The NFL trade deadline passed this week, which means that teams have one fewer method to address points of weakness on their respective rosters. In total, there were 18 trades made in the months of October and November. Some of the team needs discussed here in recent weeks were addressed in those moves, such as the Lions acquiring Browns edge rusher Za’Darius Smith and the Vikings acquiring offensive tackle Cam Robinson from Jacksonville.
Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk, Bears cornerback Jaylon Jones and Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah were some of the notable names placed on injured reserve this week.
Here is the most pressing need for each team entering Week 10:
AFC North
Bengals: Wide receiver
Tee Higgins and Charlie Jones did not practice this week and were unavailable for Thursday night’s game against the Ravens. Jermaine Burton was a topic of conversation in Ohio’s Queen City this week. He has not been reliable midway through his rookie campaign, so the franchise is left with Ja’Marr Chase and Andrei Iosivas. Chase had an incredible game, but it wasn’t enough as the Bengals fell 35-34.
Browns: Linebacker
The Browns are on a bye this week. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was placed on the injured reserve and Jordan Hicks was unavailable last week.
The pass-catchers need to be better as well. The Browns had the most drops in the league last year with 39 and already have the second-most drops (22) through nine games in 2024.
Ravens: Cornerback
Cornerbacks Trayvon Mullen and T.J. Tampa are on the injured reserve. Neither Jalyn Armour-Davis nor newly acquired Tre’Davious White were available for Thursday night’s game against the Bengals. Arthur Maulet, Marlon Humphrey and Nate Wiggins were all limited by injury last week. The secondary has been susceptible to explosive plays this season, as evidenced by the two long touchdown receptions by Chase on Thursday.
Baltimore is applying pressure on 30.2% of opponent’s dropback attempts — a bottom-10 rate in the league, according to TruMedia.
Steelers: Offensive line
Pittsburgh is coming off the bye week. Russell Wilson has given the offense a bit of life, but the offensive line has taken a few hits as Troy Fautanu, James Daniels and Nate Herbig are dealing with injuries. The Steelers’ pressure rate has improved but remains the fourth-worst in the league, according to TruMedia.
Leadership made a move at the trade deadline to acquire wide receiver Mike Williams from the Jets. They desperately needed a competent pass catcher to pair with George Pickens.
AFC South
Colts: Cornerback
The most pressing need is cornerback. The situation was exacerbated when second-year starter Julius Brents found his way onto injured reserve Sept. 10. They have turned the position over in recent weeks, but it remains a point of concern. Indianapolis is allowing one of the 10 highest opposing passer ratings in the NFL this season, according to TruMedia.
Jaguars: Cornerback
Cornerback is also an issue elsewhere in the division. Darious Williams was a casualty of the franchise’s search for salary cap health. He was replaced by 30-year-old Ronald Darby. The team has the highest passer rating allowed (113.4), according to TruMedia. Tyson Campbell did return to the lineup recently so the hope is that the unit can gain some upward mobility during the second half of the season.
Texans: Wide receiver
There is definitely a disconnect on offense this year that was not present a year ago. Wide receivers Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs are now companions on injured reserve. The interior offensive line has been leaky and that is why they were linked to the position at the trade deadline.
Titans: Edge rusher
The new-look Tennessee defense leaves a lot to be desired in Brian Callahan’s first season as head coach. A lot has been put on the plates of Harold Landry III and Arden Key. The unit needs to find a more consistent way to generate pressure after finishing in the bottom five in team pressure rate a year ago, per TruMedia. Depth is even more concerning. The operation is currently third-worst in the NFL in terms of pressure applied (28.7%).
AFC East
Bills: Wide receiver
Rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman did not practice Thursday. Curtis Samuel, Mack Hollins and Amari Cooper were all limited participants at Thursday’s practice. Buffalo is missing a few key players down the spine of its defense with defensive tackle DeWayne Carter and linebacker Matt Milano on the injured reserve.
Dolphins: Secondary
Cornerbacks Storm Duck and Kader Kohou and safety Jevon Holland were inactive last week. Neither Jordan Poyer nor Holland practiced Thursday ahead of Monday night’s game against the Rams.
