NFL Trade Deadline: Instant grades and analysis for every deal made

Blockbuster trades are happening everywhere. Jordan Davis is going to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Jeffery Simmons has already played two games for the Chicago Bears, the Jags also landed Jessie Bates III, and let's not forget we've also already seen Joey Porter Jr. go to the Cowboys and Quenton Nelson go to the Seahawks as well. And it's all leading to Tuesday's NFL Trade Deadline.

Pencils will be put down at 4 p.m. ET when the NFL Trade Deadline is official. Until that point, though, let's take a look at every deal made before the deadline, providing instant grades and analysis for each team in every trade.

NFL Trade Grades for every deal since the start of the season

NFL Trade Deadline tracker and instant analysis

49ers get wide receiver help in Keenan Allen trade with Colts

• Grades – 49ers: A- | Colts: A

If the 49ers had left the trade deadline without a wide receiver, I'd have considered that malpractice. The injury bug has been an absolute plague in San Francisco's receiving corps this season, so they had to do something. Keenan Allen's best days might well be behind him at this point, but he is a good addition for a team that simply needs veteran bodies in the mix.

Giving up only a 2027 sixth-round pick in the deal makes complete sense. It's a move that isn't costly, but one that can help to stabilize the passing offense further. For the Colts' side of this business, though, this was good to see. Indianapolis not having made moves since dealing Nelson and Buckner seemed misguided and, while more should follow after Allen, it feels like they got proper value for a veteran player that, frankly, they don't have much use for in their current state this season.

Bengals-Eagles trade for Arnold Ebiketie falls through

In one of the more bizarre developments leading up to the trade deadline, a deal between the Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles was reported as being done. The Eagles were trading veteran edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie for a sixth-round pick. But then, just several minutes after the reports of the deal, news broke that the trade fell through, but that had nothing to do with a failed physical or anything of that nature.

While this is just speculation, it appears that the Bengals were unaware that, because Ebiketie was signed as a compensatory free agent, Cincinnati would lose the projected third-round compensatory pick coming to them for losing Trey Hendrickson to the Ravens in free agency. Giving up a sixth-rounder would've been fine, but not if it also costs the Bengals a third-rounder too.

Again, it's not a guarantee that's the case, but if that's indeed what happened, Cincinnati general manager Duke Tobin has egg just dripping down his face.

Jaguars makes big splashes with Jordan Davis and Jessie Bates III

• Grades – (Davis) Jaguars: A- | Eagles: A
• (Bates) Jaguars: B | Falcons: A

I've been on the train that the Jaguars are the Super Bowl threat that is simply not getting enough love right now. They seem to believe the same in the building as they pulled off two blockbuster trades on Monday, and added Davon Godchaux for a late-rouns pick as well.

Make no mistake, the Jaguars paid handsomely to land both Jordan Davis and Jessie Bates III, sending the Eagles a 2027 first-round pick and 2029 second-round pick for the behemoth defensive lineman, while sending the Falcons a 2027 second-round pick for their star veteran safety. That's a team that's absolutely going all-in and trying to capitalize on a clear window of contention, which is something I'll never fault a franchise for doing at the deadline.

The Eagles and Falcons also came out on top in this one. These look like win-win trades as both organizations are recognizing where they stand this season and aiming to do whatever they can that will help their respective futures. It's favorable grades all around for the Jags' deals.

Lions land secondary help for cheap with Andre Cisco

• Grades – Lions: A | Jets: B+

The Lions defense has stepped up in recent weeks, but they still needed reinforcements in a massive way, especially in the secondary. However, if we've learned anything about Detroit in the Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes era, it's that they aren't going to overextend themselves on the trade market. That's why Andre Cisco is a terrific fit for what they need.

While he might not be a game-changing presence like a Bates will be for Jacksonville, the fact of the matter is that he is a good, veteran player who will help Detroit and he cost only a sixth-round pick in 2028. That's a non-prohibitive cost that will reap rewards this season right away. And for the Jets, while the compensation potentially could've been better had they shopped around a bit more, the truth is that they sold a player at the trade deadline who simply wasn't going to see many snaps down the stretch.

Ravens make desperate effort with Jacoby Brissett

• Grades – Ravens: C | Cardinals: A-

On one hand, you can understand the Ravens wanting to add flexibility and stability with the quarterback spot given the injuries to Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley. However, this felt like way too aggressive of a swing. Baltimore is a team that very much operates like the infamous Colts adage of "If 18 goes down, we're f****d" regarding Peyton Manning. Without Jackson, this is not a smooth operation, nor is it one that's going to the playoffs. So trading a fourth-round pick, even if they got a fifth back, and adding in a future seventh-rounder was way too aggressive of a price to play.

The flip side of that is the Cardinals, though. They smelled blood in the water, had already benched Brissett for Gardner Minshew, and still turned a fifth-round pick into a fourth-rounder and a future Day 3 selection. That's not a world-shattering return, of course, but for a player who they weren't going to play anymore this year by all accounts, it was a good return largely taking advantage of a desperate team in Baltimore.

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