• Getting the Buccaneers a receiver: After the losses of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, Diontae Johnson might be the best wideout left.
• Finding the Lions an edge rusher: Without Aidan Hutchinson, Detroit could turn to Chase Young, who's racked up 27 pressures.
• Unlock your edge with a PFF+ subscription: Get full access to all our in-season fantasy tools, including weekly rankings, WR/CB matchup charts, weekly projections, the Start-Sit Optimizer and more. Sign up now!
Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes
The NFL trade deadline is only eight days away, but several franchises have already reeled in some of the biggest fish on the pond. That sentiment is especially resonant when it comes to receiver: the Chiefs, Bills and Jets all addressed their significant needs at the position by landing DeAndre Hopkins, Amari Cooper and Davante Adams, respectively.
Still, there are plenty of contending franchises who would love to address roster weak points — and to do it before the playoffs begin instead of waiting until the offseason. Below are eight teams who could really use legitimate upgrades at a given position, as well as a player who could be a realistic trade target.
WR – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers offense has been one of the most dynamic in football, ranking fifth in EPA per play. But the unit will be considerably shorthanded for the next few weeks, with both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin down. In the meantime, Baker Mayfield’s receiving corps consists of rookie Jalen McMillan, Trey Palmer and Sterling Shepard — none of whom has recorded a PFF receiving grade above 58.9.
The Bucs could decide to roll with that trio and factor in their phenomenal receiving running backs more into the passing attack, but that feels unwise. Instead, GM Jason Licht should be aggressive in adding a cheaper receiver — especially since Godwin will hit the open market at the end of the year.
Best Fit: Diontae Johnson, Carolina Panthers
The utopian scenario for the Bucs would be to reunite OC Liam Coen with his former Ram prodigy Cooper Kupp, but the odds of LA moving on from the star appeared slimmer following the team’s second straight win in Week 8. Nonetheless, Tampa Bay should strive to acquire a receiver who can attack defenses in multiple dimensions, and Johnson fits the bill.
In his first year in Carolina, Johnson has performed solidly despite encountering potentially the worst QB play in football. Johnson has posted a 68.4 receiving grade while averaging 1.68 yards per route run. Additionally, he’s improved in contested catch situations, hauling in seven of 15 contested targets.
With his quickness and elusiveness after the catch, Johnson is viable working vertically or in the slot, where he’s lined up on 20.9% of snaps this year. Given that Tampa lost Godwin’s slot productivity as well as Evans’ verticality, Johnson could blend both roles nicely — and probably wouldn’t cost an excessive amount (unless the Panthers want to impose a division rival tax).
Secondary – Washington Commanders
The Commanders sit at a remarkable 6-2, but their success has largely been in spite of the team’s defense. Washington ranks 23rd in EPA per play, and only one Commander to play 100 or more snaps (Bobby Wagner) has posted an overall grade above 72.0. The team’s entire defense has been an issue, but the secondary has particularly struggled, sitting 27th in team coverage grade.
Best Fit: Jaycee Horn, Carolina Panthers
The Commanders fundamentally lack a true lockdown corner option, with none of Benjamin St-Juste, rookie Mike Sainristil or Noah Igbinoghene recording an overall grade above 65.0. Adding a safety wouldn’t necessarily be a bad move, either, but CB feels like a top priority.
Horn would be a perfect acquisition. The 23-year-old has been strong in 2024, posting a 70.7 overall grade with a 69.3 coverage mark. Horn has surrendered only 192 yards on 35 targets but has racked up seven pass breakups and a pick, ranking top-five in PBUs among all corners. Beyond that, Horn is a great run defender, notching a 76.3 run defense grade or better in both of the last two years.
Given his age and that he won’t be a free agent until 2026, the cost to acquire Horn wouldn’t necessarily be cheap. However, if GM Adam Peters is serious on maximizing the team’s contention window with Jayden Daniels on a rookie deal, it would be a home run add.
Edge – Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons took an unconventional approach to try to address edge rusher throughout the offseason, eschewing drafting one at No. 8 overall and then trading for Matthew Judon weeks before the season started. The results haven’t been great: Atlanta ranks 31st in pass-rush grading by edge rushers this year and is dead last in pass-rush win rate from such players. No Falcons pass-rusher has posted an overall grade above 71.6.
Best Fit: Za’Darius Smith, Cleveland Browns
The dream situation for any team seeking an edge rusher would be for the cataclysmic Browns to deal Myles Garrett, but that seems highly unlikely. Instead, the odds of Cleveland trading the veteran Za’Darius Smith are much higher.
Smith has been solid in 2024, recording a 71.4 overall grade and 24 pressures — nine more than any other Atlanta edge rusher. The 32-year-old has seen his pass-rushing grade drop over 16 points, but he combined for 141 pressures over 2022-23.
In light of the fact that not many marquee edge rushers are likely to be on the trade market (unless the Chargers trade Khalil Mack, which is improbable), trying to acquire Smith would be a solid move for Atlanta — at least until the team has the chance to draft an edge rusher in 2025.
Edge – Detroit Lions
Like the Falcons, the Lions are in need of edge rusher help — although for a different reason. With superstar Aidan Hutchinson lost for the year, the team must find a way to replace his historic production. No healthy Lions edge rusher has more than eight pressures, and no active Detroit Edge to play 60-plus pass-rushing snaps has a win rate higher than 12.5%. That’s not sufficient if Detroit wants to be a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
Best Fit: Chase Young, New Orleans Saints
New Orleans fields a pair of edge rushers — Carl Granderson and Chase Young — who will likely draw interest before Nov. 5, but the odds of shipping Granderson are lower given his $52 million extension. Instead, Young — who’s a free agent after this year — could be the better bet to find a new team.
