We’re less than two weeks away from the NFL trade deadline on November 4, and trade speculation is heating up across the league. This time of year, so much swings on one game and teams are calculating the moves they want to make while they still can.
We still have two more weeks of games to get through before that fateful Tuesday afternoon, so a lot can still change between now and then. A surprise pair of losses — or wins — can dramatically affect a team’s plans to be buyers or sellers at the deadline, or even which players are available. That’s not to mention injuries creating new needs on teams that thought they were set.
But in the meantime, let’s take a look at five more plausible trade proposals ahead of the trade deadline:
49ers Make Their Move At Pass Rusher
Jets receive: 2026 second-round pick, 2026 seventh-round pick
49ers receive: ED Jermaine Johnson, 2026 sixth-round pick
The 49ers might be the team most openly scouring the trade market for help on defense right now, particularly at pass rusher. They might add a linebacker as well with All-Pro LB Fred Warner out for the year with a broken ankle, but their focus is at edge defender after All-Pro ED Nick Bosa went down a few weeks ago with a torn ACL. Their best edge rusher aside from Bosa is Bryce Huff, but now he’s set to miss a few weeks with a hamstring injury.
Johnson is an interesting name on the trade market for a few reasons. If it weren’t for the Jets bottoming out this year, he almost certainly wouldn’t be on the market at all. A first-round pick in 2022, Johnson has developed into one of the league’s premier edge-setters in the run game and has increased his productivity as a pass rusher year over year. Despite missing three games with an injury this season, he has 16 tackles, a sack, a pass defensed, and 12 pressures on the year.
Productive young players like Johnson are usually slam-dunks to re-sign, but with the Jets so far from contention and other players who need extensions, Johnson may be the odd man out. New York could save some money in the short term by trading Johnson for draft picks to keep the roster cheaper and get more young talent in the building.
For the 49ers, they could reunite Johnson with DC Robert Salah, who was Johnson’s head coach in New York for three years. Johnson’s skillset is somewhat redundant with first-round rookie ED Mykel Williams’, but Johnson is more ready to contribute now, and San Francisco is clearly willing to go after a big fish. They were expected to pursue Bengals ED Trey Hendrickson, though it now appears Cincinnati won’t trade him.
Colts Get Aggressive For A Man-Cover Corner
Seahawks receive: 2026 fifth-round pick
Colts receive: CB Riq Woolen
Through seven weeks, the Colts lead the NFL in point differential and offensive efficiency. Indianapolis is the story of the season so far, with the best record in the NFL and sustainable infrastructure on both sides of the ball, including a diverse offensive attack that’s difficult to stop.
But injuries have sapped the Colts’ depth on defense, and it’s getting dangerously thin at cornerback. Big-ticket free agent signee Charvarius Ward is out at least three more games with a concussion, though the return of nickel corner Kenny Moore II is a stabilizing force. Without Ward, the Colts are relying on undrafted rookie CB Johnathan Edwards and CB Mekhi Blackmon, which is not an ideal situation.
Woolen is rather publicly on the trade block and it seems like the Seahawks would like to move on. He’s not a great fit in Seattle HC Mike Macdonald’s scheme, as Woolen is a big, physical press-man corner who struggles more in off coverage. Colts DC Lou Anarumo traditionally runs a lot of man coverage, so he’d be a good fit in Indianapolis.
The Colts need bodies at corner, especially ones with size, and Woolen is the best one likely to be available ahead of the trade deadline. Indianapolis could also use a linebacker, but that’s less of a pressing need. Woolen is both a clean fit and a talented player who shouldn’t break the bank to acquire, which is right where Colts GM Chris Ballard loves to live.
Eagles Boost Their Pass Rush
Dolphins receive: 2026 sixth-round pick
Eagles receive: ED Matthew Judon, 2026 seventh-round pick
The Eagles are another team that isn’t shy about their desire to add to their defense. While both cornerback and edge rusher are a need, let’s focus on the latter for now. Philadelphia hasn’t gotten the production they’ve wanted out of their pass rush this year with ED Josh Sweat now in Arizona, and they’ll likely be on the lookout for more help in the coming weeks.
