NFL trade grades: Commanders swing big for lockdown CB Marshon Lattimore

The NFL hot stove has been burning for weeks now. Davante Adams, DeAndre Hopkins and Amari Cooper headlined the marquee names that have already been dealt, and there has already been a lot of action today. We’ll keep you updated on all the wheeling and dealing around the league with analysis and trade grades for every major move as we close in on the 4 p.m. ET deadline.

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Terms: The New York Jets traded wide receiver Mike Williams to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a fifth-round draft pick.

Why they made the move

Williams was never a fit with the Jets. He tore his ACL last season with the Los Angeles Chargers and signed a one-year, $10 million contract with New York hoping to find a spark with quarterback Aaron Rodgers to get himself in position for a bigger deal.

But it never materialized, and a move like this seemed inevitable when Rodgers called out Williams for running the wrong route late in a loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Since that point, Williams has two catches on seven targets for 21 yards. He’ll conclude his Jets tenure with 12 receptions, 166 yards and no touchdowns.

The Steelers have found some offensive mojo since making the switch to quarterback Russell Wilson, but they needed a little more help at receiver. Williams hasn’t been the most consistent receiver throughout his career, but he does pose a big-play threat, which should mesh well with Wilson’s deep-ball ability.

Steelers grade: B

If Williams can make an impact on throws down the sideline, it’ll open up so much more for wideout George Pickens and tight end Pat Freiermuth. Running back Najee Harris also has been reaping the benefits of Wilson’s downfield game, and Williams’ addition should enhance that approach.

This is an upgrade at the No. 2 receiver spot. Calvin Austin and Van Jefferson can slide down and potentially add to the production over the middle of the field. Williams will either draw one-on-one coverage or open additional opportunities for Freiermuth.

The Steelers once again have one of the league’s best defenses. If the offense continues to build upon what it’s shown in Wilson’s two starts, no one will want to see the Steelers in the playoffs.

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Jets grade: B+

That’s a solid return for a player who never fit with Rodgers, especially since teams knew Williams was readily available.

The Jets missed on the signing, but they nailed the trade compensation. They flipped a rental player for a Saturday pick and unloaded salary in the process. Williams was a non-factor prior to the Davante Adams trade, and it didn’t seem like anything was about to change in that regard.

Commanders acquire CB Marshon Lattimore from Saints

Terms: The New Orleans Saints traded cornerback Marshon Lattimore and a 2025 fifth-round draft pick to the Washington Commanders for 2025 third-, fourth- and sixth-round picks. (The sixth-round pick was originally the Saints’ selection, which the Commanders previously acquired in the John Ridgeway deal.)

Why they made the move

The Commanders’ rebuild has been on super drive this season, as rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels has vaulted them to the top of the NFC East with a 7-2 record. It’s a new era in D.C. with a turnover in ownership, the front office and coaching staff, and they’re capitalizing on their hot start.

They needed help in the secondary, and Lattimore is a ferocious competitor who doesn’t shy away from marquee receivers. He’ll likely draw A.J. Brown when the Commanders meet the Philadelphia Eagles twice down the stretch, and Lattimore will be a valuable piece if they’re going to win a playoff game for the first time in 19 years.

Lattimore has drawn trade interest for a while, and the reeling Saints just fired coach Dennis Allen. There’s the potential for a reset coming in the offseason, and the Saints have been rolling over dead money for years. It might be time to balance that budget with a more aggressive rebuild, with the Lattimore trade getting that started.

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Commanders grade: A-

The Commanders, who are closing in on their first winning record since 2016 and potentially just their third 10-win season since 2000, aren’t taking anything for granted. Lattimore, 28, is a four-time Pro Bowler who should be part of the team’s long-term plans.

Lattimore is under contract for two more years, including base salaries of $16 million in 2025 and $16.5 million in 2026. That’s a friendly price for a No. 1 cornerback, particularly with a quarterback on a rookie contract.

There is some injury risk here, however. Lattimore missed a couple games with a hamstring injury and missed 17 games over the previous two seasons.

But the Commanders had extra draft capital due to being sellers last year, and this was a move worth making.

Saints grade: A-

As deadline moves go, this was a pretty significant return for the Saints.

It’s still got to sting to give up one of their best players, particularly one who is still in his prime, but it looks like the Saints are being honest with themselves. They’ve sold out year after year to attempt to remain in contention in the NFC South, but they haven’t made the playoffs since quarterback Drew Brees retired.

With the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers clearly ahead of them in the division, the Saints needed to adjust the strategy.

Terms: The Carolina Panthers traded wide receiver Jonathan Mingo and a 2025 seventh-round draft pick to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2025 fourth-round pick.

Why they made the move

The Panthers have sunk further into a rebuild this season with Bryce Young’s early benching — though he might the starter again — and enough losses to already virtually guarantee a seventh consecutive sub-.500 season. The Panthers shouldn’t be hanging up the phone if anyone calls about a trade.

Mingo, a 2023 second-round pick, had apparently fallen out of favor with first-year coach Dave Canales. After averaging 48.7 snaps per game from Weeks 3-5, Mingo has played 15 or fewer snaps in two of the past three games.

