- Buffalo could address its secondary: The Bills need help at safety after releasing C.J. Gardner-Johnson, making Atlanta's Jessie Bates III a potential trade target for a second-round pick.
- Denver could pursue a major offensive upgrade: The Broncos are identified as a potential landing spot for Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, with a second-round pick proposed as compensation.
- Several teams could prioritize draft capital: Arizona, Cleveland, Indianapolis and Tennessee are among the teams positioned to focus on future picks rather than immediate roster upgrades.
As we approach the NFL trade deadline, teams around the league will be looking for moves that can help them contend, push for the playoffs or build for the future. With that in mind, we looked at each team's biggest need at the trade deadline, whether that’s a position of need or future draft capital.
While a dream trade isn’t realistic for all 32 teams, we’ve identified eight ideal trade fits along the way.
Arizona Cardinals: Draft Capital
The Cardinals are already set to acquire draft capital with the news that they are trading Jacoby Brissett to the Baltimore Ravens, so it makes sense to lean into that and keep building for the future. There have been rumblings about a Josh Sweat trade throughout the offseason, and despite earning a career-low 60.0 PFF grade so far this season, his past play and the fact that he is under contract for another two seasons make him a worthwhile player for a team to acquire.
Dream Trade: Trade edge defender Josh Sweat for a second-round draft pick.
Atlanta Falcons: Wide Receiver
The Atlanta Falcons have been up and down all season, but with the way things are going in the NFC South, that should still keep them in the division race until the very end. They should probably stick with the roster they have right now, but if they want a low-cost addition, another wide receiver could help. Jahan Dotson is second only to Drake London among the team's wide receivers, with 29 targets as things stand.
Baltimore Ravens: Draft Capital
The Ravens are trading for quarterback Jacoby Brissett from the Arizona Cardinals in an effort to save a season that has been derailed by injuries. That means they probably won't be as active as sellers as they could have been before that trade. They could still look to move some players who won’t be around in 2027. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey has earned a 64.7 PFF coverage grade this season and is a candidate to be shipped out. His contract isn’t the most team-friendly for the acquiring team, but if the Ravens could get a late-round pick for him, this could make sense.
Buffalo Bills: Safety
The Bills just released veteran C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and fellow safety Cole Bishop ranks 63rd out of the 80 safeties with at least 200 snaps this season with a 48.3 PFF coverage grade. They also know they are serious Super Bowl contenders with Josh Allen, so a big swing to fix a position of weakness could make sense. Jessie Bates III of the Atlanta Falcons is on an expiring contract, and it's worth seeing if there is a price that makes the Falcons willing to sell at the deadline.
Dream Trade: Acquire safety Jessie Bates III for a second-round draft pick.
Carolina Panthers: Cornerback
Cornerback Jaycee Horn is currently on injured reserve, though he will have the opportunity to return later in the season. In his absence, the Panthers have only two other players at the position who have played at least 150 snaps this season: Will Lee III and Akayleb Evans. Both have PFF coverage grades below 60.0 so far this season, so finding someone who can help until Horn returns and then provide depth later in the season would be ideal.
Chicago Bears: EDGE
The Bears already took their big swing in acquiring Jeffery Simmons from the Tennessee Titans to boost their pass rush on the defensive interior. While that doesn’t mean they are out when it comes to additional trades before the deadline, it does potentially make them less likely to be willing to give up draft capital. If they were to look to make a move, a veteran off the edge could be the focus. They don’t have an edge defender with a PFF pass-rush grade of 70.0 or better so far this season.
Cincinnati Bengals: Safety
While the Bengals have been linked to a blockbuster move at running back with Jonathan Taylor, shoring up the defensive backfield could be even more important to their Super Bowl aspirations. Both starting safeties, Bryan Cook and Jordan Battle, have earned PFF coverage grades below 55.0 so far this season.
Cleveland Browns: Draft Capital
The Browns are 5-3, which puts them firmly in the AFC playoff race, but the most important thing in Cleveland is still building for the future. While they could boost the roster in the short term, it makes more sense to acquire future draft capital as they continue their rebuild. Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy would make sense if they can get a Day 3 draft pick in return, especially with the emergence of rookies KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston.
Dallas Cowboys: Run Stopper
The Cowboys have only one interior defensive lineman with a PFF run-defense grade above 60.0 so far this season, and with their overall struggles on defense, another player to boost their rotation could help. Given the Indianapolis Colts’ apparent fire sale, a player like Grover Stewart, who has earned a PFF run-defense grade above 65.0 in eight of his 10 seasons in the NFL, could be a fit.
