This year's NFL trade deadline is at 4pm ET on Tuesday, November 3.
Tuesday 3 November 2020 10:17, UK
As the NFL's November 3 trade deadline approaches, postseason contenders are gearing up to boost their hopes while those already staring at losing records eye draft capital.
The NFC East could be a prime chopping block in light of a dismal start to the year for all four teams, wide receivers are likely to be in demand and one or two high-profile surprises may be in the offing.
Defensive end Yannick Ngakoue was recently traded by the Minnesota Vikings to the Baltimore Ravens for a 2021 third-round pick and a conditional 2022 fifth-round pick. He had played just five games in Minnesota having been acquired via a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars on August 31.
The New York Giants also traded their 2019 sack leader Markus Golden back to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for a 2021 sixth-round draft pick. A day after it was reported he was on the trade block, veteran defensive end Everson Griffen, who signed a one-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys in August after 10 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, was traded to the Detroit Lions for a conditional 2021 sixth-round pick.
Cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey and Marcus Peters, running back Kenyan Drake, wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders and defensive end Leonard Williams were among the high-profile movers prior to the 2019 cut-off point.
This year's deadline is at 4pm ET on Tuesday, after which teams will not be able to trade until the 2021 league year begins.
We take a look at some of the players who could be on the move next Tuesday...
Having made an initial trade request on July 3 this summer, tight end David Njoku recently played down a report that he had made a second request ahead of Tuesday's deadline.
Njoku eventually revoked his initial request in August this past offseason, with the Browns not prepared to move on from the 2017 first-round pick.
The 24-year-old has seven catches for 83 yards and two touchdowns in four outings so far this year, missing three games having been placed on injured reserve with a knee injury.
Cleveland spent big money to sign tight end Austin Hooper in free agency, while rookie Harrison Bryant has asserted himself as a shrewd addition. Could Njoku's future lie elsewhere?
Bill O'Brien may be out of the picture, but that has not stopped the trade rumours from surfacing.
At 1-6, the season has fizzled out rather quickly for the Texans and regardless of interim head coach Romeo Crennel's ability to galvanise his players, this is a team preparing for a new era.
The Texans currently do not own a first-round pick or a second-round pick in 2021 as a result of the trade that saw them acquire left tackle Laremy Tunsil. With that in mind, both of their leading pass rushers having shifted into focus with the trade deadline looming.
J.J. Watt is far from his happy and spirited self right now and while it would come as the week's major shock, it is impossible to ignore the prospect of the Texans re-gaining those early-rounders by moving him on. But could the Houston brass stomach allowing another of the team's star players to leave? Maybe not just yet.
That is why Whitney Mercilus looks the more likely of the two to go, should either of them go at all. The pair have three sacks apiece so far in 2020, Watt one away from 100 in his NFL career and Mercilus currently sitting on 53.
New York Daily News' Manish Mehta reported last Tuesday that the New York Jets are attempting to trade defensive end Quinnen Williams before this week's deadline. Though that claim was quickly shut down by multiple Jets beat reporters, the noise refuses to go ignored.
Williams was selected third overall at the 2019 Draft but has struggled to make an impact during an ugly period for the franchise, which has already shipped safety Jamal Adams and running back Le'Veon Bell in the past year.
The 23-year-old played in just 13 games due to injury in his rookie year, producing just 28 tackles and 2.5 sacks. He already has 31 tackles in 2020, as well as putting up three sacks and a forced fumble.
His departure would signify full rebuild mode for the Jets, who look certain to have a new head coach at the helm to begin the 2021 season. The likelihood is he's going nowhere.
The Falcons' franchise leader in all-time receiving yards has been one of the surprise names to appear on the rumour mill in recent weeks amid the team's 1-6 start to the year.
NFL Network's Rapoport reported on Sunday, however, that Atlanta were not planning to trade Jones or quarterback Matt Ryan before Tuesday's deadline.
When asked if he wanted to be traded after the Week Seven loss to the Detroit Lions, Jones said: "No. I play football. I know who I am, I know what I got going on. I know what I mean to this team."
Jones signed a three-year, $66m extension in September to become the highest-paid wide receiver in the league at the time, again meaning an enormous hit on the salary cap to any team that might wish to trade for him.
One of the biggest fears for the current Giants set-up will be tight end Evan Engram failing to fulfil his potential with the team. The ability to be one of the most exciting offensive weapons in his position is there, but between injuries, a stuttering rebuild and individual errors on his part, it just has not quite happened.
Engram looms as one of the most lucrative bargaining chips for an organisation no doubt already planning for 2021, but despite interest from teams NFL Network's Rapoport claims the Giants have no intention of moving on from the 2017 first-round pick.
The 26-year-old has 179 catches for 1,989 yards and 12 touchdowns in 41 games with the Giants, having been limited to just eight games in 2019 due to injury.
We will stay in East Rutherford for the time being, this time with an eye on Golden Tate.
The veteran wide receiver was signed at the end of the 2018 season, his yards after catch ability making him a logical arrival as the Giants prepared for life without Odell Beckham Jr.