The Cowboys are curious buyers, but this seems to be a more of a long-term investment. Quarterback Dak Prescott is expected to land on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, and the Cowboys need a miracle to get back into playoff contention.

However, they need help at receiver, and Mingo is under contract through 2026. He’s got plenty of physical ability but needs to polish his game to reach his potential. The Cowboys liked Mingo before the draft and now get a chance to work with him.

Cowboys grade: Uhhh…

On one hand, it’s jolting that Mingo went for a similar price as DeAndre Hopkins. But this isn’t about comparing résumés. The Cowboys ponied up a fourth-rounder because the 23-year-old has two-plus seasons remaining on his rookie contract.

There’s not much likelihood the Cowboys get much return on their investment this season. But if Mingo turns into a solid second or third option behind CeeDee Lamb, no one will be dunking on the Cowboys for spending a Saturday pick on a receiver with upside.

Will McClay has done a strong job of identifying talent in the draft, and the Cowboys have a decent track record of developing receivers. In this case, it might just be OK to trust that the Cowboys know what they’re doing.

But if they miss? It’ll be an easy second guess. Mingo has 55 receptions for 539 yards and no touchdowns in 24 career games, so the pick hasn’t exactly worked out. Then again, very little has gone right for the Panthers in recent history, so it’s entirely possible Mingo’s lack of production is more about the overall operation than anything he’s done.

Panthers grade: B

At first glance, the Panthers deserve a ton of credit for getting a fourth-rounder for a receiver who wasn’t meshing with Canales. Mingo only had 12 catches for 121 yards this season and had fallen behind rookies Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker on the depth chart. Mingo also has half the statistical production of rookie tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders.

Even before the trade, it wouldn’t have been a shock if Mingo wasn’t on the Panthers’ roster in Week 1 of 2025, so good on them for turning him into a decent asset.

But this is still a quick admission of a draft whiff, and general manager Dan Morgan had a lot of sway with the 2023 class. It’s one thing when a new regime cuts ties with a previous regime’s investments, but this isn’t a wholly new regime.

For that, the Panthers get docked in the trade grade.

Terms: The Chicago Bears traded running back Khalil Herbert to the Cincinnati Bengals for a 2025 seventh-round pick.

Why they made the trade

The Bengals (4-5) became desperate for running back depth after a neck injury suffered last week ended Zack Moss’ season, leaving starter Chase Brown with very little backup. Cincinnati has newfound playoff hopes after Sunday’s win over the Raiders but wasn’t comfortable putting a massive workload on Brown for the second half of the season. Herbert is expected to fill a similar role to Moss handling passing downs and relieving Brown.

The only other running backs on Cincinnati’s roster are Trayveon Williams and Kendall Milton.

The Bears (4-4) have prioritized running backs D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson, so the former sixth-round pick Herbert was no longer much of a factor, becoming a healthy scratch the past two weeks. This is the final season of Herbert’s rookie contract, and the team didn’t intend to re-sign him, so getting any draft capital for him was worthwhile.

Bengals grade: A

That can really just be an A for effort. In a world where the Bengals have only acquired one player via in-season trade (BJ Finney in 2020, as Carlos Dunlap went nuclear forcing his way out the door) in five decades, this participation serves as a positive sign. It also shows the level of desperation with Moss likely for the season.

Herbert brings a history of breaking tackles and creating explosive plays; he merely got buried on the depth chart in Chicago. He won’t be buried in Cincinnati and can help preserve Brown, who will continue to be the driving force on the ground through the rest of the year.

Considering Moss wasn’t bringing the explosiveness they’d hoped to see when they signed him, Herbert could even end up a significant upgrade. Not only did he average 4.9 yards per carry the last two seasons, but he’s now had half a year to steam with two months before he hits the open market as a free agency for the most important contract of his career. He instantly tweeted, “Thank you God,” following the deal. The Bengals look to be receiving the best version of a player who’s had some notable highs in this league (5.7 yards per carry on 129 rushes in 2022). Considering they are only giving up a seventh-round pick after rostering 12 rookies this past year, that’s essentially gaining a player for nothing. There’s plenty to like beyond just participation from the Bengals side. — Paul Dehner Jr.

Bears grade: B

A seventh-round pick is slightly more than nothing. The only thing of less value would’ve been a conditional seventh. This might have been a situation where the general manager, Ryan Poles, is doing right by a player who was no longer part of the team’s game-day plans.

Herbert had reportedly asked for a trade once he became a healthy scratch, and while Poles certainly could’ve held onto Herbert for depth purposes — he’s a better running back than the current No. 3, Travis Homer, and he has special teams value — instead, Poles gets a draft pick and does Herbert a favor by sending him to a more competitive team.

While the Johnson draft pick in 2023 and the free-agent addition of Swift both previewed this move, it didn’t make a ton of sense that the coaching staff didn’t have use for Herbert earlier this season when the run game was scuffling. Now that Swift is playing better and Johnson and Homer are healthy, Herbert was relegated to the bench, and as a Ryan Pace draft pick, he was unlikely to be part of any long-term plans. It’s hard to celebrate a seventh-round pick, but the Bears got some draft capital and helped out their now-former player. — Kevin Fishbain

Terms: The Cleveland Browns traded defensive end Za’Darius Smith and a 2026 seventh-round pick to the Detroit Lions for a 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2026 sixth-round pick.

