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Eight Trade Deadline Proposals Based On This Week’s Rumors

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The NFL trade deadline only comes around once per year, so we’ve been trying to keep up with the demand for trade rumors here at NFLTR. In the past few weeks we’ve published:

Today we’re going to keep it coming with another eight mock trade proposals, with these geared towards connecting the dots on the buzz coming from this past week. 

Patriots Acquire Both RB & OLB

New England has been busy this week shipping out players. The Patriots agreed to deals to send S Kyle Dugger to the Steelers and DE Keion White to the 49ers, continuing the exodus of players since HC Mike Vrabel took over. Dugger and White were once viewed as key building blocks for the program, with White showing early promise as a second-round pick in 2023 and Dugger earning a long-term deal ahead of the 2024 season. But neither was playing much of a factor in the Patriots’ hot start to this year. 

Most of the time, contending teams are more interested in adding than subtracting, and that could be the other shoe to drop for the Patriots now that they have a little extra draft capital to play with. Reports have said the team is interested in fortifying its depth chart at running back and edge rusher. Patriots RBs Rhamondre Stevenson and second-rounder TreVeyon Henderson have been a little inconsistent, and injuries have thinned the group too. Edge rusher is a premium position where the Patriots need more to go with Harold Landry and K’Lavon Chaisson, free agent signings who have been pleasant surprises. 

Here’s how the Patriots could address both needs in one swoop, working in tandem with a team where they still have significant connections, both in the front office and schematically — the Texans.

Patriots give:

  • 2026 6th

Texans give:

The sixth/seventh swap is the NFL equivalent of loose change and one of the lowest possible trade compensations. Here, the Patriots get a two-for-one special with Pierce and Taylor, two players who clearly are not in the Texans’ plans so far this season. Both have been active for just three games apiece all year and have barely contributed. 

However, it’s possible they could be more useful in New England. Once upon a time as a rookie, Pierce ran for nearly 1,000 yards with a running style like a bucking bronco. Multiple offensive scheme changes knocked his career off track and he’s in the final year of his rookie contract. His best year came under former Texans OC Pep Hamilton, who ran a similar scheme to current Patriots OC Josh McDaniels that was predicated more on gap blocking than zone. Pierce would be a big-bodied insurance policy for Stevenson and give the Patriots another option as a kickoff returner. 

Taylor isn’t as clean a fit but he’s had success as a designated pass rusher with 24.5 sacks in the four years prior to 2025. New England wants players who can penetrate and get upfield on defense and Taylor fits the bill there. 

Seahawks Augment OL

Seahawks give: 

  • 2026 3rd
  • 2027 6th

Saints give: 

Hat tip to Seahawks beat reporter Corbin Smith for this idea, building off of some rumblings that he’s heard. ESPN reported this week that Ruiz is someone the Saints are willing to part with if they get a good enough offer, and Smith’s sources indicate that would be a third-rounder. That would be a lot for a guard but a team like the Seahawks could be highly motivated to get creative and put that pick on the table. 

Seattle makes a ton of sense as a potential suitor. Not only is right guard a major hole for the Seahawks’ offensive line, but Ruiz is uniquely suited to fill it. He spent last year playing for Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak when he held the same role in New Orleans, so he’d be able to slot right in as a huge upgrade. As a veteran former first-round pick who’s familiar with the coaching staff, Ruiz would be a valuable known commodity for the Saints. 

Ruiz is on a veteran minimum salary this year after the Saints restructured his contract, so there’s no shuffling needed by the Seahawks who have plenty of cap space to work with anyway. They’d be inheriting the remaining two years on Ruiz’s deal after this, with salaries of $9.5 million in both years. That contract could be why the Saints are willing to deal a solid starting offensive lineman when teams usually hold onto those guys for dear life. A trade clears the money from the Saints’ books, saving minimal cap space thanks to the dead money left from how many times they restructured Ruiz’s contract already, but freeing the Saints from any further cash obligations. It also means the Saints don’t have to worry about an extension for Ruiz, who would be in line for a major raise since he’s still just 26 and the guard market has grown significantly since he signed in 2023. 

For Seattle, this deal comes out closer to a fourth-round pick in value, putting the trade in line with the Bears’ trade for G Joe Thuney in the offseason. Still, putting a third-round pick on the table is a steep price for a deadline deal. There’s an argument to be made it’s worth it for the Seahawks. 

The offensive line has been a major weakness throughout Seahawks GM John Schneider’s tenure and in recent years the team has invested a lot to try and fix it. They used a first-round pick on G Grey Zabel this past April and he’s been starting at left guard. The group overall is still holding the offense back, especially in the run game. Schneider has tried draft picks and some targeted free agent signings. There’s a case that he just needs to pay up and get a known quantity like Ruiz to solidify the group. 

Schneider has been willing to make aggressive moves like this in the past to shore up needs for the Seahawks. Right now, Seattle looks like it could be a viable contender in the NFC. The defense is playing out of its mind under HC Mike Macdonald, with talent at all three levels. The offense has exceeded expectations thanks to a step forward from QB Sam Darnold and a banner year from WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The Achilles heel for this team is the offensive line, but there might be an opportunity at the deadline to fix that. 