Miami signed multiple veteran defensive linemen to pair with Zach Sieler in an effort to rebuild a defensive line that lost Christian Wilkins this offseason. Benito Jones and Calais Campbell are the two who made it through the offseason. Campbell turned 38 years old not long ago. Miami has the lowest yards before contact rate in the league, but the worst yards after contact rate, according to TruMedia.
Jaelan Phillips was added to injured reserve and Bradley Chubb has not yet made his 2024 debut.
Jets: Safety
Safety Chuck Clark was added to injured reserve and Tony Adams and Ashtyn Davis are on the injury report this week. The bright side is that the cornerback room is finally starting to get healthy and edge rusher Haason Reddick finally elected to be a part of the team.
Patriots: Offensive tackle
Drake Maye has arrived in New England, but the supporting cast does him zero favors. It all starts up front with the offensive line. If that is not solidified, then the rest hardly matters. The team is allowing pressure on 41.2% of dropbacks, which is the second-highest rate in the NFL, according to TruMedia. The longest-tenured lineman, center David Andrews, was added to injured reserve. Recent draft picks Jake Andrews and Caedan Wallace are also on the list.
AFC West
Broncos: Center
Last year’s seventh-round pick, Alex Forsyth, is starting for the Broncos with Luke Wattenberg on the injured reserve. The offensive line around him is finally starting to get healthy, which should help as rookie quarterback Bo Nix continues his development.
Chargers: Edge rusher
Los Angeles has a below average pass rush statistically, according to TruMedia. Khalil Mack has not practiced this week and Bud Dupree could be forced to take on a larger role if Mack is out. One thing learned from the Jim Harbaugh-led Chargers is that it is next man up and they will probably show up and play hard regardless of who is available.
Chiefs: Wide receiver
Outside of the wide receiver position, Kansas City is in pretty good health. Hollywood Brown, Skyy Moore and Rashee Rice are all on injured reserve. Juju Smith-Schuster has still not practiced this month and Mecole Hardman is limited. Newly-acquired DeAndre Hopkins was a revelation last week and that takes pressure off Xavier Worthy to do what he does best.
They also acquired pass rusher Josh Uche from the Patriots before the deadline.
Raiders: Wide receiver
Las Vegas is on a bye this week. Once Davante Adams was traded to the Jets, the Raiders were thin at receiver and Jakobi Meyers has been limited in practice last week, which would leave Tre Tucker, DJ Turner, Alex Bachman and Tyreik McAllister as the only other receivers on the roster.
Defensive tackle Christian Wilkins was added to injured reserve.
NFC North
Bears: Offensive line
Left tackle Braxton Jones missed some time last week, which forced rookie Kiran Amegadjie into the game. Jones was a limited participant in practice Thursday while Amegadjie and right tackle Darnell Wright have yet to practice. There had already been protection issues before the injuries. Interior offensive lineman Ryan Bates is on the injured reserve.
Lions: Edge rusher
Marcus Davenport, Derrick Barnes, Aidan Hutchinson and John Cominsky are on injured reserve. Detroit did acquire Za’Darius Smith via trade this week, but it is unclear if he will be available against the Texans. The Lions have invested a second-round pick in Josh Paschal and need him to rise to the occasion. James Houston and Isaiah Thomas, the latter of whom was signed off the Bengals practice squad, are the other notable names at that spot.
Packers: Linebacker
Green Bay is entering its bye week. Youthful is an accurate description of the Packers roster as it is currently constructed. Linebacker has some question marks with De’Vondre Campbell absent. Rookie Edgerrin Cooper has shown improvement and Quay Walker made his return. Isaiah McDuffie is a part of the conversation as well. Green Bay is allowing 3.25 yards after contact, according to TruMedia, which is the fourth-worst rate in the league.
Two running backs, AJ Dillon and MarShawn Lloyd, are on injured reserve, so there is a lot of pressure on Josh Jacobs to stay healthy and produce.
Vikings: Offensive line
Minnesota is allowing pressure on 38.3% of dropbacks, which is the sixth-worst rate in the NFL, according to TruMedia. Starting offensive guard Dalton Risner has been activated off injured reserve and trade acquisition Cam Robinson has replaced the injured Christian Darrisaw. As the unit plays together more, they may be able to work through their protection issues.