The 25-year-old has recorded 30 pressures — tied for 12th among all edge rushers — despite the fact that his pass-rushing grade has dropped over 25 points from 2023 to 2024. In more good news, Young has diminished his missed tackle rate from 25% or higher in 2022-23 to only 11.8% this season.
Having been on three teams in the last two seasons, Young is accustomed to finding a new landing spot. Now healthy, the former No. 2 overall pick would be a wise add for the Lions to replace Hutchinson for just 2024.
ILB – Buffalo Bills
The Bills already filled one critical need by adding Cooper to a previously unimpressive receiving corps, but work is still needed on the defensive side of the ball. Buffalo’s inside linebackers have sorely missed Matt Milano all year, with the team ranking 30th in overall grade and 31st in coverage grade from its linebackers. Put simply, finding an in-house solution probably isn’t going to happen.
Best Fit: Robert Spillane, Las Vegas Raiders
A former journeyman with the Steelers, Spillane has rounded into a solid linebacker with the Raiders. Spillane’s 76.2 overall grade over the last two years ranks 19th at the position (min. 500 snaps). His major asset has been run defense, with his 90.9 run defense grade sitting fourth among such linebackers since the start of 2023.
Spillane can also rush the passer well, posting a pass-rushing grade of 70.3 or better both of the last two years. Coverage has never been where he’s excelled — his best grade in a full year is 59.3 — but he offers value in other facets.
Unless the Browns elect to trade Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, it’s difficult finding a solid linebacker who could actually be on the move before Nov. 5. Spillane, who will be a free agent after the year, might be the prize.
WR – San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers entered the year with the best group of skill-position players in the NFL — and maybe that we’ve seen in recent NFL history. The problem is that they’ve spent much more time together in the training room than on the field.
Deebo Samuel, Jauan Jennings and George Kittle have all been nicked at times this year but should still be expected to be full contributors moving forward. The concern is the loss of Brandon Aiyuk for the season. It doesn’t feel as if San Francisco has enough internally to replace his contributions.
Best Fit: Darius Slayton, New York Giants
There’s no replicating one of the NFL’s route runners, catch artists and blockers all in one, even if he was having a lackluster season. Still, San Francisco could use a receiver who can complement Samuel, let alone provide some insurance.
Slayton has proven solid when healthy over the past few years. He’s posted a receiving grade of 65.1 or better in each of the last three campaigns, although drops (19.4% rate) have plagued him in 2024.
Where Slayton can mirror Aiyuk is as a deep, contested catch threat on the outside. Slayton’s average depth of target has been 11.7 yards or higher in each of his six seasons; Aiyuk has led the 49ers’ starting receivers in aDOT in each of the last two years. Likewise, Slayton’s 69.2% contested catch rate is second among receivers with 10-plus contested targets.
The Giants appear intent to build their receiving room around star rookie Malik Nabers and slot man Wan’Dale Robinson, making Slayton expendable. This move would prove to offer good depth for John Lynch.
OT – Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks are in a bit of a strange position regarding what to do at the trade deadline. The team started red hot, then cooled off, then bounced back with a humongous Week 7 win in Atlanta. The bottom line is that there’s enough talent on both sides of the ball to expect to make a playoff push, but the tackle spot should be addressed.
Charles Cross has been superb at left tackle, but right tackle has been a migraine for Mike Macdonald. Abraham Lucas has yet to play, leaving Stone Forsythe in his stead. Forsythe has permitted a whopping 35 pressures, the most in the NFL for any offensive lineman by 12. His run-blocking (51.6 grade) hasn’t been much better.
Best Fit: Taylor Moton, Carolina Panthers
If the Panthers really want to recoup resources, moving Moton could be logical. The team signed him to a five-year, $85 million extension in 2021, but the 30-year-old only has one more year left on his deal after 2024.
Moton is as steady as they come as a pass protector. His PFF pass-blocking efficiency has never been below 96.9 in his entire career, nor has he ever ended a season with a pass-blocking grade lower than 76.9. His run-blocking has dipped a bit to a career-low 52.7 mark, but he would still be coveted.
Seattle could opt to trade for any tackle and insert them across from Cross, but finding an established RT like Moton would be ideal.
Secondary – Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals are in rhythm yet again on offense, but the team’s defense hasn’t held up its end of the weight. Cincinnati is 26th in defensive EPA per play, including 23rd against the pass. No Bengals cornerback or safety has posted an overall grade higher than 69.1.
Best Fit: Quandre Diggs, Tennessee Titans
Much like Washington, the Bengals could opt for a corner or a safety at the trade deadline. It feels like the latter is slightly more important for this team given the underwhelming play of Geno Stone (47.3 overall grade) and Vonn Bell.
The Titans haven’t had much go right in 2024, but Diggs has proven to be a prudent signing. The 31-year-old has recorded a 70.6 overall grade, missing only 5.1% of his tackles and posting a 67.2 run defense grade — his best since 2021. Overall, Diggs has looked more like the solid back-end safety NFL fans grew to know in 2021 and 2022.
Since the former Seahawk will be a free agent come March, and is only owed $3 million by Tennessee, it likely wouldn’t take more than a Day 3 pick to acquire him. This feels like a low-risk, high-reward move for Cincinnati, which needs to solidify its secondary with more talent if it wants to compete with AFC behemoths.
© 2024 PFF - all rights reserved.