Here is your last pre-NFL trade deadline mailbag, so let’s dive in …
From Joey Koehler (@jojokoehler): Do the Houston Texans make a trade to compensate for Stefon Diggs going down for the year?
Joey, I’d say no. Yes, Diggs is an outstanding player and a loss for Houston. But Nico Collins is eligible to return off injured reserve next week, Tank Dell is a really good No. 2, and they have both an experienced hand (Robert Woods) and a young guy with upside (John Metchie III). I’m not really sure that an Adam Thielen or a Treylon Burks would be an upgrade, or even earn snaps over Woods and Metchie.
So this is simple: There’s no need for Houston to trade away an asset.
For now, though, and until Collins is back, things could be a little touch and go.
From Ed Helinski (@MrEd315): Who are your top-10 NFL teams right now? And why?
Ed, this is totally off the top of my head, and with no science to it—Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Texans, Washington Commanders, Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers.
Chiefs, by a little bit of default. The reality is they’re the only unbeaten left, and they keep finding a way, week-to-week, to win games. The warts are there. But they’re starting to remind me so much of the old-school New England Patriots. They can win in a million different ways. Some wins are prettier than others. But you can bank on them being there on conference title weekend every year, on the coach's strength, his staff, the quarterback and the program.
Based on how the season has gone, though, the Lions look like the best, most consistent team in a year in which 30 out of 32 teams already have two or more losses. And after that, it’s a crapshoot. The Ravens had their speed bump this week with a loss to the Cleveland Browns, and yes, they’re only 5–3, but they were mighty impressive over a five-game win streak. Meanwhile, youthful Bills and Packers teams should continue to get better over the season’s back half.
From George Ryan Jr. (@patriots_harley): Will the Patriots spend money in free agency this offseason or be a cheapskate like the last one?
George, yes, I think the Patriots will spend.
So my feeling is that they’ll have a top-five pick, and they should spend that selection on a tackle such as LSU’s Will Campbell. Then, I think, you could look at receiver and edge rusher as spots where you might throw some money—and that can be challenging just because generally good players at those positions don’t make it to free agency in March.
Most of the top edge guys out there (Haason Reddick, DeMarcus Lawrence, Khalil Mack) are aging, and the same goes, for the most part, at receiver (Chris Godwin, Amari Cooper, Diggs). Ideally, you’d like to have young guys going on second contracts who could grow with Drake Maye, and help take advantage of his rookie-contract window.
The two names that, to me, work along those lines are Cincinnati Bengals WR Tee Higgins and Las Vegas Raiders DE Malcolm Koonce. But in each case, you’re talking about taking another team’s No. 2 (Higgins to Ja’Marr Chase, Koonce to Maxx Crosby) and making him your No. 1, which can be a dangerous thing to do. So maybe something like that works. Or maybe someone unexpectedly pops onto the trade market that New England can make a move on.
From Kent Schrag (@TheBlockO): Can the Bengals offense be fixed with the current coaching staff?
Kent, I think so. There’s been a transition there, for sure, with new coordinator Dan Pitcher in place, Chase missing training camp and Joe Mixon gone.
Now, if we’re assessing how bad it is, the Bengals are 18th in total offense, 11th in points per game and seventh in passing offense. The hole is in the run game, where they rank 28th (26th in yards per carry), a hole that’s impacting the offense’s consistency, which has taken a toll on a defense that’s been pretty up and down.
I have faith that they can figure it out. Everyone with the Bengals raved about Amarius Mims this summer, and I think he can grow into a stabilizing force for an inconsistent offensive line. Chase Brown has a lot of potential at tailback and should get better. And the young receivers behind Chase and Higgins, who are trying to replace Tyler Boyd’s production, should continue to grow.
I also believe in Joe Burrow as a player and a leader. Admittedly, that’s a big part of my take.
From Dino (@DinoRaiders): What is the Raiders’ succession plan?
Dino, I assume you’re talking about ownership. Everyone this month, and I get it, has been paying attention to Tom Brady being ushered in as a minority owner of the team (and Richard Seymour, too). But just as impactful was his business partner, Tom Wagner, being part of the collective purchase of roughly 10% of the franchise.
Including Brady allowed Wagner to get a good rate on the team, and set Wagner up to, eventually, try and succeed Mark Davis as principal owner. Davis doesn’t have kids or siblings, and his mother, Carol, is technically the owner of the team. When she passes, there will be estate taxes, which could complicate Mark’s ownership. Regardless, beyond those two, there isn’t a succession plan.
Wagner is already a sports owner; he was the one who brought Brady into English soccer with Birmingham City and has the resources to put together a strong bid for a team. And as a hedge-fund titan, he already swims in the same waters NFL owners do. So my feeling is he’d be high up the list for the Raiders, whenever the post-Davis era comes to be.