Dream Trade: Acquire Grover Stewart for a sixth-round draft pick.
Denver Broncos: Running Back
The Broncos are one of the teams for which a swing-for-the-fences move for Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts would make sense. The offensive line is not quite as good as it was a year ago, but the Broncos still have the eighth-highest-graded run-blocking unit in the NFL through the first eight weeks of the season. Adding Taylor would also likely force defenses to put more defenders in the box, which might open things up for the passing game.
Dream Trade: Acquire Jonathan Taylor for a second-round draft pick.
Detroit Lions: Pass Rush
The Lions look to be a serious threat in the NFC, but adding another pass-rush threat to a defensive line that already features Aidan Hutchinson could help put them over the top. Moro Ojomo of the Philadelphia Eagles has disappointed in 2026 after earning PFF pass-rush grades of 82.4 and 70.6 in 2024 and 2025, respectively. But with his contract expiring, the Eagles may part with him for a Day 3 selection.
Dream Trade: Acquire Moro Ojomo for a fourth-round draft pick.
Green Bay Packers: Offensive Line
The Packers are currently 29th in our offensive line rankings and have gone through a huge number of combinations up front in just eight weeks. The problem is that there is unlikely to be an easy fix, since the best option, Quenton Nelson, has already been traded. So, if they are looking to add to the line, it’s unlikely to be a surefire upgrade.
Houston Texans: Offensive Line
The same is true of the Houston Texans, who currently rank 31st in our offensive line rankings. Rookie left guard Keylan Rutledge has really struggled, earning a 34.1 PFF pass-blocking grade so far this season, but the best thing for his future is going to be letting him get more reps. So, the Texans are likely to keep this unit as it is through the deadline.
Indianapolis Colts: Draft Capital
With the moves they have already made, the Colts are clearly in sell-now mode. They have already shipped out guard Quenton Nelson and interior defensive lineman DeForest Buckner, who were on expiring contracts. The question now becomes whether they can get a second-round draft pick for Jonathan Taylor and whether they would sell on cornerback Sauce Gardner or left tackle Bernhard Raimann.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Run Stopper
The Jaguars just lost Davon Hamilton from a stout defensive line, and the former third-round pick earned a career-high 72.4 PFF run-defense grade through the first seven games of the season. They don’t have another interior defensive lineman who has earned a PFF run-defense grade above 55.0 while playing at least 30 snaps this season, so adding someone there would make a lot of sense for a team that is good enough to contend for a Super Bowl.
Kansas City Chiefs: Left Tackle
The Chiefs have multiple problems on offense, and if they want to match up against the best teams in the AFC in the playoffs, we may need to see them make multiple moves at the deadline. While wide receiver is a huge need, the fact that Josh Simmons has not worked out at left tackle means they are in the market for both a short- and long-term fix there. Given that they would expect to pick late in the first round of the draft, a big swing for Indianapolis Colts left tackle Bernhard Raimann, who has earned a PFF pass-blocking grade of 70.0 or better in all five of his NFL seasons, would make a lot of sense.
Las Vegas Raiders: Draft Capital
The Raiders have been competitive this season, and they may opt to stand pat at the deadline because they feel like they can contend for a wild-card spot in the AFC. If they were looking to make a move, selling makes more sense than buying given where they are in their rebuild. We know Fernando Mendoza is the quarterback of the future, so is this the point where they look to move Kirk Cousins if they can get a third-round draft pick in return? They would have to accept that it may take them out of the playoff race as Mendoza takes his lumps as a rookie, but it could be the better long-term move.
Los Angeles Chargers: Draft Capital
At 0-7, the Chargers aren’t making the playoffs, which means they need to be looking to sell at the deadline. Khalil Mack has earned a 74.2 PFF grade so far this season, and while they are unlikely to get more than a fourth-round draft pick for him, that would probably be the right move as they look to build toward 2028 and beyond.
Los Angeles Rams: Cornerback
The Rams just lost cornerback Jaylen Watson to a season-ending injury after adding him this offseason. He had earned an 80.3 PFF coverage grade so far this season. Emmanuel Forbes has played well as a reserve, earning a 79.9 PFF coverage grade, but adding some more depth at the position makes too much sense for a team that should contend for a Super Bowl.
Miami Dolphins: Draft Capital
If the Dolphins are doing anything at the trade deadline, they should be selling rather than buying, but the most likely outcome is that they stand pat. They should feel good about the development of some of the young players on the roster, and with rookie cornerback Chris Johnson and rookie linebacker Jacob Rodriguez both earning PFF coverage grades above 65.0, they know they are putting building blocks in place for the future.
