NFL Rumors: Chiefs still eyeing WR, Lions dream target, Patriots big whiff

The NFL Trade Deadline is now just days away with a full Week 9 Sunday slate, as well as Monday Night Football, still left to inform what direction teams choose to move toward. However, there are several teams that seem to already know what they want and how they want to operate at the trade deadline — and not all of them are obvious contenders based on the latest NFL rumors.

So let's check in on what's buzzing around the league before the final week of play that leads us into the NFL Trade Deadline on Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 4 p.m. ET.

NFL Rumors: Patriots whiffed on Cam Robinson trade

One of the biggest shocks of trade deadline season is that the New England Patriots don't plan on being all-out sellers. Sure, they did trade away pass rusher Josh Uche to the Kansas City Chiefs but reports indicated soon after that they could actually look to buy in order to better set up the franchise's future with rookie quarterback Drake Maye.

Now, we have a bit of clarity as to what that could entail — or at least what it could've entailed if the Patriots hadn't come up empty on a big-name trade target.

According to ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler ($), the Patriots top priority now is looking for offensive line help. More interestingly, New England was "looking into" a trade for former Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Cam Robinson before he was ultimately dealt to the Minnesota Vikings.

Robinson coming to Foxborough might only be something that has to wait if Eliot Wolf and Co. are that intrigued about his long-term viability protecting Maye. The now-Viking will become a free agent this offseason and is merely a rental for Minnesota following the loss of Christian Darrisaw. Still, it will be interesting to see if the Patriots plan to pivot to another offensive tackle or if they were thinking Robinson-or-bust at the trade deadline.

NFL Rumors: Lions appear honed-in on Za'Darius Smith trade

Perhaps the worst-kept secret leading up to the trade deadline — whether you're thumbing through rumors or just listening to head coach Dan Campbell — is that the Detroit Lions have been in the market to ensure that a Super Bowl run is a reality by replacing star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson after he suffered a season-ending fracture to his tibia and fibula in mid-October.

As the trade deadline approaches, however, it's becoming abundantly clear where the Lions would ideally like to end up at the end of that plight. Namely, it's becoming obvious that Detroit's top target to replace Hutchinson is Cleveland Browns veteran Za'Darius Smith.

According to The Athletic NFL insider Dianna Russini ($), the Lions have "hopes of landing Za'Darius Smith" as they've made calls about possible trades. To be sure, general manager Brad Holmes isn't putting all of his organization's chips into the Smith basket. Russini also reported that the Lions have called "numerous teams" about possible trades with replacing Hutchinson in mind.

Having said that, this isn't the first connection we've seen between the Lions and Smith, who has five sacks already on the season with the Browns. He might be the best reported player at the position on the block, and it would be reasonable if Detroit, in pole position in the NFC, wanted to make the biggest splash possible in their current position.

NFL Rumors: Chiefs may not be done in WR trade market

Given the number of key injuries the team has incurred combined with their plight for a Super Bowl three-peat, it probably shouldn't surprise anyone that the Kansas City Chiefs have already been quite aggressive on the trade market. First, it was a splash deal at wide receiver to acquire DeAndre Hopkins but that was soon followed with a defensive upgrade, trading for edge rusher Josh Uche.

There had already been rumors that the Chiefs might not even be done wheeling and dealing, specifically with buzz that Kansas City could poke around or monitor the cornerback market. That could still be true, but it also seems like general manager Brett Veach might be intrigued by the notion of double-dipping at a position he's already made a trade for.

With Skyy Moore recently moving to IR, joining Rashee Rice and Marquise Brown, Dianna Russini of The Athletic ($) reported that the Chiefs could still make another move. While they won't over-extend themselves, Kansas City would be intrigued in trading for a second receiver before the deadline "if a wide receiver falls into their laps".

While Hopkins, Davante Adams, Diontae Johnson and Amari Cooper have already been traded, the lower-level receivers on the market like K.J. Osborn, Adam Thielen and several others could make a ton of sense for the Chiefs as they try to fill out depth around Hopkins, Xavier Worthy and Travis Kelce. We shall see if that deal falls into their laps, though, or if they perhaps get a little more aggressive than that.