Nolan Smith is currently on IR, although he could return soon. That’s left Jalyx Hunt, Azeez Ojulari, and Joshua Uche as the Eagles’ primary pass rushers. Uche’s been the most productive of the bunch, and his addition this offseason was critical to the Eagles’ early success. To add more bodies to the room, Philadelphia just re-signed the formerly retired Brandon Graham — while the Philadelphia legend might not have much left in the tank, he’s another piece to the Eagles’ puzzle.
For the Dolphins, they have three pass rushers that could be on the move. Jaelan Phillips will be the most coveted, as he’s the youngest and has the most upside moving forward. But he’ll also be the most expensive and the one Miami is most likely to want to keep. On the other hand, Bradley Chubb is a productive veteran with some quality years still ahead of him, but he’s still likely to cost a pretty penny given the affordable contract he’s on.
That leaves Judon, an aging edge defender who’s dealt with injuries in recent seasons. If the Eagles want to add another body to their edge rusher rotation without sacrificing major assets, Judon is their guy. He still has some gas left in the tank, but shouldn’t cost much to acquire. If Philadelphia feels Smith’s return gives them their go-to guy, they may be more interested in Judon over their other options.
Chargers Make A Play For A Tackle
Bears receive: 2026 fourth-round pick
Chargers receive: OT Braxton Jones
It’s no secret how badly the Chargers need help on their offensive line. LT Rashawn Slater tore his patellar tendon in training camp, forcing the team to move RT Joe Alt to the left side (where he played in college) to compensate. Alt suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 4 and has missed the last three games. Trey Pipkins III took over for Alt at right tackle but has missed the last two games, while RG Mekhi Becton has been in and out of the lineup in recent weeks. Even deep reserves like G Jamaree Salyer and OT Austin Deculus have sustained injuries that have limited them.
Slater isn’t returning this year and as a result, offensive tackle will always be a little thinner than it should be for the Chargers. Los Angeles could use another option at tackle, as they looked like one of the best teams in the league until Alt went down and the offensive line more generally started taking major hits.
Jones was demoted to the backup role recently, as the Bears moved Theo Benedet ahead of him in the starting lineup. Jones has started in Chicago for a few years now and has generally been a replacement-level tackle at worst during that span. You could debate if you’d want Jones as your locked-in starter, and the Bears clearly don’t, but you can’t do much better than him as a spot starter and he’d be a significant upgrade over some of the Chargers’ other options.
With much of the league desperate for more depth along the offensive line, Chicago isn’t going to want to part with Jones for cheap. But the investment for Los Angeles would be worth it just for the depth and optionality Jones would provide alone.
Eagles Also Add To Their Secondary
Titans receive: 2026 sixth-round pick
Eagles receive: CB Roger McCreary, 2027 seventh-round pick
I mentioned before that the Eagles needed a cornerback as well as an edge defender, so let’s address the former this time. Philadelphia GM Howie Roseman is one of the most aggressive and trade-happy executives in the league, so don’t be surprised if the Eagles stack a few deals before the deadline.
The Eagles have two of the best young corners in the league in Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. Since DeJean plays in the slot, they’d tried to rotate CBs Adoree’ Jackson, Jakorian Bennett, and Kelee Ringo opposite Mitchell without much luck.
McCreary is an obvious trade candidate, as he’s a solid nickel corner on an expiring contract. The Titans don’t want to re-sign him, but they could move him now to get something in return, as they are still years away from contention.
DeJean and McCreary both play in the slot, but that’s easily resolved by moving DeJean back to the outside, where he played in college at Iowa. At the very least, trading for McCreary would give the Eagles more options in the secondary, something they desperately need.
The post Five More Trade Proposals Ahead Of The NFL Trade Deadline appeared first on NFLTradeRumors.co.
