a rotational pass rusher should give the Chargers a call to see if they can get him for a late pick.

Tuli Tuipulotu only has two sacks in the Chargers' six games, but a deeper look at the numbers reveals a player playing better than that. He's 23rd in pressure rate among 148 players with 100 or more pass-rush snaps, according to Tru Media, and 18th in havoc play rate. He's still just 24 years old and you can get out ahead of his free agency by acquiring him now.

Derwin James, like Jeffery Simmons, recently signed a contract extension, so it would be somewhat surprising to see him get dealt. But he's 31 years old, the Chargers are terrible, and he's one of their most valuable assets. His base salaries for the next three years are also pretty high ($17.5 million, $24.6 million and $21.5 million), so the return might not be as much as the Chargers would be looking for.

Quentin Johnston only has 8 catches for 165 scoreless yards this season, and he's seemingly been surpassed in the target pecking order. He also has an $18 million salary for next season after the Chargers picked up his fifth-year option. So the return is likely to be low, but it's hard to imagine that L.A. wants to keep him around.

Donte Jackson is in the final year of his deal with only a $6 million base salary. He could be of help to any team in need of a cornerback, and there are always teams that need help in the defensive backfield. If the Chargers actually decide to sell, he seems like one of the more likely candidates to move.

The Cardinals

Budda Baker has base salaries of $14.4 million and $16.1 million this year and next, but he's a valuable enough player to make those price tags worth it. He's extremely versatile and can play both the run and the pass, whether lined up deep or in the box. He's 30 years old and still likely has several quality seasons left under his belt. The Cardinals aren't going to contend for the postseason, and Baker is their best asset for future value. 

Josh Sweat is having a down year, both sack-wise (2 in 7 games) and in terms of his pressure rate (7.9%). And his contract doesn't exactly make that type of production attractive. But his track record over the long term, up to and including last year, is much more impressive, and teams could bet that he has a bounce-back in a more favorable environment. He probably wants a new contract, but that could be worked out once you see him play for your team.

The Dolphins

Win over the Jets notwithstanding, the Dolphins look like arguably the worst team in the league this season. Zach Sieler, though, remains a quality player. He hasn't been at his best this season (nobody on the Dolphins has), but we've seen high upside as both a run defender and a pass rusher from the defensive interior. If you can tap back into that, his base salaries over the next few years are very affordable ($44.5 million from 2027 through 2029, none of which is guaranteed).

Jordyn Brooks, like Jeffery Simmons and Derwin James, recently signed an extension. But his deal actually made him easier to trade and gave the Dolphins the benefit of selling to an acquiring team, knowing they'd have Brooks under team control for multiple years. With the emergence of rookie Jacob Rodriguez and Brooks having recently turned 29 years old, they could look to deal him for a pretty sizable return.

Brian Thomas Jr. 

Brian Thomas Jr. has pretty clearly fallen out of favor in Jacksonville. In the Jaguars' last game, he didn't play a single second-half snap. Rookie Josh Cameron is playing ahead of him, and now it seems that two-way star Travis Hunter might be as well. But Thomas has more of a track record of high-level production than did Marvin Harrison Jr., and MHJ fetched a second-round pick via trade. If the Jaguars could get that type of return, they should be very interested, and teams should be interested in acquiring him as well, considering what he did as a rookie (albeit maybe not for quite that high a price, considering what he's done this year and last).

Daron Payne

The Commanders are going nowhere and Daron Payne is in the final year of his contract. His $16.4 million base salary is high but not prohibitive to a trade. He's still a quality run defender, even if he doesn't give you that much in the way of pass-rush juice these days. The Commies would be wise to get something for him before he leaves in free agency next offseason.

Will McDonald IV

Will McDonald IV has seen his snap rate cut from 66% down to 46% this season after the arrival of David Bailey in the draft. But he had 10.5 and 8 sacks over the last two seasons, and has shown he can be a productive pass rusher. The Jets just lost to the aforementioned Dolphins, so it's not like they're really going to compete for anything this year. McDonald had his fifth-year option picked up for next season, but he's still affordable.

Kirk Cousins

Klint Kubiak is already getting questions about when he's going to turn the reins over to Fernando Mendoza, which means Kirk Cousins' time under center is likely coming to an end fairly soon. Like Brissett, he could be valuable to a team looking for either a quality backup or a fill-in starter for the rest of the season. The Raiders might prefer to just keep him around and have him mentor Mendoza for the rest of the year, though.

Jauan Jennings

Jauan Jennings has so far been entirely uninvolved in the Vikings' offense. It would be surprising to see the league's last remanining unbeaten team make a trade where the give away an asset instead of acquire one, but given Jennings' lack of role and the number of teams in need of wide receiver help, this is certainly a situation worth monitoring.

Yaya Diaby

It might be surprising to see the Buccaneers sell given the state of the AFC South, but Diaby is one of the players it might make sense to move, given his contract situation and what the Bucs have elsewhere at the position. Diaby is in the final year of his rookie-scale contract and is probably not going to get paid by the Bucs this offseason given the emergence of David Walker and the fact that they just drafted Rueben Bain Jr. If Tampa loses to the Falcons and/or Bears in these next couple weeks, he could make it to the trade block.

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