The trade deadline for the 2019 NFL season is October 29th at 4pm eastern. There are still some big name players who could be on the move and have trade rumors swirling. Here are several players who are moving on the rumor mill.
AJ Green
AJ Green has yet to play a snap for Cincinnati this season. Green has been nursing an ankle injury that has forced hm out. Also, he is currently in the final year of his contract. This means he’s free to walk in the offseason. The smart thing for Cincinnati to do is to get whatever value they can now rather than later and let him walk for free. If buffalo truly want to compete in the AFC, they need a true number 1 receiver to help out Josh Allen and their offense. I 100% believe Green could change the Bills organization into competitors.
Trent Williams
It is hard pressed to believe we will ever see Trent Williams suit up for Washington ever again. The Redskins and Williams frustration turned public when there were reports in June that he vowed to “never play for Washington ever again”. There have been trade rumors that suggest that the Browns are heavily pursuing the LT. Browns GM John Dorsey vows to find protection for his QB and believes Williams can get the job done. However, it seems to be a one-way street and Washington is reluctant to offload the disgruntled LT. Washington only hurts themselves more by holding on to Williams.
Vic Beasley
Beasley’s performance has been one of the major talking points regarding this awful Atlanta defense. Beasley’s play has been so bad that nobody wants him. With only 9 solo tackles and 5 QB hits all season, it’s not hard to see why teams may want to stay away. Vic the is currently in the final year of his rookie year and is looking like he will be a free agent come this offseason. Maybe Beasley’s stock raises as deadline day approaches, however only few teams would be willing to give up anything. The Colts being a prime destination. Indianapolis has enough cap space and draft capital to fork up to get Beasley.
Melvin Gordon
Melvin Gordon entered the season into his final year of his contract. Gordon then demanded to be given a “lucrative contract” or he would never play for the Chargers again. This holdout resulted in no new contract and negative results in his play. Melvin Gordon made a statement this past week that he would never miss training camp ever again. With Austin Eckler proving he can cover the void from Gordon, this means the Chargers have an upper hand in negotiations and are just fine even if they let him walk. However, why let him walk fro free when you can get something for him now. Plenty of teams need a HB. The Lions recently placed Kerryon Johnson on IR. With them being in contention still for both their division and the playoffs, Gordon could really improve their offense. Gordon could also end up in Buffalo to replace a 36 year old Frank Gore.
Cam Newton
Any team going after Cam will need to accept the fact that his best years are behind him. Cam will never be 100% healthy ever again. Newton has been out with a foot injury since week 3. Since then, Kyle Allen has done more than enough to win 4 straight and keep Carolina in playoff contention. Could this be enough to end Cam’s time in carolina? It’s no secret that Cam is worn down and is no longer as effective as he once was and probably wont ever be a game changer ever again. Carolina could give the keys to the offense to Allen the rest of the season and force a QB battle in the offseason with newly drafted QB Will Grier. The Panthers would be fools to keep Cam into next season. Even if they dont trade him, releasing him in the offseason frees up $19m in cap space.
Kenyan Drake
Drake seems to be the only thing worth noting in that offense. However to Miami, it’s been made clear that they dont plan to use him as their feature back. The purpose of this season for Miami has seemingly been to tank for the number 1 pick and draft their next franchise QB. You have to believe they will be trying to sell Drake for more draft stock to try and beef up their team for the post-Brady era. The Dolphins are no stranger to selling young talent as they shipped Minkah Fitzpatrick to Pittsburgh for their first round pick. Fitzpatrick was drafted 11 overall in the 2018 NFL draft.
Von Miller
Von Miller has been a hot choice for Atlanta who desperately need a pass rusher. The only setback here is price. Whoever gets Miller will need to have alot of cap space available. Miller will account for $25m in cap for next season and $22m the following season. That’s a lot to ask for a guy who will be 31 in the offseason and only has 2.5 sacks this season. Offloading him could really allow for Denver to do a complete rebuild and compete in the AFC West vs Kansas City.
Marcus Mariota
Surely the Mariota experience in Tennessee has ended. Tennessee benched Marcus Mariota in favor of former Miami QB Ryan Tannehill. Tannehill won his first start for Tennessee this past Sunday against the LA Chargers. I don’t have any reason to believe that Tannehill is the future for tennessee, so it’s smart now to offload Mariota for a guy like Trubisky or a draft pick to get their potential next QB.
OJ Howard
OJ Howard has probably been the only bright spot on this offense this season. The Bucs have claimed they are not considering selling Howard, but then if they admit it, his value drops. New England, who needs TE help, have contacted the Bucs but were turned down. Similarly how New England over paid for Sanu, if they truly need TE improvements, expect them to come back stronger. I expect trade rumors to keep coming into the deadline.
Janoris Jenkins
Jenkins has been a guy have numerous trade rumors about. The CB market is hot right now as there are teams that desperately need that spot fixed. Would the Giants entertain the idea of sending Jenkins to Philadelphia, who have a huge hole in their defensive secondary. The main thing hurting his value right now is his cap hit. counting nearly $15m against the cap the remainder of this season and next. It is important to know that the Giants will not get a compensatory pick if they decide to cut him in the offseason. Plus with his cap hit next season, this move would seem like a half season rental instead of a long term answer. The best move here is trading him, even if it is within the division.
Honorable Mention: Josh Gordon
Josh Gordon’s time in New England has ended. The team placed him on IR due to knee injuries. Gordon had two bone bruises on his knee prior to the Thursday night matchup vs the Giants (where he exited early due to stressing his knees). New England plans to part ways with Gordon when he becomes healthy and waive him off of IR. This allows him to sign with another team. This makes sense as to why New England pursued former Atlanta wide receiver Mohamed Sanu. Buffalo really could benefit pursuing for Gordon or Green.
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