The 2023 NFL trade deadline is less than a week away, and we’ve already seen some fascinating trades that will impact contending teams.
From Kevin Byard joining the Philadelphia Eagles and Mecole Hardman rejoining the Kansas City Chiefs, NFL teams are all looking for new talent to help navigate the rest of the regular season and potentially the playoffs.
With more deals likely in the days ahead, we’ve picked out five trades that we think could realistically happen and would also fascinate us to see go down.
Some of these trades aren’t necessarily blockbusters, but we do think they’d help some contending teams further strengthen their playoff hopes.
Let’s break down what these may look like.
1
Titans RB Derrick Henry to the Ravens
After trading Byard, the Tennessee Titans have signaled that they are looking more to the future than to the past. That might mean that another franchise favorite might be on the move ahead of the Halloween trade deadline.
Henry is still an electric talent, but he is also a pending free agent on a team that may not re-sign him in the offseason. Rookie running back Tyjae Spears could carry the load on offense for Tennessee if Henry is traded.
The Ravens have long been rivals to the Titans, but the two sides could be smart to make a deal for the veteran running back. Henry would give the Ravens the kind of boost on offense to really make their case as the team to beat in the AFC not named the Kansas City Chiefs.
It’d be a painful move for Tennessee, but the compensation could be worth it.
POTENTIAL TRADE: Henry to Baltimore for a 2024 third-round pick, 2025 fourth-round pick
2
Raiders WR Hunter Renfrow to the 49ers
The Las Vegas Raiders are not doing much with Renfrow, who has produced at a high level in the past. He feels like a very possible trade deadline target and could potentially find his previous production with a new team.
Renfrow’s skills seems tailor-made for Kyle Shanahan’s San Francisco 49ers offense, and the team could use some added help in the passing game while wide receiver Deebo Samuel is injured.
The 49ers could send a late-round pick to the Raiders and add Renfrow for the 2023 season as veteran insurance for an offense that needs to rebound after two-straight losses.
POTENTIAL TRADE: Renfrow to 49ers for a 2023 seventh-round pick
3
Broncos LB Josey Jewell to the Bills
The Buffalo Bills have flirted with Super Bowl potential for quite some time, but the devastating defensive injuries to players like cornerback Tre’Davious White and linebacker Matt Milano have hampered their aspirations.
If the Denver Broncos are unloading pending free agents, then the Bills should get on the phone and try to make a deal for Jewell happen.
He’s a nice option to fill in for Milano this season, and he could even sign a contract extension with Buffalo in the offseason if he performs well.
The Bills need help on defense badly, and Jewell is the kind of steadying presence that can’t fully be Milano, but he’d help.
POTENTIAL TRADE: Jewell to Buffalo for a 2024 fifth-round pick
4
Panthers CB Donte Jackson to the Lions
The Detroit Lions are coming off a brutal loss to the Ravens, one where quarterback Lamar Jackson carved up the Detroit secondary.
The Lions should be okay in the long run, but adding more help on the back end would make Detroit feel better the next time they run into a buzzsaw offense like the Ravens have.
With the Carolina Panthers still winless on the season, the team could send Jackson to the Lions to add some solid veteran depth in the secondary.
Jackson wouldn’t necessarily change the world for Detroit, but he could be a very useful person to have around to make the cornerback group as versatile as possible. It shouldn’t cost Detroit much to make this trade, either.
POTENTIAL TRADE: Jackson to Detroit for a 2024 sixth-round pick
5
Commanders DE Montez Sweat to the Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are one of the best teams in the NFC, but potentially losing outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu to a season-ending injury would be a difficult blow to a very sound defense.
If the Washington Commanders could actually be willing to trade one of Sweat or Chase Young, Seattle should get on the phone and give Washington a call about seeing if they could acquire Sweat as the team’s new top pass rusher.
The Seahawks could send a few draft picks to Washington and sign Sweat a long-term deal to lock him in for the foreseeable future. Seattle needs a lift like this to really contend for the NFC title, and Sweat would help a lot.
POTENTIAL TRADE: Sweat to Seattle for a 2024 second-round pick and a 2024 fourth-round pick
