Nine More Mock Trade Proposals

The NFL trade deadline is coming up quickly, just a little over a week from today. Teams have until November 5 at 4 pm Eastern to make trades to add to the roster. After the deadline, they’re limited to the waiver wire. 

Last week we threw together 12 potential trades we thought made enough sense to come together before the deadline. Here’s another round of nine mock trade proposals, put together looking at which teams are selling, which teams are buying and which players could be available. 

49ers trade for Panthers DE Jadeveon Clowney and Browns DT Dalvin Tomlinson

Midseason lulls aren’t necessarily new to San Francisco. If you look back at the last several years under HC Kyle Shanahan, they’re actually more the norm than the exception. But it feels different around the 49ers this year because of the sense of urgency for a team that’s been knocking at the door for the past few years and feels the window starting to close. 

It also feels different because the 49ers are as shorthanded on defense as they’ve been in a while. It’s not just a matter of a talented team encountering some hiccups — though San Francisco remains plenty talented — the defense is a real problem that needs to be solved for the 49ers to break through this year. At the heart of things is a shallow defensive line that’s not nearly as dominant as past iterations. It’s bad enough that it would be justifiable if the 49ers double-dipped before the trade deadline. 

The 49ers can use reinforcements on both the interior and the edge. They’ve been soft against the run and the addition of Tomlinson could help with that. He’s one of the more established nose tackles in football and should be available from the rebuilding Browns who need to shed future salary. Tomlinson is due just the veteran minimum and no future guarantees, making him an excellent rental candidate. Cleveland should be able to get a sixth, at least, and could potentially do a pick swap to get a fifth. 

As far as edge rushers available, Clowney would stand out as a potential fit who would surely welcome landing with a contending team, even if it means leaving the hometown Panthers. He’s got the size to hold up as a three-down edge in San Francisco’s defense, and the 49ers’ preference to rotate defensive linemen will suit the 31-year-old Clowney. 

As far as trade value, it’s a little tricky because Clowney is due $2 million in guaranteed money next year out of a total $10 million in compensation, meaning a trade isn’t a no-strings-attached rental even if Clowney’s 2024 salary is the minimum. Meanwhile, the Panthers will listen to trade offers to sell off pieces but won’t just give away players, even from a league-worst defense. The 49ers might have to pony up a fifth-round selection to get Clowney. 

Colts trade for Panthers RB Miles Sanders

The looming debut of Panthers second-round RB Jonathon Brooks will relegate Sanders to third on the depth chart. He’s under contract in 2025 but is a strong cap casualty candidate and there’s a good chance he won’t be back. He had a $4 million guaranteed base salary entering this year and there’s about $2 million left. That’s not much and a team that wants running back help could probably get Sanders for a late-rounder. 

The Colts got RB Jonathan Taylor back and healthy this week and he promptly put up 100 yards on the ground. It’s safe to say his ankle sprain is behind him. But the three games Taylor missed exposed the lack of depth behind him. Trey Sermon doesn’t have a lot of juice and Tyler Goodson doesn’t have the size to hold up. Sanders would know the system after playing for HC Shane Steichen with the Eagles and give Indianapolis a viable handcuff for Taylor. 

Chiefs trade for Rams CB Tre’Davious White

The Chiefs already found help for their banged up receiving corps by trading for Titans WR DeAndre Hopkins. Now their attention is reportedly turning to the secondary where the injury bug has been contagious. Kansas City lost starting CB Jaylen Watson to a broken ankle and his replacement, CB Nazeeh Johnson, went out during Week 8’s win against the Raiders. 

White has been benched in Los Angeles after opposing offenses made it a trend of going after him for big gains. But the Rams admitted they rushed White back a little bit from last year’s torn Achilles with their other injuries in the secondary. He could benefit from a fresh start and a different scheme in Kansas City. White was once a top-five corner and is still in his 20s. Most importantly, he’d be cheap, probably just a conditional seventh-round pick. He also could be cut after the deadline if no deal materializes. 

Bengals trade TE Tanner Hudson for Giants DT Jordon Riley

Player-for-player trades are rare but not impossible. The Bengals and Giants actually went down this road in 2021 with a swap sending former first-round C Billy Price to New York for DT B.J. Hill and a seventh. The Bengals won that swap decisively. 

Now their needs kind of line up again. Cincinnati needs help on the interior of its defensive line, while they have an excess of options at tight end. Hudson can be a legit bit player as a receiving option, probably better than the other options on the Giants’ roster. He’d also help give HC Brian Daboll a little more formational versatility. Riley was a seventh-round pick just last year who’s fallen out of the rotation but has a great size/speed combination. He’s an interesting developmental option for Cincinnati. 