Broncos Land Veteran Speedster For HC Sean Payton

Denver has been quietly exploring the market for help on offense, checking out what’s available for offensive linemen, wide receiver and tight end. Teams rarely want to part with offensive linemen midseason, and after a few failed waiver claims for blocking tight ends the Broncos brought Marcedes Lewis on for his 20th season. That leaves receiver, and specifically a speed threat to complement some of Denver’s possession options. 

New Orleans has drawn a lot of attention for teams interested in adding a receiver with three possible trade candidates — Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed and Brandin Cooks. Olave is the most expensive and the least likely of the trio to get dealt as the Saints explore a long-term extension. Shaheed is more attainable as a pending free agent but would be a rental and likely cost a mid-round pick straight up. Cooks is the bargain bin option as the oldest and least productive. 

Payton would have familiarity with all those players but he goes back the furthest with Cooks, as he drafted him in the first round all the way back in 2014. He also traded Cooks for the first time, and since then Cooks has been dealt three other times to tie the NFL record. If Payton brings him in, Cooks will break it. The veteran coach has an appreciation for NFL history factoids like that, and from a more practical perspective, Cooks should be able to slide in and contribute in exactly the role the Broncos are supposedly looking for without much of a ramp-up into the scheme. 

Cooks is under contract in 2026 for $5.7 million, $1.7 million of which is already guaranteed. That’s a potential hangup to a deal depending on how Payton sees Cooks fitting in to the long-term vision. His veteran experience could be valuable for the offense and the Broncos are a little low on receivers right now with just five on the roster. There’s certainly room for Cooks to fit in with the Broncos beyond just this season if they can agree on a pay cut. 

In the end, a deal could look something like this: 

Saints give: 

  • Cooks

Broncos give: 

  • Conditional 2027 7th (based on Cooks being on the Week 1 roster in 2027)

Lions Reunite With Familiar Face

Lions give: 

  • 2026 6th

Titans give:

It’s fun to speculate about the Lions making a big all-in move as they try to get over the hump and contend for a Super Bowl, but so far that’s just not what we’ve seen in the front office DNA. The Lions’ aggressiveness on fourth down does not necessarily extend to all other corners of the building. 

Still, there has been consistent buzz about the Lions investigating a smaller move to shore up the depth on defense. It hasn’t been as bad as last year but injuries and other absences have definitely hit the Lions hard again. The secondary has been particularly snakebitten. In a recent game against the Buccaneers, Detroit trotted out a lineup of Nick Whiteside, Rock Ya-Sin, Arthur Maulet, Erick Hallett and Thomas Harper — a grouping you’d usually see in the fourth quarter of a preseason game, not a primetime game against an NFC contender. 

That group had a remarkable effort in a convincing Detroit win. It would probably not be sustainable over a longer sample size. Reports have linked the Lions to the cornerback market, but with some dwindling options after two trades in the last week, perhaps a safety would make sense instead. 

Diggs is a name to know. The 32-year-old veteran is in his 11th season and can play both as a post safety or in the nickel, giving the Lions insurance for both safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph. Branch was suspended for a post-game fight after the game against the Chiefs and is under scrutiny from the league as a repeat offender for various penalties. Joseph has been battling through a knee injury. The Titans have some younger options they could want to give snaps to as they rebuild, which would make Diggs expendable on his one-year, veteran minimum contract. 

While Diggs started his career in Detroit, that was under a completely different coaching staff and front office. There are almost no connections left from that era for Diggs, with one exception. Lions DC Kelvin Sheppard was one of Diggs’ teammates in 2018 and has since gone on to be a rising star as a coach. Players tend to connect better with coaches who were former players, and the fact that Diggs and Sheppard were teammates is just another layer that would likely have Diggs welcoming a trade back to where his career started. 

Colts Find Help For Shorthanded CB Room

Colts give:

  • 2026 6th

Chiefs give:

The Colts have been one of the biggest surprise teams of the season so far, charging to a 7-1 record in the first half of the season. They’ve done that despite an avalanche of injuries that have nearly wiped out the cornerback room. They have four on the injured lists right now and were missing top CB Kenny Moore for a few weeks. A couple should make it back, but still, additional depth is needed. 

Williams is a strong candidate to be moved before the deadline because of how much depth the Chiefs have at his position and because Williams has flashed as an outside corner, which should put him in some demand. Kansas City has used Williams for just 16 snaps on defense all year, and short of multiple injuries that is probably not going to change. 

Pro Football Focus may not be the final word on how players are playing, but in the absence of our own pro personnel department, they’re a pretty solid substitute. PFF has liked Williams’ output the past three seasons, giving him grades of 63, 74.4 and 64.3 on about 400-500 snaps a year. Those grades are good enough to rank in the upper quartile among all corners in any given year. Williams also brings something unique as a trade candidate this year because he plays outside corner instead of the slot, like most of the other corners who have been traded this year. 