NFC South
Buccaneers: Wide receiver
Chris Godwin’s season came to an end in Week 7 against the Ravens. Mike Evans, Jalen McMillan and Sterling Shepard were held out of practice Thursday with varying injuries. Trey Palmer, Rakim Jarrett and Ryan Miller are the only three other receivers on the roster.
Falcons: Edge rusher
Atlanta has the second-lowest pressure rate this season (27.6%), according to TruMedia. Matthew Judon was brought in to be the solution, but it is actually Arnold Ebiketie leading the team in pass-rush win rate (11.4%) at No. 57 in the league among players with at least 100 pass-rush snaps.
Panthers: Edge rusher
Pass rusher Brian Burns was traded away at a discount this offseason, so the burden falls on Jadeveon Clowney. It was thought that Clowney may be available at the trade deadline. They have applied pressure on 22.6% of opponent’s dropbacks through nine games, according to TruMedia, which is the worst rate in the league by 5%. For perspective, the top of the league (Cleveland) sits at 43.3%.
Cornerback, other than Jaycee Horn, is a weakness.
Saints: Cornerback
All-Pro cornerback Marshon Lattimore was traded away and Paulson Adebo remains on the injured reserve. Second-round pick Kool-Aid McKinstry has not practiced this week as he nurses a hamstring injury. In addition to McKinstry, Alontae Taylor and Ugo Amadi are in position to start.
NFC East
Commanders: Cornerback
Any unit on this defense, with the exception of the interior defenders, is open for discussion even with Jonathan Allen now on injured reserve. Opposing passers have had a 103.9 rating against Washington this season, which is the fifth-highest in the league, according to TruMedia. They did acquire cornerback Marshon Lattimore at the trade deadline, but he was unavailable for Wednesday’s practice due to a hamstring injury. Former first-round pick Emmanuel Forbes has made little impact, and the team also recently parted with former first-round linebacker Jamin Davis.
Cowboys: Edge rusher
Edge rushers Demarcus Lawrence and Marshawn Kneeland remain on injured reserve but Micah Parsons is expected to make his anticipated return from an ankle injury. Dallas’ defense has been neither effective nor disciplined as many had expected in Mike Zimmer’s first season as defensive coordinator. As that group finally starts to regain health, perhaps the light will flicker on in the second half of the season.
Eagles: Interior offensive line
The loss of center Jason Kelce to retirement has taken a toll on the Philadelphia offensive line. It has the highest pressure rate allowed (41.5%), according to TruMedia. Landon Dickerson and Mekhi Becton are starting at guard with Cam Jurgens sandwiched between them. Left tackle Jordan Mailata is on the injured reserve.
Giants: Offensive tackle
New York has allowed pressure on 37.8% of dropbacks this season, which is a bottom-10 rate in the league, according to TruMedia. Left tackle Andrew Thomas is on injured reserve and journeyman Chris Hubbard has been positioned to start in his absence, but Hubbard missed Thursday’s practice with an illness.
NFC West
49ers: Wide receiver
The 49ers are coming off a much-needed bye week. The idea of San Francisco being deficient at wide receiver would have been crazy in May after it drafted Ricky Pearsall in the first round. Brandon Aiyuk, who signed a lucrative contract extension this offseason, is done for the year. Jauan Jennings and Deebo Samuel were limited in practice Wednesday. Chris Conley did not practice.
Cardinals: Edge rusher
The Cardinals have the fourth-lowest team pressure rate applied (29.4%), according to TruMedia. Rookie defensive lineman Darius Robinson did not practice Thursday. Defensive tackles Bilal Nichols and Justin Jones are on the injured reserve. Baron Browning was acquired from Denver this week, but time will tell what kind of an impact he makes on the roster.
Rams: Offensive line
Interior offensive linemen Jonah Jackson and Steve Avila are still on injured reserve but will soon return. Offensive guard Kevin Dotson and offensive tackle Rob Havenstein have not practiced this week. The Rams continue to trend upward as they hold their ground in the NFC West while getting healthier with each passing week.
Seahawks: Offensive tackle
Seattle is one of the healthier teams in the league entering the Bye week. Starters Abe Lucas and Charles Cross have been dealing with injuries and Stone Forsythe is on the injured reserve.