Lions trade for Seahawks OLB Trevis Gipson

Gipson was traded to the Seahawks coming out of the preseason but has fallen out of the rotation at edge rusher even with Seattle dealing with injuries. It would not be surprising to see him on the move again, either before the deadline or after via waivers. 

The Lions’ need at edge rusher is well-documented and HC Dan Campbell admitted after Week 7 they probably needed to make a move. If they strike out on some of the bigger-name options, Gipson is an interesting fit. For starters, he’s got size to fit into the team’s four-down front and isn’t just a third-down rusher like some other players available. Gipson had seven sacks and five forced fumbles in his second year back in 2021 with the Bears, so there could be some upside in a rotational role for Detroit to tap into. 

Seattle gave up a sixth-round pick for Gipson in August. He would be available for less now, perhaps just a conditional seventh-round pick. 

Eagles trade for Browns OLB Za’Darius Smith

Eagles GM Howie Roseman is always on the lookout for pass rush help, including during the season. While Philadelphia has usually been strong up front, that’s not quite the case this year. The Eagles were tied for the ninth-most sacks in the league with 19 entering Week 8 but that was juiced by big games the previous two weeks against the Browns and Giants, when the Eagles racked up 13 sacks. Philadelphia’s 23rd-ranked pressure rate paints a more accurate picture and they notched just one sack in the win against the Bengals. 

I have no doubt Roseman will be making calls to potential trade partners for defensive line help, and Smith is one of the best players available. Cleveland is clearly in a lost season, win against the Ravens notwithstanding, and Smith is an attractive trade asset with just a veteran minimum contract. He had another sack in Week 8 to push his total in 2024 to five, and his 21.5 percent pass-rush win rate is strong, too. 

Roseman gave up a fourth-round pick a few years ago to get DE Robert Quinn from the Bears during the season. Given that worked out poorly, he might be looking to get cheaper, but something in the fourth to fifth-round range would make a lot of sense as a return, wherever Smith ends up.

Chargers trade for Giants WR Darius Slayton

Los Angeles is reportedly one of several teams that’s been poking around a little bit to see if it could add a receiver before the trade deadline. The team rebuilt the receiving corps almost from scratch this offseason, cutting WR Mike Williams and trading WR Keenan Allen. A reunion with Williams is one of the options on the table, and that shows what the Chargers are hoping to find — a vertical threat who can be had on the cheap. 

Slayton fits that bill as well and in some ways better than Williams. While the former Charger is a hulking jump ball winner coming off a torn ACL last year, Slayton is tall but wiry and fast. He’s like a souped-up version of former Chargers WR Jalen Guyton who had some big plays running under ICBM strikes launched by QB Justin Herbert. He’s been pretty consistently good for 700 receiving yards while in unstable Giants offenses. 

The catch with Slayton is, well, catching. His hands aren’t the greatest but with Herbert, the highs could be worth the lows. He’s a solid, starting-level receiver who should be worth at least a fifth-round pick in a trade, especially because he has a low base salary and isn’t under contract past this season. 

Buccaneers trade for Panthers WR Diontae Johnson

The trade buzz around Johnson has gotten louder as Carolina’s record has continued to sink. He was held out this past week with rib and ankle injuries, which led to speculation the team was trying to keep him healthy. Another report indicated the team was looking for a mid-round pick, which makes sense since that’s about the range Johnson would fall in as a compensatory free agent this spring. While he’s the team’s leading receiver, it’s not hard to make the case the pick matters more for the Panthers. 

Several teams have made deals for receivers but there are still a handful with pressing needs, including the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay lost slot WR Chris Godwin for the season and outside WR Mike Evans is out for a few more weeks with a hamstring injury. The Bucs have lost two straight now and are 4-4 with games against the Chiefs and 49ers looming. There might be a little more urgency to add receiver help than there was last week. 

Intra-division trades are rare but Carolina is so far out of things there’s really not much of a worry about helping the Buccaneers. In fact, you could argue taking a pick away from Tampa Bay is a win for Carolina. Johnson just arrived via trade this past offseason and is a free agent at the end of the year, so there’s not much history to worry about. It’d be strictly a short-term rental for the Bucs. 

Tampa Bay’s front office isn’t keen on giving up draft picks for short-term options. But a fifth-round pick for a receiver who could replace a lot of Godwin’s production out of the slot and get the Buccaneers back into playoff contention is arguably worth it.