The NFL’s trade deadline has officially passed. In past seasons, the deadline hasn’t been known for its drama. Aside from a handful of depth trades, teams would prefer to stand pat, valuing the need to hold on draft picks rather than search for already-proven talent. However, the offseason saw multiple big trades with draft picks included. It’s not a new or groundbreaking revelation, but it’s becoming more common.
That led to the most active trade deadline in NFL history, with 10 moves on the actual day of the deadline. A number of big names found new homes, with contending teams stocking up on talent, while a few teams likely set their sights on next season and beyond. Not every team got what they wanted, though. There were winners and there were losers.
Winner: Chicago Bears
No they didn’t acquire NFL ready talent at the deadline, but Chicago was never making a Super Bowl run this year anyway. They made three big moves prior to the deadline. The first was to trade away pass rusher Robert Quinn to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2023 fourth-round pick. That one didn’t come as a shock. The Bears had reportedly been shopping Quinn around since the offseason and getting a Day 2 pick for him is a decent trade.
It could have been a fifth-rounder, but the Bears agreed to pay the remaining $7.1m of his base salary in 2022. That’s no issue for the Bears, they wield enough cap space to make it work. The trade also opens up more snaps for their younger pass rushers, Trevis Gipson and 2022 fifth-round pick Dominique Robinson. Both have shown flashes of promise, so a larger role could be the next step.
The next two trades will likely be tied together. Firstly, the Bears traded linebacker Roquan Smith to the Baltimore Ravens for a 2023 second-round pick, a fifth-round pick, and A.J. Klein. Now, Smith is a stud and some fans might have expected a bigger haul. But that’s a lot to give up for an off-ball linebacker. It’s not a premium position and Smith was a free agent at the end of the season and reportedly wanted upwards of $20m per year. If the Bears had no intention of paying that, and the fact that they traded him means that’s true, then it’s a solid deal.
Their final deal makes a ton of sense for their roster, acquiring Chase Claypool for a 2023 second round pick. The Bears desperately needed receiving help in the offseason but made some inconsequential moves at the position. That lent credence to the idea that the front office didn’t believe in Fields, but now the Claypool trade is interesting.
He hasn’t hit the heights of his rookie season in the past two years, and occasionally gets bashed for playing smaller than his 6-foot-4 238lb size profile, but there’s a lot to like about him. He can mature into a real deep threat outside or as a big slot – and Fields is certainly a quarterback that suits his skillset more than Ben Roethlisberger, Mitch Trubisky, or Kenny Pickett ever did.
A second round pick does feel like a lot, especially when it’s Chicago’s own and not the one they acquired from the Ravens in the Smith trade, but Claypool is still just 24 with another year of team control. Overall, it’s a good trade – especially if Claypool settles in quickly alongside Darnell Mooney. The Bears needed picks and a receiver: they got both.
Loser: Los Angeles Chargers
The loser section is going to be a familiar theme in terms of what went wrong. So far, the Chargers have underwhelmed in 2022. They were touted as one of the best teams on paper in the NFL heading into the season with Justin Herbert under center and a revamped defense. Eight weeks into the season, the Chargers are 4-3 and coming off a bye week after a brutal loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 7. They’re still well and truly in the playoff race but really should have made some moves prior to the deadline in a number of positions to help strengthen their case.
So far, the offense hasn’t been good. They’re 19th in EPA/play and struggling to move the ball. The rushing attack is bad, and the passing game hasn’t fared much better. Herbert is obviously still smarting from his rib injury and isn’t pushing the ball downfield. But it isn’t just Herbert. The Chargers have good weapons. Mike Williams and Keenan Allen are great, but neither are healthy. Even when both are healthy, the Chargers need a deep threat. Someone to open up the field for Herbert.
Right now, he’s 32nd out of 35 quarterbacks in air yards per attempt. Not good. Call it bad play calling, call it poor quarterback play, injuries, whatever you want. But Tom Telesco needed to make a move. Their three starting receivers are all carrying injuries right now. Their number one corner is now on IR. The Chargers needed to do something – anything. They didn’t. They lose.
Winner: Denver Broncos
The Miami Dolphins made the biggest splash in the league prior to the deadline, trading a 2023 first-round pick, a 2024 fourth-round pick and Chase Edmonds to the Broncos for pass-rusher Bradley Chubb and a 2025 fifth-round pick. Soon after, the Dolphins agreed to a five-year $119m extension with Chubb. He’s a great talent and still only 26 years old – it’s an okay deal for the Dolphins, but it’s a real win for the Denver Broncos.
It’s desperate times for Broncos Country right now. They’re 3-5 and in dangerous territory. The postseason seems out of touch in a stacked AFC and they’re already two games back on the second place Chargers in the AFC West. Year one of the Russell Wilson and Nathaniel Hackett experiment has been a disaster, there’s no other way to spin it. Wilson has looked like a shell of himself and the Broncos offense has been among the worst in the league. This was a move that was meant to push the Broncos into Super Bowl contention, but it feels like they’re more than just a quarterback away.
That’s why this is a good deal. It was difficult to envision the Broncos paying Bradley Chubb in the offseason. They may have, but who knows. Instead, they’ve snagged a first round pick – something they wouldn’t have had thanks to the Wilson trade – meaning they can pick up a rookie contract at a position of need. It’s never bad to have a first round pick.
Loser: Green Bay Packers
Sigh. If there was any team that needed to make a trade before the deadline it was the Green Bay Packers. At 3-5 and losing ground fast in the NFC playoff race, the Packers couldn’t afford to stand pat – they had to be aggressive. And it was clear to everyone where the Packers needed to upgrade: the receiver position. The offense is struggling to generate explosive plays, mostly due to the lack of juice the Packers have at the position.
Through 8 games, Aaron Rodgers is 25th in air yards per attempt, 25th among 34 qualified quarterbacks, per RBSDM and only four quarterbacks have more dropped passes than Rodgers this season. The Packers quarterback isn’t playing to his usual standard, but he’s clearly being let down by his receivers.
The Packers were active on the market and hunting for a receiver. They reportedly had the best offer for Chase Claypool prior to the Bears swooping in, and were linked to the Texans’ Brandin Cooks and the Broncos Jerry Jeudy. The Broncos and Texans held on to both players and the Packers failed to get any of their men. The 2022 NFL season seems like a lost one for the Packers. They knew the assignment but wouldn’t meet the conditions.
-Thomas Valentine
Twitter: @tvalentinesport
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.