Minnesota Vikings: Quarterback
The Vikings are good enough on the defensive side of the ball that they don’t need an elite offense to win the NFC North and contend in the playoffs, but they do need the passing game to be better than it currently is. Kirk Cousins has earned a 76.8 PFF grade this season and is coming off his best game of the year in Week 8. The question would be whether the Vikings think he can put them over the top.
Dream Trade: Acquire Kirk Cousins for a third-round draft pick.
New England Patriots: Running Back
The Patriots don’t have a lot of needs, but getting some more juice in the running game could help them down the stretch. TreVeyon Henderson hasn’t developed as well as they'd hoped in his second year, and while Rhamondre Stevenson has earned an 80.6 PFF rushing grade, he has only two carries for 15 or more yards this season.
New Orleans Saints: Running Back
Travis Etienne Jr. hasn’t played since suffering an injury in Week 3, and Alvin Kamara is averaging just 3.0 yards per carry this season, so the Saints clearly need help at running back. The bigger question, though, is whether they would want to spend draft capital to acquire a running back or if they should instead be looking to the future.
New York Giants: Defensive Interior
Given how they have played early in the season and the Philadelphia Eagles‘ struggles, the Giants have a serious chance of winning the NFC East. Since it is John Harbaugh’s first year in New York, they probably shouldn’t mortgage the future to get better this season, but they could add someone next to DJ Reader on the defensive line. Reader has earned a 90.4 PFF grade to lead all interior defensive linemen so far this season, but he is their only player at the position to have played at least 50 snaps and earned a PFF grade above 55.0.
New York Jets: Draft Capital
The Jets already have a significant amount of draft capital and would hold three picks in the top 10 of the 2027 NFL Draft if it were held today. If they are looking to do anything, then it should be to add more draft capital, but given what they already have, even that isn’t a huge priority. The hot name among trade candidates is wide receiver Garrett Wilson, but they should consider moving him only if they can get multiple first-round draft picks in return.
Philadelphia Eagles: Draft Capital
The retirement of Lane Johnson and injury to Jalen Hurts have pushed this into a lost season for the Philadelphia Eagles. They have already been sellers this season, trading center Cam Jurgens to the Baltimore Ravens for a 2028 second-round draft pick, and it would make sense for them to move interior defensive lineman Moro Ojomo, too, given that he is on an expiring contract.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Wide Receiver
If there is a position where an addition could help the Steelers contend when the playoffs roll around, it’s at wide receiver. Their highest-graded player at the position has been second-round draft pick Germie Bernard, who has a 61.7 PFF receiving grade, while veteran D.K. Metcalf has struggled with drops, dropping six passes already this season. Josh Downs is a free agent at the end of this season and could potentially be acquired for a fourth-round draft pick.
Dream Trade: Acquire Josh Downs for a fourth-round draft pick.
San Francisco 49ers: Wide Receiver
The 49ers could also be in the market for a wide receiver given the injuries they have suffered at the position this season. Mike Evans is tied for the second-highest PFF receiving grade among NFL wide receivers this season but has been slowed by injuries. They would be another team where Josh Downs would make a lot of sense as a short-term option.
Seattle Seahawks: EDGE
The Seahawks haven’t been as strong off the edge this season as they were a year ago, with Derick Hall earning a 60.5 PFF grade after coming in at 70.5 last season. They probably aren’t going to spend big, but a move for Jadeveon Clowney could make sense. His best season in terms of total pressures came under Mike Macdonald in Baltimore in 2023.
Dream Trade: Acquire Jadeveon Clowney for a fifth-round draft pick.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Linebacker
Like the rest of the NFC South, the Buccaneers know they are very much in the race as we approach midseason. The question is how much they want to spend to win the division. It could make more sense for them to be sellers rather than buyers, but with Alex Anzalone earning a 44.6 PFF coverage grade this season, some short-term help at linebacker could be a fit.
Tennessee Titans: Draft Capital
The Titans have already signaled that they are sellers, not buyers, at the deadline with the trade of Jeffery Simmons. That trade saw them add a pair of first-round draft picks, which should be a huge boost to their rebuild. They're unlikely to make another high-profile trade, so the Simmons trade could mark the end of their dealings.
Washington Commanders: Draft Capital
The Commanders are probably going to view themselves as still being in the NFC East race given how things stand in the division at this point. While they aren’t likely to make any moves to bolster the roster, there also aren’t really any players here who would command significant value at the deadline. Perhaps a team looking for a cornerback could convince them to part with Rasul Douglas, but the return is unlikely to be significant.
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