4 dream NFL Trade Deadline moves we wish would happen but won’t

The NFL has already seen a ton of action on the trade front with players ranging from Davante Adams and Amari Cooper to Diontae Johnson and Cam Robinson getting dealt in a matter of weeks. With the NFL trade deadline less than one week away, more moves are sure to be coming.

Unfortunately for NFL fans who want to see chaos, most of the big names who were expected to be available have already been moved or have been taken off the board. While players like Za'Darius Smith, Darius Slayton, and Tre'Davious White can help teams in need of marginal upgrades in certain areas, they aren't the dream trade candidates NFL fans need to see moved.

With that being said, let's imagine, just for a second, that the dream trades that NFL fans are wanting to see happen would go down. Here's what those might look like.

4) Tee Higgins would be the weapon that Bo Nix needs

Who had the Denver Broncos at 5-3 through the first eight weeks of the NFL season? Certainly not many people. Yet, with their 28-14 win in Week 8, that's exactly where the Broncos are. The division probably isn't in the cards, but they are tied for the No. 5 seed in the AFC as of this writing.

What makes the start to Denver's season so impressive is the fact that they're 5-3 despite being well below average offensively. Through eight weeks of the season, the Broncos rank 27th in passing yards per game (185.9), 25th in total yards per game (307.3), and 20th in points per game (21.6). That's even after they just had arguably their best offensive showing of the season in a win against a putrid Carolina Panthers defense. They've had some success on the ground, particularly of late, but their passing attack is extremely subpar.

Bo Nix hasn't lit the world on fire (outside of his strong Week 8 performance) in his rookie season. Sure, he deserves some blame for that, but part of the reason why it has been a struggle at times has to do with a lack of weapons.

Despite missing three games due to injury, Tee Higgins has just 30 fewer receiving yards than Courtland Sutton, Denver's leading receiver. He has over 150 more yards than Denver's second-leading receiver, Josh Reynolds. He has more touchdowns than any Broncos pass catcher. Imagine adding that kind of playmaker to this offense.

Going from Joe Burrow to Nix would be a pretty massive downgrade for Higgins, obviously, but with the Cincinnati Bengals, he's had to play second-fiddle to Ja'Marr Chase. Higgins as a No. 1 receiver has the skill to be a big-time weapon for a young quarterback who really needs it.

The Bengals are now 3-5 on the season, and are only somewhat in the playoff picture because of how weak the AFC is. From what we've seen from them, the Bengals aren't a threat to the AFC's elite. Denver getting a legitimate No. 1 weapon for Nix to throw to along with their improving running game and elite defense would make them really interesting. Unfortunately, since the Bengals are still in the playoff picture, trading Higgins is extremely unlikely.

3) It would be nice if Jerry Jones was as all-in as he says he is

As he seems to always do, Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones has gone on and on about how all-in he is on winning the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, he has not backed up the talk whatsoever.

The Cowboys had a lackluster offseason, haven't made any major in-season additions, and the result is the team being 3-4 and sitting on the outside looking in when looking at the NFC playoff picture. Their season isn't over, and they might be able to squeak into the playoffs with this roster, but they're nowhere near the Super Bowl contenders that Jones inexplicably thinks that they are. Making a big move, like trading for Travis Etienne, would help Dallas immensely.

To say this Cowboys team is subpar on the ground would be an understatement. The Cowboys rank dead last in the NFL with a total of 519 rushing yards, over 100 yards fewer than the Las Vegas Raiders who rank 31st. Sure, the fact that Dallas has only played seven games has impacted that, but they've averaged just 74.1 yards on the ground per game which is also dead last in the NFL. Rico Dowdle is certainly better than the likes of Ezekiel Elliott and Dalvin Cook in 2024, but he's probably better served as a backup.

Etienne's numbers this season haven't been stellar, but the Jacksonville Jaguars happen to be 2-6. Etienne has averaged 4.4 yards per carry in his career, entered this season coming off a pair of 1,000-yard campaigns in his first two NFL seasons, and he is just 25 years old. He has a high ceiling, and should only improve if he were to join Dallas. Unfortunately, even if the Jaguars were willing to trade Etienne, Jones would almost certainly not be the one to acquire him and come up with a slew of excuses as to why the Cowboys made the right decision.

2) Maxx Crosby is a perfect Aidan Hutchinson replacement for the Lions

Losing Aidan Hutchinson for the season was a major blow for the Detroit Lions. They've done just fine in the win/loss column since his injury, but their pass defense is far from stellar. As of this writing, the Lions rank 27th in the NFL, allowing 247.6 passing yards per game. They might be good enough to survive in the regular season with that pass defense, and their offense can win in a shootout, but it's going to be tough for this Lions team to win if they can't get enough pressure on the opposing quarterback. A guy like Maxx Crosby would solve that problem.

As elite of a player as Hutchinson is, Crosby might be better. He has led the league in tackles for loss in each of the last two seasons and already has 10 of them in seven games this season along with 6.5 sacks.

Crosby would fill the Hutchinson void perfectly, and would then play on the opposite side of Detroit's defensive line for years to come. How would any offensive line compete with them? It'd be wild to watch.

Unfortunately, while the Las Vegas Raiders traded Davante Adams, they refuse to go all-in on a rebuild, and it seems likely that Crosby is going to remain with the Raiders for the foreseeable future, robbing us of seeing the 27-year-old in a big game anytime soon.

1) Cooper Kupp would make the Steelers really tough to beat

The Pittsburgh Steelers have linked to and failed to acquire a slew of receivers including Brandon Aiyuk and Davante Adams. The reason why they've been in on them is quite obvious - they need another weapon.

George Pickens is supremely talented and has played very well since the transition to Russell Wilson under center, but he can't be the only reliable receiver for Wilson to throw to. It's really hard for any offense to function much when Calvin Austin III is the second-best wideout on the team, and that's the position that the Steelers find themselves in.

Adding a dynamic receiver like Cooper Kupp would make the Steelers really tough to defend. Pickens can still do plenty of damage deep with Wilson while Kupp would generate tons of attention in the slot. Pittsburgh's defense is already elite, so getting this offense a major piece would help their Super Bowl odds immensely.

Unfortunately, with the Los Angeles Rams improving to 3-4 on the season with back-to-back wins, a Kupp trade doesn't appear to be in the cards. Sean McVay said that himself. Things can change, perhaps they will if the Rams lose their Week 9 game, against the Seattle Seahawks, but at this point, it'd be surprising to see the Steelers actually land a receiver and to see Kupp be traded.