Tuesday’s 4 pm EST NFL trade deadline came upon us quickly and there’s much to discuss. While there were plenty of deals made in the last couple of weeks, I’ll be diving into three of the most important ones and giving grades for each team involved. Without further ado, let’s dive in.
Grading 3 Most Important NFL Trade Deadlines Deals
1. Saints trade CB Marshon Lattimore to Commanders
Saints receive: CB Marshon Lattimore and 2025 5th-round pick
Commanders receive: 2025 Third-round pick, 2025 fourth-round pick, 2025 sixth-round pick
Everyone knew the Saints were going to deal their top cornerback Marshon Lattimore, the only question was to who. The Commanders won the bidding process, though they did have to give up two valuable picks in this upcoming draft. However, for a team on the edge of a surprising division championship, the time to buy is now. They were in dire need of talent at the corner position, as their former group was severely lacking. With Lattimore, the Commanders have a guy they can leave on an island and won’t have to worry about.
For the Saints, this is about as much value as you could’ve asked for. To get a day two pick and two day three picks is a testament to General Manager Micky Loomis getting value out of his roster. Their secondary will take an immediate hit although they do have solid depth behind him. Loomis’ move will now clear up a spot to develop second-round pick Kool-Aid McKinistry.
Commanders: A-
Saints: B
2. Browns trade DE Za’Darius Smith to Lions
Lions receive: DE Za’Darius Smith and 2026 seventh-round pick
Browns receive: 2025 fifth-round pick and 2026 sixth-round pick
The deal that had been rumored for weeks finally came true on Tuesday morning. Smith had long been rumored as a target for the Lions since star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson broke his leg earlier in the season. They look like the team to beat in the NFC and didn’t want to waste any chances with their Super Bowl window open. Though Smith isn’t the player he used to be at 32, he can still be plenty useful off the edge, as seen in his 5.0 sacks on the season. He’s still under contract on a cheap deal in 2025. Lions General Manager Brad Holmes pulled off a fantastic deal.
Cleveland is in freefall mode, not uncommon for them midway through the season. They’re right to get value for players while they still can, however, they likely could’ve gotten a bit more than what they asked for here. Smith is still one of the best pass rushers in the league so to get an upgraded day 3 pick as well as an additional one, won’t move the needle much.
Lions: A
Browns: C
3. Jaguars trade OT Cam Robinson to Vikings
Vikings receive: Robinson, 2026 conditional seventh-round pick
Jaguars receive: 2026 conditional fifth-round pick (Could become fourth)
This is a move that made sense for both teams. In Minnesota’s case, they were extremely desperate for left tackle help after their stalwart at the position, Christian Darrisaw, suffered a season-ending injury just a couple of weeks ago. Though Robinson isn’t the player Darrisaw is, he’s regarded as an above-average left tackle in the current NFL. As far as replacement options for Darrisaw went, Robinson was close to if not at the top. Downgrading a pick 2-3 rounds to stay in contention is a worthy cost.
Similar to the Browns, the Jaguars are also in free-fall mode. Robinson was set to be a free agent after the year and with swing tackle Walker Little showing promise, it made sense to get rid of their former starter. Jacksonville doesn’t have any playoff hopes so the focus of the rest of the season should be on how to put the best team possible around Trevor Lawrence in 2025. To let their possible left tackle of the future get some more playing time is a move that could pay dividends in the future. If this pick gets converted to a 4th rounder, the Jaguars will get a tremendous deal.
Vikings: A-
Jaguars: B-
Main Image: © Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
