Everybody exhale. It was a historic Tuesday morning and afternoon around the NFL, as a whopping seven trades beat the buzzer ahead of the 4 p.m. ET trade deadline. And these weren't fiddles around the margins, either: We had All-Pros flying left and right for a while there, as the Jets leaned hard into their rebuild and the Cowboys ... well, let's just say they did Cowboys things.
For all the activity we saw on Tuesday, though, it might be the moves that weren't made that wind up defining this deadline. In both the AFC and NFC, several contenders decided against making big moves to shore up their rosters ahead of the stretch run. Given how silly the market can get this time of year, you can understand why. But if that inactivity dooms them come playoff time, you can bet fans will let their coaches and front offices hear about it.
Team: New York Jets
Move they should've made: Dealing Breece Hall
The New York Jets were halfway to a full-on fire sale on Tuesday, sending star corner Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts and star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to the Dallas Cowboys. They didn't go all the way, though, I can't for the life of me figure out why.
Once you've started tearing your roster down to the studs, why stop? Holding on to Hall, in particular, is a puzzler: New York showed little interest in hammering out an extension over the offseason, running back is way down the list of team needs right now and his strong season to date offers the ability to sell relatively high. The Jets aren't likely to be interested in paying his next contract, nor should they. So why not get something meaningful in return for a 24-year-old with plenty of juice left?
Team: New England Patriots
Move they should've made: WR Chris Olave
For all of Tuesday's action, there were a surprising number of contenders who stood pat, and we'll get to many of them shortly. But by far the most disappointing to me were the Patriots: If you're not going to get aggressive while you're atop your division and your MVP-candidate quarterback is still smack in the middle of his rookie deal, then when exactly will you?
New England has gotten by more on depth than impact talent at the skill spots. That can only take you so far, though: You need stars to win games in January, and if the Patriots fall short of the deep playoff run they seem capable of, I'm willing to bet a lack of legit firepower around Maye will be the biggest reason why. Maybe the price on Olave was simply too exorbitant to stomach, but it's disappointing that New England wasn't willing to take a bigger bet on this team's potential. He, or at least teammate Rashid Shaheed, would've been exactly the sort of field-stretcher that the Pats could really use opposite Stefon Diggs.
Team: Denver Broncos
Move they should've made: TE David Njoku (or any Evan Engram upgrade)
Denver keeps finding ways to get it done with late-game comebacks, but they only need to erase those deficits because their offense falls asleep for quarters at a time. That's a dangerous game to play, one that will cost Sean Payton's team sooner rather than later, and the biggest culprit is a lack of quality offensive weapons to help buoy Bo Nix.
It was plain as day in Sunday's come-from-behind win against the Houston Texans, when top wideouts Courtland Sutton and Troy Franklin combined for just five catches for 57 yards. This team is crying out for another guy who can win one-on-ones to make Nix's life easier, and tight end felt like the most obvious place to upgrade given how badly Evan Engram has flopped in his first year in Denver. There were plenty of seam-stretchers available at the deadline, highlighted by Njoku, who the Browns should have been more than willing to part with after the emergence of rookie Harold Fannin Jr.
Team: Tampa Bay Bucs
Move they should've made: LB Jordyn Brooks
There's not much for Tampa Bay to do offensively but wait and hope for several of its injured stars to get healthy. The defense, though, is another matter entirely: Todd Bowles' unit has been a real disappointment this season, and they've been particularly tortured over the middle of the field, where their linebackers have been totally unable to keep opposing tight ends and running backs in check.
Lavonte David is an icon, but he's not nearly the player he used to be at age 35, and the overall lack of athleticism here has been exploited week after week. Which would've made Brooks an ideal fit: He's not a star, but he's a rock-solid, every-down linebacker, one the Miami Dolphins should've been all too willing to part with given that he has just one more year on his deal. Brooks would at the very least have stopped the bleeding a bit, and sometimes that's all you can ask for at this time of year.
Team: Detroit Lions
Move they should've made: G Kevin Zeitler
The knee injury to guard Christian Mahogany looms awfully large in Detroit right now. The Lions were already a bit shaky on the interior, and the new-look line got stuffed into a locker in a home loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. Brian Flores heated up the middle over and over again, and the DT duo of Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave held Detroit without a single explosive run since the 2023 Wild Card game against the Los Angeles Rams.
Brad Holmes should've taken that as a warning sign. This Lions offense has been predicated on its running game for years now, but they simply don't have the horses to give Jahmyr Gibbs the space he needs. Holmes has never been one to make a panic move, but why not at least look for a stopgap to raise the floor a bit? Titans veteran Kevin Zeitler felt like a painfully obvious fit, and I'm not sure why a deal failed to materialize.
Team: Pittsburgh Steelers
Move they should've made: WR Jakobi Meyers
Look, I'm as dubious of Pittsburgh's ability to legitimately contend in the AFC as the next guy. But the fact remains that they're leading the AFC North right now, and if you're going to go for it, why not actually go for it?
After the Kyle Dugger trade last week, I assumed there'd be more to come from Mike Tomlin and Co. Wide receiver, in particular, felt like a glaring need, with hardly any reliable options outside of DK Metcalf. Meyers would've fit that bill nicely, a sturdy possession option to complement Metcalf's explosiveness on the boundary.
Sure, the price wasn't insignificant. But again, pick a lane here! Either you're serious about this season or you're not, and if it's the former, I'm not sure why a mid-round pick is the bridge you're unwilling to cross.