The 2024 NFL trade deadline came and went Tuesday, but not without some more big-name activity. The Dallas Cowboys took a surprise swing at wide receiver help. The Detroit Lions bolstered their defensive front for a potential title bid. And the Cincinnati Bengals got another playmaker for Joe Burrow.
Now that the deadline has passed, here’s our ranking of all 17 of the in-season trades finalized within three weeks of Tuesday’s cutoff, primarily from the buyer’s perspective:
- Acquired: Smith, 2026 seventh-round pick
- Traded: 2025 fifth-round pick, 2026 sixth-round pick
This one was widely expected, but it also makes a ton of sense. Detroit is a legitimate Super Bowl hopeful, but losing Aidan Hutchinson to injury necessitated an addition off the edge. Smith is a prototypical plug-and-play rental, still offering quality pressures at 32, with 20.5 sacks over the last two and a half seasons. (Trade grades)
- Acquired: Cooper, 2025 sixth-round pick
- Traded: 2025 third-round pick, 2026 seventh-round pick
Cooper’s been relatively quiet in his first month as a Bill, but his presence as a proven, savvy WR1 takes the pressure off so many of Josh Allen’s other weapons. A third-rounder may be a touch steep for a half-season rental, but the ex-Cleveland Browns standout figures to have a major impact down the stretch. (Trade grades)
- Acquired: Adams
- Traded: 2025 conditional third-round pick
On one hand, Adams is clearly worth a Day 2 pick, offering top-level hands and route-running even going on 32. And his chemistry with Aaron Rodgers made the move from the Las Vegas Raiders all but inevitable. Still, the desperation with which the mercurial Jets welcomed his arrival is hard to ignore. (Trade grades)
- Acquired: Johnson, 2025 sixth-round pick
- Traded: 2025 fifth-round pick
This is all about the cost, or lack thereof. Johnson may be a short-term piece, but the red-hot Ravens gave up basically nothing to gift an extra downfield threat to an MVP-level Lamar Jackson. This feels like a move that could really pay off in January, when everyone’s forgotten he’s around opposite Zay Flowers. (Trade grades)
- Acquired: Robinson, 2026 conditional seventh-round pick
- Traded: 2026 conditional fifth-round pick
It’s not easy to snap your fingers and get a competent left tackle halfway through the season, but Minnesota general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah capitalized on the Jacksonville Jaguars‘ spiral to secure a solid, if unspectacular, replacement for injured standout Christian Darrisaw. (Trade grades)
- Acquired: Hopkins
- Traded: 2025 conditional fifth-round pick
Hopkins has found a sweet spot in Andy Reid’s offense pretty quickly, becoming a go-to for Patrick Mahomes in Week 9. Whether he can carry a heavy workload into the playoffs at 32 is another question. But as a proven technician at a fair price, he’s a more-than-serviceable rental for a title contender. (Trade grades)
- Acquired: Smith
- Traded: 2025 seventh-round pick
Smith is older (32) and pricey due to a big deal he previously signed with the Green Bay Packers, but the Steelers can get out of his deal after 2024. And they may not want to! An underrated longtime stand-up rusher with six different eight-sack seasons, he’s a cherry on top of a T.J. Watt-headlined front. (Trade grades)
- Acquired: Lattimore, 2025 fifth-round pick
- Traded: 2025 third-round pick, 2025 fourth-round pick, 2025 sixth-round pick
Washington is rightly upgrading Dan Quinn’s secondary now that Jayden Daniels has made the team a surprise contender. The question with Lattimore is durability. His price tag here is fine as a former star, but only if he stays healthy, which he’s struggled to do the last three seasons with the New Orleans Saints. (Trade grades)
- Acquired: Williams
- Traded: 2025 fifth-round pick
Searching far and wide for wide receiver help this offseason, Pittsburgh finally got a contested-catch sidekick for George Pickens in Williams, who’s older, injury-prone and failed to catch on with the New York Jets, but has a field-stretching skill set that should mesh well with quarterback Russell Wilson. (Trade grades)
- Acquired: Jones
- Traded: LB Jerome Baker, 2025 fourth-round pick
Seattle may or may not have the offensive stability to keep pace with the crowded NFC West, but Jones’ arrival is about the future, giving new head coach Mike Macdonald another young, hybrid building block for the defense. Provided they extend his expiring contract, Jones should anchor the linebacker spot for a while. (Trade grades)
- Acquired: White, 2027 seventh-round pick
- Traded: 2026 seventh-round pick
A few years ago, White would’ve been a game-changing addition to the Ravens secondary. He does offer premium experience, but going on 30, he’s struggled to stay on the field the last few years. As a low-risk bet, you could do worse. Perhaps Baltimore’s other defensive talent will revitalize his stock.
- Acquired: Herbert
- Traded: 2025 seventh-round pick
With Zack Moss injured and Chase Brown best-suited for a shared backfield, Cincinnati plucked the speedy Herbert off the Chicago Bears bench, where the latter had lost touches to D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson. A big-play threat when healthy and involved, he’s a good change-of-pace bet. (Trade grades)
13. Vikings acquire RB Cam Akers
- Acquired: Akers, 2026 seventh-round pick
- Traded: 2026 sixth-round pick
Minnesota could’ve just re-signed Akers following 2023, rather than acquire him via trade for a second straight season. For a mere late-round pick swap, though, the reunion is very logical, giving Kevin O’Connell some rugged insurance for the speedy Aaron Jones as the Vikings stay in the playoff hunt. (Trade grades)
- Acquired: Browning
- Traded: 2025 sixth-round pick
Browning hasn’t started more than nine games in a season since entering the NFL in 2021, but he’s been solid as a pass rusher when given opportunities off the edge. He gives head coach Jonathan Gannon added depth. (Trade grades)
15. Chiefs acquire DE Josh Uche
- Acquired: Uche
- Traded: 2026 sixth-round pick
A rotational pass rusher with the New England Patriots, Uche had 11.5 sacks in a breakout 2022 campaign. He figures to remain a secondary option on Steve Spagnuolo’s front down the stretch. (Trade grades)
- Acquired: Mingo, 2025 seventh-round pick
- Traded: 2025 fourth-round pick
Dallas is clearly trying to unearth a hidden gem here, adding the 23-year-old Mingo just a year after he entered the league as a second-round pick. The Ole Miss product struggled mightily to find a rhythm — or keep a job — in a bad Carolina Panthers offense, though, which makes the fourth-round price tag awfully steep, especially considering the Cowboys, at 3-5 with some bloated contracts, could use picks for restocking. (Trade grades)
- Acquired: Davis
- Traded: 2026 seventh-round pick
San Francisco is adding some interior depth here, with Javon Hargrave out for the season and a few other defenders banged up. Davis has just one career start, previously owning a backup role with the Texans.
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Author: Cody Benjamin
November 5, 2024 | 5:25 pm
