The NFL trade deadline passed at 4 p.m. ET on Halloween. Per usual, there were more tricks than treats among the trade rumors bandied about in advance of the deadline.
Players like Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, Jerry Jeudy and Chase Young saw their names mentioned often in trade rumors, but Young was ultimately the only one moved. Eight deals were completed in the 24 hours leading up to the trade deadline, but only a handful of prominent players — Young, Montez Sweat, Josh Dobbs and Leonard Williams — were moved.
Indeed, the NFL's trade deadline is unlike those of other sports. MLB and the NBA often see superstars change teams midseason as teams gear up for playoff runs — or head for rebuilds. That's much rarer in the NFL, as teams are more reluctant to give up long-term assets (draft picks) for short-term rentals given the length of the NFL season and the prevalence of injuries.
So, while Tuesday was a fairly active day for the NFL, it still paled in comparison to the blockbuster trades that fans expect in other leagues. Even so, there was enough excitement to keep fans engaged throughout the day on Halloween.
MORE DEADLINE: Live tracker | One move for every contender | 13 players on block
Below is a look at the most notable trades that occurred ahead of the 2023 NFL trade deadline and grades for how each team came out in the swap.
NFL trade deadline grades 2023
Bills trade for Packers DB Rasul Douglas
- Bills grade: A-
- Packers grade: B
The Bills were a bit thin in the secondary after Tre'Davious White's injury with 2022 first-round pick Kaiir Elam struggling. Now, they are adding an experienced, versatile defensive back to help fix that position.
Buffalo will be the fourth team of Douglas' seven-year NFL career. The 2017 third-round pick struggled in his early days but developed into a solid starter with the Packers, averaging 69 tackles, five interceptions and 15 pass defenses per 17 games played with them. He may end up being the Bills' No. 1 cornerback, so this seems like a solid get for the team.
The Packers are out of contention, so getting a third-round pick for the 29-year-old Douglas looks good on paper. However, it isn't great considering that they gave up a fifth-round pick as part of the deal and will now have to hope that Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes can stay healthy at cornerback, something they haven't been able to do in recent seasons.
So, this is solid for the Packers but it's also a bit unspectacular.
Lions trade for Browns WR Donovan Peoples-Jones
- Lions grade: B
- Browns grade: B+
The Lions didn't have a major need at receiver, but with Jameson Williams' shaky performance and Marvin Jones' departure from the team, adding a player to provide depth and upside makes sense.
Peoples-Jones checks both boxes. He hasn't been productive this season, catching just eight passes for 97 yards despite playing more snaps than any Cleveland receiver, but he generated 839 yards and three touchdowns on 61 catches in 2022. So, the Lions are likely banking on him having better chemistry with Jared Goff than he has with Deshaun Watson and PJ Walker.
Peoples-Jones is just 24, so he has upside that the Lions might be able to coax out of him. At the very least, his size and speed should make him good insurance in case Williams continues to struggle to adjust to the NFL game.
The Lions gave up just a sixth-round pick to get Peoples-Jones, so it's not a bad move for them. But Cleveland wins this trade because it will open up more reps for David Bell and Cedric Tillman to get work. Both are less experienced than DPJ and could be poised for breakouts in larger roles.
But all told, this is an even and understandable deal.
49ers trade for Commanders EDGE Chase Young
- 49ers grade: A+
- Commanders grade: B-
The 49ers lost three consecutive games going into their bye week, but they still have one of the best rosters in the NFC. Now, it's only getting better after the addition of Chase Young.
Young has been excellent so far this season, generating 18 pressures and five sacks while working in tandem with Montez Sweat. He has a way of blowing into the backfield to generate big plays and his abilities to do so should only improve as he works across from Nick Bosa.
For the 49ers, going after Young makes a lot of sense. They have financial flexibility thanks to Brock Purdy's contract, so they can try to extend the star defender after the season. Thus, they deserve high marks for this one.
As for the Commanders, they deserve a solid grade after getting a third-round pick for a pending free agent. Still, it's a bit odd to see them move on from both Sweat and Young, who are 27 and 24 respectively. Perhaps they weren't confident they could keep Young so they wanted to head toward a full-fledged edge rush rebuild.
But with Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen still in the middle of the defense, their line should still be equipped to get some pressure.
Jaguars trade for Vikings G Ezra Cleveland
- Jaguars grade: A
- Vikings grade: C
The Jaguars have one standout guard on the roster in former All-Pro Brandon Scherff. Now, they are adding another on the left side in Cleveland to help protect Trevor Lawrence.
The Jaguars haven't gotten strong play out of their left guards this season. Ben Bartch and Tyler Shatley have split time at the position, with Bartch allowing two sacks in 212 snaps (16th-most among NFL guards) and Shatley being graded as Pro Football Focus' 71st guard among 80 qualifiers.
Comparatively, Cleveland ranks eighth overall, has allowed just one sack and is still just 25 years old. He figures to be a long-term starter for the Jaguars who should fortify the line alongside Luke Fortner and Scherff.
While Cleveland is talented, he is also set to be a free agent and has been dealing with a foot injury that knocked him out of the last two games. Minnesota has gotten competent play out of veteran Dalton Risner in his absence, so they decided to offload him for a sixth-round pick.