The Colts don’t have any direct coaching connections to Williams but GM Chris Ballard worked in Kansas City’s front office before taking his current job, so there’s some overlap in what the two teams look for in players. Odds are Williams checks a fair amount of those boxes. 

Cowboys Fortify Defense

Cowboys give: 

  • 2026 7th

Titans give

Defense has been a major issue for the Cowboys this year in every phase, including the run and the pass. Frankly the team could use reinforcements at all three levels but is unlikely to give up the necessary draft capital to be that active, no matter what owner Jerry Jones intimates.

If Dallas makes a move, it would make sense for the team to focus on the run defense, which was one of the big factors it cited in the Micah Parsons trade. That deal brought back Kenny Clark but the rotation could use more help as Clark alone has been unable to staunch the Cowboys run defense. It’s somewhat slim pickings at defensive tackle this year but Joseph-Day is a potential trade candidate as a run defense specialist. He’s a wide body at 6-4 and 310 pounds, playing nose tackle at a variety of stops in his career. 

Joseph-Day is one of several Titans veterans in the final year of their contract and not looking like future pieces for Tennessee’s rebuild. He’d be a cheap plug-in for the Cowboys. 

Chargers Roll Dice On Former First-Round Bust

Chargers give: 

  • Conditional 2028 7th (based on playing time)

Giants give: 

Offensive line is the biggest need for the Chargers and also one of the hardest to fill midseason. Most teams don’t have extra to spare. The Giants could be an exception as Neal has yet to suit up for a game all season. The former No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 draft is pacing to be one of the biggest busts in team history. 

Odds are he’s not going to turn his career around but sometimes a fresh start with a different coaching staff can work wonders. The Chargers are in a position where they just need bodies, and Neal does have talent to roll the dice on. He was drafted as a tackle but the Giants experimented with moving him inside to guard in an effort to get something out of him. New York has paid all of his salary already, so there’s no real risk here for the Chargers. If they don’t use him, they don’t give up a pick. 

Jaguars Shock The NFL World Again? 

Jaguars give: 

Bills give: 

  • 2026 1st
  • 2026 3rd
  • 2026 7th

This would be stunning, perhaps as equally stunning as when the Jaguars moved in silence to trade up to No. 2 overall and take WR/CB Travis Hunter. The Jaguars have tried to shut down the rumors around Thomas after a report that they were listening to trade offers instead of making Thomas unavailable. It wouldn’t seem to make a lot of sense for the Jaguars to trade their No. 1 receiver just a year after he had nearly 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns as a rookie. 

But Thomas has had much tougher sledding in 2025 and has been far less reliable. He has 27 catches on 55 targets for 365 yards and one score — dramatically off the pace he had as a rookie. His catch percentage and success rate have both cratered, going from 65 percent to under 50 and 55.6 percent to 41.8 percent, respectively. 

And it’s worth mentioning that HC Liam Coen and GM James Gladstone weren’t the ones who drafted Thomas. If Gladstone and Coen have decided that Thomas isn’t going to fit into what they’re building, either on the field or in the locker room, then it does make some sense to deal him now while his value is still closer to its apex. Thomas has two-and-a-half years left on a rookie contract and plays a premium position. Even though he’s struggled, he’s shown enough potential to be in high demand if the Jaguars truly are willing to trade him. 

The team that immediately comes to mind that could use a player like Thomas and has been exploring the market for receiver help is the Bills. Since trading WR Stefon Diggs, Buffalo has been working to remake its receiving corps, focusing on creating a non-hierarchical group that QB Josh Allen can spread the ball around to evenly. Guys like Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, Josh Palmer, Curtis Samuel and Elijah Moore have specific skills and niches they do well. 

The Bills have made it work well enough, leaning on a punishing ground game and the phenomenal dual-threat playmaking ability of Allen. But they don’t have that clear No. 1 option who can dictate matchups against man coverage and stretch the field with speed, and there have been games where opponents have been able to expose that. 

Adding Thomas would be a big swing toward fixing that, just like when the Bills traded for Diggs to help accelerate Allen’s development. In this scenario, Thomas would still be on a rookie contract and not eligible for an extension until after the 2026 season, fitting into the picture for a veteran-heavy Bills team that has maxed out the budget with contracts for Allen and others. The trade compensation is less than what the Bills gave up for Diggs, who was a bona fide star at the time, but takes inspiration from it with the package of picks going Jacksonville’s way. 

If the Jaguars make this trade, they recoup a first-round pick after giving up their own to go get Hunter, plus add another Day 2 selection to give them five, including four in the third round. Losing Thomas is a blow but they still have Hunter, Dyami Brown and Parker Washington to lean on for the rest of the season, with 13 total picks in 2026 to go after a receiver who might be a better fit. It’d be unconventional but this Jaguars regime has shown in a short amount of time that they’re quite willing to lean into being unconventional as an identity.

The post Eight Trade Deadline Proposals Based On This Week’s Rumors appeared first on NFLTradeRumors.co.