Tate missed the first four games of the 2019 campaign having violated the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances, before making 49 catches for 676 yards and six touchdowns upon his return. The former Super Bowl has been something of a non-factor so far in 2020, recording just 20 receptions for 195 yards and one score in six games.
Though his production has declined, he can still be a valuable threat for teams eyeing a Super Bowl run, with the cost of his experience something for the Giants to consider.
The 40-yard dash record holder is one of the leading contenders to find a new home before Tuesday having grown unhappy with his lack of action in Cincinnati, as reported by NFL Network's Mike Garofalo.
Ross had zero catches in three games in his rookie year as he was hindered by injuries, before making 21 catches for 210 yards and seven touchdowns in 13 games in 2018.
He was again frustrated by injuries in 2019, by the end of which he had registered 28 catches for 506 yards and three touchdowns having started the year with back-to-back 100-yard games. So far in 2020 he has just two receptions for 17 yards in three games.
The New England Patriots are in desperate need of a speedy deep threat at wide receiver - could Bill Belichick turn to the wantaway Bengal?
Washington pass rusher Ryan Kerrigan is another of the more realistic movers as he closes out the final year of his contract.
The 32-year-old is a reliable option for any playoff-chasing team down the stretch having played all 16 games in each of his first eight seasons before missing four in 2019.
Kerrigan has 94 sacks and 26 forced fumbles in 147 career games, including four sacks in seven games so far in 2020.
The need for draft picks may lead the Texans to trading away another of Deshaun Watson's leading weapons, whether it be Will Fuller, Brandin Cooks, Kenny Stills or perhaps even two out of the three.
Fuller, when healthy, poses as the kind of deep threat capable of being a useful contributor in any offense, particularly that of a team likely on its way to the playoffs. He leads the Texans with 31 catches for 490 yards and five touchdowns so far this season and is set to become a free agent in 2021.
Cooks is not far behind with 34 catches for 427 yards and two scores, while Stills has been quiet with 10 receptions for 138 yards and just one trip to the end zone.
With Odell Beckham Jr out for the season, the Cleveland Browns may be among the teams searching for a new weapon for Baker Mayfield in view of securing a long-awaited return to the playoffs.
It has been a frustrating return to the field for A.J. Green, who has managed just 29 catches for 297 yards and zero touchdowns this season after missing the entire 2019 campaign through injury.
Tyler Boyd has instead emerged as rookie quarterback Joe Burrow's No 1 target, while running back Joe Mixon has registered a tied-third most carries out of the backfield.
Green recently insisted he wanted to stay in Cincinnati through the November 3 deadline. Whether the team feel the same way remains to be seen.
Although he is 32 and coming off the back of a season out, Green could still present an intriguing outlet for a receiver-needy team, with the Browns and Patriots potentially in the market. Might the Green Bay Packers even seek a veteran partner for Davante Adams?
The eight-time Pro Bowl selection, who missed the first four games of the year, has played just 10.45 per cent of defensive snaps in 2020 and is yet to record a sack or a tackle.
Tyler Dragon of the Cincinnati Enquirer reported earlier this month that Atkins has become frustrated by his lack of snaps in a situational role, although added that there were no plans to trade him ahead of the deadline.
Atkins has built a reputation as one of the NFL's elite interior defensive linemen over the last 10 seasons, collecting 382 total tackles, 75.5 sacks and eight forced fumbles.
The 32-year-old signed a four-year, $65.3m extension with the Bengals back in August 2018, leaving any team that trades for him with a hefty contract on their books.
Defensive end Carlos Dunlap meanwhile made no secret of his desire to move on, listing his house for sale on Twitter after Sunday's defeat to the Cleveland Browns, during which he was seen arguing with defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo. The tweet has since been deleted.
Having been told by the team to stay at home on Wednesday, Dunlap was then traded to the pass rush-needy Seahawks in exchange for center B.J. Finney and a seventh-round pick, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Washington are done with second-year quarterback Dwayne Haskins. The only question is, when will the two part?
Head coach Ron Rivera did not just bench the 2019 first-round pick for Kyle Allen, but he made him third-string behind the comeback kid Alex Smith.
One of the glaring issues is the absence of a team prepared to give up anything worthwhile to acquire him? Plus, there are not many clear vacancies.
Right now, it wreaks of a Josh Rosen-like situation for the Ohio State product.
Saints head coach Sean Payton recently rubbished an 'insider' report suggesting star wide receiver Michael Thomas could be traded, tweeting: "Insiders on the Outside where they belong."
Thomas has not featured for the Saints since Week One due to injuries and an altercation with team-mate Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, which saw him benched by the team as punishment.
The three-time Pro Bowl selection set an NFL record for receptions in 2019 with 149 for a league-high 1,725 receiving yards. He signed a five-year, $100m extension in July 2019.
Should the right offer come in, the Eagles look almost certain to move on from wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, with Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer describing him as 'very clearly available'.
Jeffery has been one of multiple Eagles players to be hit by injury in 2020, so far missing every game this season with a Lisfranc issue.
The 2012 second-round pick has missed 32 games since entering the league, playing a full 16-game season just three times.
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