It's not a sexy move for the Vikings, but if they weren't going to retain Cleveland, then it makes sense. It does hurt their depth, however, which could impact their ability to push for a wild-card berth.
Vikings trade for Cardinals QB Josh Dobbs
- Vikings grade: A-
- Cardinals grade: B+
The Vikings had only rookie Jaren Hall and practice squad quarterback Sean Mannion available once Kirk Cousins went down with a season-ending torn Achilles. Nick Mullens will eventually return from IR, but it wasn't clear whether any of these players had enough in the tank to get the Vikings to the playoffs.
Dobbs might not either, but gambling on him is a solid bet for the Vikings. Dobbs helped the Cardinals upset the Cowboys earlier in the season and has generally looked like a competent starter, completing 62.8 percent of his passes for 1,569 yards, five touchdowns and five interceptions on the season. He has achieved that despite working with a weaker supporting cast in Arizona; so, he should do better while surrounded by better weapons in Minnesota.
As for the Cardinals, Dobbs was a nice rental for them, but with Kyler Murray due back soon, he was merely a backup on their depth chart. They are now moving up to the sixth round from the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft while also getting a chance to see what rookie Clayton Tune can do as Murray prepares to return. That seems like a rock-solid maneuver for the team as they assess their future at the quarterback position.
Bears trade for Commanders EDGE Montez Sweat
- Bears grade: C-
- Commanders grade: A+
This trade makes little sense for the Bears. They are out of contention with a record of just 2-6, so surrendering a second-round pick to get Sweat, an impending free agent, seems like a strange decision.
That said, the Bears need pass rush help and have $111 million in cap space for the 2024 NFL season, per OverTheCap.com. So, they can afford to acquire Sweat, give him a significant contract and hope that the 27-year-old can continue to be a high-end pass rusher. He has 35.5 sacks in 67 career games, so he should give the Bears defense a boost moving forward.
Though Sweat is a good player, surrendering what is likely an early second-round pick to acquire him seems like a short-sighted play. It didn't work in the Chase Claypool trade, and it might not work here, either.
Still, Sweat has talent, so the Bears shouldn't be panned outright. They wanted to get a sure thing rather than gamble that their second-round pick would turn into a productive starter. But couldn't they have waited to add Sweat in free agency? That question knocks this grade down a few pegs.
As such, Washington wins this trade. The Commanders couldn't keep both Sweat and Chase Young as each approached free agency and they are getting a high-end asset to offload the older of the two assets. That should help Washington as it prepares for some potential leadership changes during the 2024 offseason.
Falcons trade for Eagles DL Kentavius Street
- Falcons grade: B
- Eagles grade: B+
The Falcons needed to add some defensive tackle help after losing Grady Jarrett to a torn ACL. Street should provide that and he came cheap, as he played sparingly with the Eagles. The Falcons had to only send a sixth-round pick for a seventh-round pick to acquire Street.
Street has logged three-plus sacks in the last two seasons but didn't log one for the Eagles in his limited playing time. He should bolster the Falcons' defensive tackle rotation, but Philadelphia wins this deal after getting an asset for a little-used player.
Seahawks trade for Giants DL Leonard Williams
- Seahawks grade: A
- Giants grade: B
The Seahawks already were averaging 3.7 sacks per game, good for the second-most in the NFL behind the Ravens. Now, they are adding Leonard Williams to the fold, a player who has recorded seven sacks per 17 games played since the start of the 2020 season. He has 22 pressures in 2023, per Pro Football Focus, so Williams' addition should improve an already strong-looking defensive front.
While Seattle gets the better end of this deal, the Giants were likely going to lose Williams to free agency after the season. Thus, getting a 2024 second-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick for him is solid considering that the most they would have received for Williams had he signed elsewhere was a 2025 third-round compensatory selection.
I'm told Seahawks will be paying Leonard Williams vet minimum prorated over final 9 games, per sources. #NYGiants are responsible for the rest, and they are reworking the contract to pay that out as a signing bonus, presumably to use 2024 void year to defer number for this year.
— Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) October 30, 2023
Thus, while the Giants are paying Williams to play elsewhere, this actually looks like a smart move in what is a rebuilding year for the team. So, like the Seahawks, they deserve positive marks for this move.
LIVE: Follow SN's live trade tracker for details on every deal
Eagles trade for Titans S Kevin Byard
- Eagles grade: A
- Titans grade: C
The Eagles' biggest weakness was in their secondary. They have now patched that by adding Byard, a two-time All-Pro who has logged 27 interceptions during his eight-year NFL career to date. He should be a good replacement for CJ Gardner-Johnson, who the Eagles never properly replaced after losing him in free agency, so Byard should fill that ball-hawking void while adding some leadership to the back end.
The Titans received safety Terrell Edmunds along with fifth- and sixth-round picks in the 2024 NFL Draft for Byard's services. That's an OK haul for a team that appears to be rebuilding, but it's worth wondering whether the team would have taken a different approach had they seen Will Levis start before trading Byard.
But the Titans elected to trade Byard on Oct. 23, so they may be left wondering what could have been if Levis is the real deal and can get them into the wild-card race.