From YaBoi5 (@JDins_5): Anthony Richardson: Temporary benching or “until further notice”? Feels like Shane hasn’t figured out how to call a game or scheme things up for him quite yet.
Ya Boi, I seriously doubt the problem is Shane Steichen figuring out how to build a scheme or call a game with Richardson as the quarterback. He came up in the NFL working with Philip Rivers, and in 2020, he pivoted to developing Justin Herbert—and having him ready to play at the drop of a hat that September. After that, he pushed Jalen Hurts’s career forward in a way that set the Philadelphia Eagles up for a Super Bowl run and Hurts up for a massive payday.
Given all that, I’d say it’s fair to say he can figure out how to maximize a quarterback, regardless of the quarterback’s strengths and weaknesses.
With that established, I don’t think the Indianapolis Colts are giving up on Richardson. I think they’re acknowledging that they can’t sell him as the best option to the locker room any longer when you drill down on how he’s played versus how Joe Flacco has played. So they hope he can benefit from getting a chance to take a breath and learn behind Flacco—a premise that might or might not work, since Richardson is the kind of player who needs game reps, but simply hasn’t earned them (which is similar to the conundrum with Trey Lance).
From AJ (The Juice) (@ScoopDogg7): Could the Denver Broncos be buyers at the trade deadline?
AJ, if the right opportunity comes along, I could see Denver adding a tight end or receiver to supplement the passing game—remember, Sean Payton had Jeremy Shockey in New York, Jason Witten in Dallas, and Shockey again and then Jimmy Graham in New Orleans, so he loves using the position as a chess piece.
Maybe a veteran such as New England’s Austin Hooper or a young guy who needs playing time like Carolina’s Tommy Tremble could make some sense.
From Greg Feltes (@gregfeltes): Bears fan still here who hopes Ian Cunningham lands in a good situation. If I set the over/under at 3.5 GM openings in January, would you take the over or under? Beyond Joe Douglas and Trent Baalke, who else is in jeopardy in your eyes?
Greg, just looking at the standings right now, the New York Jets and Jacksonville Jaguars are the obvious ones, so you’re right on there. But after, I kind of struggle to find one other team that I’d say, yeah, the GM is on the ropes there. So for now, I’ll go under.
From AndyB (@BakerBaker9980): Assuming the Jets burn it down and start yet again, what kind of GM/coach(offensive/defensive/established or rookie) will they look for? Who will lead the search, and ultimately who do you think the favorites might be?
Andy, word around the campfire is pretty big change could be coming to Florham Park if things don’t get better over the next couple of months, and so I think the biggest question would be how it’d be structured going forward. Do you have a top football executive come in and make the hires? Does Woody Johnson want to do it himself after his brother Christopher handled the hires of Adam Gase, Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas?
And, then, there’s the very real question of how Johnson himself limits the market, because of the reputation the Jets have right now. Interesting times ahead for the franchise.
From Matt (@Chosen1Company): Who would you rather be RIGHT NOW? The New York Giants or the Patriots? The Giants have better players at premium positions and head coach and Daniel Jones has no fully guaranteed money after this year. But, the Patriots might have something with Drake Maye. What do you think?
Matt, I’d say the Patriots because of the quarterback, but it’s really close. To me, the Giants have some foundational pieces in place in Andrew Thomas (who is hurt now), Malik Nabers, Brian Burns, Dexter Lawrence and Kayvon Thibodeaux, and thus, I think the next quarterback will be in a good situation.
But how exactly do the Giants get that quarterback? It’s a question the Patriots don’t have to answer anymore with it really looking like they’ve got one.
From Michael Daly (@Michael95494331): Are the Titans’ struggles the harder-than-expected growing pains of a rookie staff or is there something fundamentally wrong with how they approach the game?
No, Michael, I think it’s a staff that’s growing into roles on the fly—not only is Brian Callahan a head coach and play-caller for the first time, his three coordinators are also first-timers as coordinators—and feeling out a roster clearly in transition.
There are some pieces in place. Calvin Ridley is probably not a long-term building block, but he’s still a good player. Peter Skoronski’s already a very good guard. JC Latham’s developing and should be a solid left tackle. Tony Pollard’s a nice veteran piece. Jeffery Simmons is still one of the NFL’s best, and rookie T’Vondre Sweat is promising alongside him. But the Titans haven’t gotten what was expected from Harold Landry and Arden Key on the edge, the secondary’s rough with L’Jarius Sneed hurt, and the offense has significant holes.
And one of those bigger holes appears to be at quarterback. Will Levis has shown ability, like he did last year, but turnovers have killed him, and the Titans (even when Mason Rudolph’s been in there). Which, in all likelihood, positions Tennessee to take a quarterback high in April.
For now? Don’t abandon the ship. I still have belief in Callahan, Chad Brinker and Ran Carthon on the front office side. The rebuild was always going to take some time.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Texans Not Likely to Trade for a Receiver to Replace Stefon Diggs.