Why they made the move

The Lions have been looking for pass rushers since Aidan Hutchinson broke his leg three weeks ago. While they’re still viewed as legitimate Super Bowl contenders without Hutchinson, they surely didn’t want to stand pat at the position considering no one else on the roster has more than 2.5 sacks this season.

Smith, 32, will hardly fill the entirety of Hutchinson’s void, but he’s still got something left in the tank. He has five sacks this season — it certainly helps to play across from reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett — and had 10 sacks in 2022. His pressure rate this year (13.9%) is the same as Khalil Mack’s.

Smith was one of the league’s better pass rushers from 2018-20 when he totaled 34.5 sacks.

The Browns (2-7) aren’t making it back to the playoffs this season, and the organization overall is at a crossroads. They’ve failed to meet expectations and didn’t get anything from injured quarterback Deshaun Watson, who is on the books for another two years. The Browns are likely about to shed payroll to be able to afford all of Watson’s guaranteed money under the salary cap.

Lions grade: B

We’ll see how Smith produces as opponents treat him as the Lions’ top pass rusher, but the Lions paid a budget price for a solid player. He’s also under contract through 2025, though the Lions might need to adjust his contract if they choose to keep him beyond this season.

The Lions aren’t going to miss these picks, not with how well they’ve filled the roster through the draft under general manager Brad Holmes. This was an easy trade to make, though it wouldn’t be a bad idea to continue looking for help on the edge if pass rushers continue to go for Saturday draft picks.

Browns grade: C+

The whole league knew Smith was available, so a fifth-round return – plus a late-round jump in 2026 – is a pretty decent return.

The Browns are about to be in a world of hurt with Watson’s back-to-back $72.935 million cap hits, and they’re going to have to unload veteran contracts to make that work. They started that process Tuesday by parting with a veteran who wasn’t in their long-term plans.

Terms: The Denver Broncos traded edge rusher Baron Browning to the Arizona Cardinals for a 2025 sixth-round draft pick.

Why they made the move

The Cardinals have been poking around for pass rush help — they’re 29th in the NFL in pressure rate at 29.3% (league average is 34%), according to Pro Football Focus — and Browning had fallen down the Broncos’ depth chart due to injuries and an emphasis on youth.

Browning, a third-round pick in 2021, is in the final year of his contract. He’s flashed his potential at times with 9.5 sacks over 24 games from 2022-23, but injuries have been part of his story since he entered the league. He was on injured reserve earlier this season with a foot issue and doesn’t have a sack in five games, including two starts.

The Broncos traded linebackers Von Miller and Bradley Chubb before the deadline in 2021 and 2022, partly hoping Browning could make more of an impact with a bigger opportunity. Head coach Sean Payton took over in 2023 and has since deferred to Jonathon Cooper, Nik Bonitto and Jonah Elliss.

The Cardinals, meanwhile, just jumped into first place in the NFC West with a three-game winning streak against the Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins and Chicago Bears. The upstarts’ staying power seems real, particularly while the rest of the division deals with a rash of injuries.

The Cardinals are tied for 13th with 21 sacks this season, but that included a half dozen takedowns of Caleb Williams on Sunday. They needed more of a boost to maintain their consistency against better offensive lines down the stretch.

Cardinals grade: B-

General manager Monti Ossenfort has been patient and disciplined with his roster construction both through the draft and free agency. His approach has impressed rival executives, and the Cardinals’ rebuild has been on a faster track than many expected when he took over with coach Jonathan Gannon in 2023.

The Cardinals aren’t going to miss the draft pick — doubly so because they’ve done a good job with their selections for a couple years. Now they’ve got a chance to tap into Browning’s potential. Maybe the defensive-minded Gannon can find something the Broncos hadn’t. Browning, 25, is hardly a finished product.

Broncos grade: C+

It’s a little surprising the Broncos would be selling, especially with the defense being the main reason they’ve won five of their last seven games. But they’ve also been winning without Browning being a big contributor.

Payton is decisive when it comes to moves like this. He’s probably known for a while Browning wouldn’t be part of the offseason plans, and this type of move suggests the edge rusher also wasn’t going to have much of a role in the second half of the season.

Considering the Broncos are still scrambling from a cap standpoint after the Russell Wilson release, it is at least mildly useful to save roughly $1.5 million by moving Browning

More trade grades:

• Diontae Johnson: Ravens load up for Super Bowl run; Panthers focus on future
• Josh Uche: Chiefs can’t lose with high-upside deal; Patriots enter sell mode
• DeAndre Hopkins: Chiefs get Patrick Mahomes the help he desperately needed
• Davante Adams: Kudos to Jets for pushing all in; why did Raiders wait so long?
• Amari Cooper: Bills load up; Browns try to make best of bad situation

(Photo of Marshon Lattimore: Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images) 



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