The 2024 NFL trade deadline has come and gone, and as expected, the final day was action-packed. The Detroit Lions found a new pass rusher, the Cincinnati Bengals added a running back and the Washington Commanders landed a four-time Pro Bowl cornerback.
It almost feels like a lifetime ago when the New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills traded for big-name receivers, or when running back Cam Akers was sent from the Houston Texans to the Minnesota Vikings. But we saw a whopping 10 trades in the month of October. Which NFL teams improved the most, and which should have made moves that didn’t? Let’s break it down.
Who improved the most
Detroit Lions
There is no such thing as an Aidan Hutchinson replacement, but Detroit added an experienced pass rusher in Za’Darius Smith from the Cleveland Browns. The Lions acquired Smith plus a future seventh-round pick in exchange for a fifth-round pick and future sixth-rounder. This season, Smith has tallied 23 combined tackles, seven quarterback hits and five sacks. No other active Lion has recorded more than 2.5 sacks. The Lions are arguably the best team in the NFL, but an addition at defensive end was needed.
Washington Commanders
It was the trade of the final day, as Washington added a veteran cornerback from the New Orleans Saints in Marshon Lattimore. The Saints received a third-round pick, fourth-round pick and sixth-round pick while also giving up a fifth-round pick.
Washington is off to a surprise 7-2 start, so general manager Adam Peters ended up buying at the deadline. The Commanders statistically have the No. 5 pass defense in the NFL, but their cornerback room is much better with Lattimore in the fold. It’s true injuries have derailed his last three seasons, and that he’s already missed two games in 2024, but Lattimore is under contract through 2026, and could benefit from this change of scenery.
Kansas City Chiefs
We’ve already seen what DeAndre Hopkins is capable of, as he caught eight passes for 86 yards and two touchdowns in the Chiefs’ Monday night victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Don’t forget that the Chiefs also acquired pass rusher Josh Uche, who recorded 11.5 sacks in 2022. The lone remaining undefeated team got better at the trade deadline.
Buffalo Bills
The Bills are 2-0 since acquiring Amari Cooper from the Browns. He caught four passes for 66 yards and one touchdown in his Buffalo debut against the Tennessee Titans, and could be an important weapon for Josh Allen down the stretch — especially with Keon Coleman working through a wrist injury.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers made two trades just hours before the trade deadline, sending a fifth-round pick to the Jets for wide receiver Mike Williams and a seventh-round pick to the Green Bay Packers for pass rusher Preston Smith. Pittsburgh may have overpaid for Williams, but certainly got Smith cheap.
Williams averaged just 18.4 yards per game during his nine outings with the Jets, but the Steelers have craved a new receiver for months now, and finally got one. As for Smith, he just adds to what is probably the deepest pass-rushing unit in the NFL. He’s a versatile option who could potentially play both inside and outside.
Who should have made moves
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals did acquire running back Khalil Herbert from the Chicago Bears, but what about the defensive side of the ball? The Athletic reported the Bengals were interested in adding on defense, but ultimately de-facto general manager Duke Tobin couldn’t get a deal done. Fans would have been happy with an addition on the defensive line or at cornerback, but nothing came to fruition.
Cincinnati currently sits in third place in the AFC North with a 4-5 record, so the trade deadline felt important. From where we are right now, SportsLine data scientist Stephen Oh believes the Bengals have a 24.8% chance to make the playoffs.
Tennessee Titans
The Titans did deal Hopkins to the Chiefs, which probably irked the rest of the NFL world, but they could have done more. Once viewed as an offseason sleeper, the Titans have been one of the worst teams in the NFL this year. With the playoffs a long shot, it would have been smart for general manager Ran Carthon to sell. Pass rusher Arden Key and defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day have both been impressive in recent weeks, and contenders were certainly in the market for defensive line help.
New Orleans Saints
The Saints have lost seven straight games, fired their head coach and have the worst financial situation in the league entering 2025. Why not sell? New Orleans did trade Lattimore to Washington, but what about also trading Cameron Jordan, Tyrann Mathieu or Chase Young?
New York Giants
The Giants are another team that could have been sellers at 2-7. There was plenty of speculation around pass rusher Azeez Ojulari, according to The Athletic. The report stated the Giants were looking for a high fifth-round pick or late fourth-round pick to move him. Instead, the Giants kept him, meaning he could walk this offseason in free agency. Wide receiver Darius Slayton was another potential trade piece who drew some interest.