The NFL trade deadline market is never as robust as what we see in the NBA and Major League Baseball. But with the league having pushed the date later into the season, more teams see the writing on the wall for this year, and more of them become willing to move players who are no longer in their future plans.
All they need is a trade partner who thinks of themselves as a Super Bowl contender.
Detroit Lions Acquire Za’Darius Smith
Even with star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson sidelined for the rest of the season, the Detroit Lions have been playing like the best team in the NFL. They’ve won six straight games, they are paying -105 to be the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs, and they are 3.5-point favorites this Sunday at the Houston Texans.
But eventually, the loss of Hutchinson will hurt, so on Tuesday they filled that hole at pass rusher by trading for Za’Darius Smith, who this season was playing for the Cleveland Browns. He comes to Detroit with five sacks and 26 quarterback pressures on the year (more than any current Lion). In exchange, Cleveland gets a 2025 fifth- and sixth-round draft pick.
Pittsburgh Steelers Make Pair of Trades
The Pittsburgh Steelers are in first place, but are not the betting favorite to finish on top of the NFC North. Both of their games with the Baltimore Ravens still lie ahead, and it is the Ravens who are favored to take the division (-185).
However, Pittsburgh is better today than it was on Monday, and as they come off their bye week and hit the hardest two weeks of their schedule – at the Washington Commanders and home vs. the Ravens – they have new and important pieces.
The Steelers’ desire to get a wide receiver was the worst-kept secret of the trade deadline, and they finally got one in Mike Williams. He was on the outside of Aaron Rodgers’ inner circle with the New York Jets. But in Pittsburgh, he gives the offense a big body who can win 50/50 balls. His presence will also allow the Steelers to move George Pickens around the field more.
Williams cost the Steelers a fifth-round draft pick, and they’re also without their seventh-round pick after making a trade for Green Bay Packers edge rusher Preston Smith. He’s not going to start with T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith in place, but Smith will become a rotational piece that makes the Pittsburgh defensive line even better.
The Steelers head to Washington on Sunday as 2.5-point underdogs.
Baltimore Ravens Add a Cornerback
Tre’Davious White is a former First-Team All-Pro, a two-time Pro Bowler, and he is the answer to the trivia question: Who did the Buffalo Bills draft with the first-round pick they received from the Kansas City Chiefs for Patrick Mahomes?
He is no longer that player after an ACL tear in 2021 and an Achilles tear in 2023. For the Rams this season, he has played in just four games, while being a healthy scratch in four others. But the Ravens need help in their secondary, and if White has anything left in the tank, the veteran will give it all to Baltimore.
The Ravens get White and a 2027 seventh-round pick, and send the Rams a 2026 sixth-round pick, so the gamble is worth the small price.
Washington Commanders Ready to Compete
Every team that begins a season with a rookie quarterback is optimistic, but also realistic. As a general rule, you won’t compete for a Super Bowl when you start your offense over with a rookie quarterback. But general rules don’t apply to Jayden Daniels (the heavy -1400 favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year), and they don’t apply to the first-place Commanders.
The offense is humming, but the defense needed an upgrade. That is exactly what they got by trading for New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore, a four-time Pro Bowler and former Defensive Rookie of the Year.
The price was steep, considering the other deals that were being made. The Commanders get Lattimore and a fifth-round pick, while the Saints get third-, fourth-, and sixth-round picks. But by paying the price, the team is sending a message to its players, fans, and opponents. The Commanders aren’t satisfied with being competitive with Daniels at quarterback. They want to be champions.
The Commanders are paying +1000 to win the NFC, which would send them to the Super Bowl for the first time in 33 years.
With over 25 years of experience as a distinguished sports writer for renowned platforms such as Fox Sports and ESPN, Kyle Garlett is a sports betting specialist who has been at the forefront of documenting the global surge in sports betting and online gaming. Based in Denver, Colorado, Kyle hosts an NFL betting YouTube show and podcast. Kyle also has two sports books published by HarperCollins.
Kyle graduated the Azusa Pacific University in 1996 with a B.A. Degree in Communication and Journalism.
