Seven intriguing teams one week from NFL’s trade deadline

The NFL’s trade deadline is one week away, and teams across the league have already been busy buying and selling.

The hottest commodity in the early going of the trade market has been wide receivers, with the New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs, and Buffalo Bills all making deals to stock up, with varying levels of success.

The Chiefs kicked off the week by bringing in a little help on defence, too, with a trade for New England Patriots linebacker Joshua Uche.

While in some divisions the cut-off between buyers and sellers is clear, it’s not so obvious for the many clubs hovering around .500 as we near the mid-season mark. And even those out of the race post some interesting questions. Selling a big name or two to a contender will be the difference between telling a fanbase to hold tight and declaring a full-on rebuild.

With one week to go, we’re looking at seven teams that pose some particularly intriguing questions as the deadline draws near. 

New York Jets (2-6)
Reuniting Aaron Rodgers with Davante Adams wasn’t the answer in New York. We know that now. We also know that there simply aren’t many answers right now for the Jets, who are staring down another lost season that — despite all the talent on the roster — is even messier and even more demoralizing than any other losing season in recent memory.

So, what happens now? A team that insisted on buying just a few weeks ago (despite a losing record) should probably pick up the phone and sell, sell, sell.

Could Adams be on the move again? If it’s winning he’s after, he won’t find it in New York and we all know there are plenty of teams — the Steelers, 49ers, and the Chargers — who could use some reinforcements on offence.

New Orleans Saints (2-6)
Remember the Saints? Their red-hot offence to start the season very quickly sputtered out, and six losses later New Orleans looks like it’s on the cusp of a rebuild that is overdue. The Saints have been stuck in the messy middle of a weak division since Drew Brees left, and could use a reset — but will they? While the 2-6 team just inked veteran running back Alvin Kamara to an extension, there are plenty of talented veterans they could trade away to jump-start the process, including a crop of defenders like pass-rusher Chase Young (a pending free agent) or veteran linebacker Demario Davis, who’s also under contract next year.

Las Vegas Raiders (2-6)
Sharing a division with the league’s lone perfect team and back-to-back champs isn’t easy, but the Las Vegas Raiders haven’t exactly helped themselves with their perpetual state of rebuild. While fellow divisional opponents in Los Angeles and Denver show signs of life above .500, the 2-6 Raiders are staring down another season without much to show for it.

They’ve already dealt star wide receiver Davante Adams to the New York Jets, a move that sparked plenty of speculation about another big star’s future with the squad: Maxx Crosby.

The face of the franchise himself stirred the pot earlier this season when he told reporters, “I’m not here to rebuild, I’m here to win,” but Raiders owner Mark Davis made his own thoughts on the matter clear over the weekend:

Still, it won’t stop us from dreaming about the damage he could do in the playoffs should a team like, say, the Detroit Lions go all-in to bring the Eastern Michigan alumnus back to his roots. Wouldn’t that be fun?

Cleveland Browns (2-6)
Despite upsetting Baltimore on Sunday, this appears to be a lost season in Cleveland, whose sprint to the playoffs with Joe Flacco last year isn’t likely to be replicated with Jameis Winston at the helm. The Browns couldn’t win with Deshaun Watson, and even without the starting QB they need to contend with his massive contract. So, where does that leave them?

We already have our answer — Cleveland is in sell mode, as evidenced by their deal earlier this month to send wide receiver Amari Cooper to Buffalo, but just how far does that go? And could Nick Chubb be next? The running back is the heart and soul of the Browns’ offence, and it’s clear the front office understands his value to the franchise and its fans on several levels. But as a pending free agent on a team whose cap situation is heavily hindered by its quarterback’s earnings, it’s worth wondering if management makes a deal to send Chubb somewhere he can win.

Dallas Cowboys (3-4)
One team that should be ready to put together a package deal for Chubb? That would be Dallas, whose run game is… well, it doesn’t really exist right now. The Cowboys rank last in rushing attempts, yards, yards per carry, and touchdowns on the ground — and the salt to this wound is Jerry Jones’ decision not to try and sign running back (and Dallas resident) Derrick Henry over the summer and instead bring back Zeke Elliott.

Despite Jones’ insistence this off-season that he’s “all in” on winning, the owner/GM hasn’t made many moves to support that. Now 3-4 following a poor showing on the Sunday Night stage, he should be making calls to bring in help if the Cowboys are to salvage the season.

Los Angeles Rams (3-4)
This time last week, the football world was busy speculating about where wide receiver Cooper Kupp might land. One stirring victory over Minnesota later, the healthy wide receiver showed everyone that the best destination is the one he already calls home.

But could that change? The NFC West is shaping up to be the NFL’s most intriguing division, with the Rams just one win behind the Cardinals, 49ers, and Seahawks all tied up at 4-4. There’s a lot riding on L.A.’s trip to Seattle this Sunday — a misstep could be the difference between contending and not, and it’s worth wondering whether their deadline approach might change accordingly if the right offer comes along.

San Francisco 49ers (4-4)
No team has more offensive depth than the 49ers. We know that because with every injury suffered, the club has dug deeper into its roster to try to keep pace in the NFC West. Christian McCaffrey has yet to start the season, Brandon Aiyuk is done for the year, and Deebo Samuel and George Kittle and Juaun Jennings have missed time, too, while the club is now on its third running back. Health is on the way, as McCaffrey is reported to be close to making his season debut, but now might be the time to bring in some outside reinforcements. The cap crunch is coming, which means the window to win is getting narrower.

They looked on as the Chiefs made a necessary move to help their own banged-up receiving room with the acquisition of DeAndre Hopkins. Will GM John Lynch do the same? Landing a veteran receiver (ahem, like Davante Adams, or perhaps even Adam Thielen) could go a long way.