A busy month of NFL trading ended with an anticlimactic thud Tuesday, when the Oct. 29 trade deadline came and went with only one deal going down — the Rams trading Aqib Talib to the Dolphins in a salary dump — on deadline day.
Yet that kind of inaction was a positive development for a handful of NFL teams and players. For others, the NFL trade deadline should have spurred more action.
The teams that pulled off the only trade of NFL deadline day both came away winners in a deal that was a no-brainer, but other teams approached their dealings with unnecessary apprehension.
At least one contender failed to pad its roster with additional talent, and at least one hopeless team failed to invest in its future. Those two are included as losers from the NFL trade deadline because of their negligence, but inactivity also resulted in a trade-deadline winner.
MORE NFL TRADE DEADLINE:
Full list of deals completed before the deadline
NFL trade deadline winners and losers
Loser: Eagles
Philadelphia's interest in a cornerback addition as the NFL deadline neared was a poorly kept secret, with the team's reported pursuit of Jalen Ramsey being the most notable development. And while the Rams sent a hefty haul to the Jaguars in exchange for the talented corner, at least one player in the Eagles' locker room was disappointed his team didn't make an aggressive move.
Same deal as the deadline passed: With Philly hoping to benefit from the return of Avonte Maddox in the lineup with Ronald Darby and Jalen Mills, general manager Howie Roseman evidently is banking on the continued health of a handful of corners whose injuries have in part led to the Eagles allowing 256.1 passing yards per game this season. That, or the Eagles don't consider themselves a Super Bowl contender. Or — and this would be the worst-case scenario — both.
Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr. could have been had for a second-round pick, according to NFL Media, and the Eagles (plus five other teams) reportedly were interested. It would have been an aggressive move, yes, but the inaction was telling.
Winner: Jets
That breeze you just felt was the result of Jets fans breathing a collective sigh of relief. The idea of New York trading Le'Veon Bell was one thing; even though he remains a great player, there appears to be at best a disconnect and at worst disdain between coach Adam Gase and the running back. The idea of trading Jamal Adams was another story.
The third-year safety is a 24-year-old Pro Bowler, which is why teams like the Cowboys and Ravens were quick to call the Jets about Adams once they heard New York GM Joe Douglas was willing to listen to offers on anybody but Sam Darnold and Quinnen Williams. So kudos to Douglas for holding firm on his high price tag of at least a first-rounder and two second-rounders (per NFL Media).
Now the Jets can move forward with a young, talented player whose impact would have been difficult to replace in the draft.
Loser: Le'Veon Bell
We know — Bell claims he is "happy as hell to be a Jet." But dare we suggest he might be just as happy to be a Chief.
There are conflicting reports on whether Kansas City and/or Houston were possibilities as trade partners for New York, but the apparent lack of legitimate interest in Bell was surprising for such a talented player despite the hefty cap hit he will carry in 2020.
Good on Bell for the positive spin on social media, but the reality is he is stuck on a hopeless team — for the short term, at least — playing under a coach and GM who don't seem committed to him. New York's willingness to listen to offers for Bell at the trade deadline suggests it will do the same after the season. If the 27-year-old's future is cloudy, it might as well be cloudy while he plays for a contender.
Winner: Rams
The Rams apparently had one goal to meet before the trade deadline: Somehow find a team willing to take on the $4.24 million left on injured cornerback Aqib Talib's contract. Mission accomplished.
The Dolphins' compensation, a near-worthless 2022 seventh-round draft pick, was irrelevant. All Miami cared about was the 2020 fifth-round pick Los Angeles sent with Talib, who remains on IR and might never play a snap for the Dolphins.
And for the Rams, still a Super Bowl contender, the value of that 2020 fifth-round pick was low in relation to the team's need to free up money as it prepares to pay the likes of newly acquired corner Jalen Ramsey.
Loser: Bengals
Cincinnati had enough self-awareness Tuesday to bench quarterback Andy Dalton halfway through its lost season, allowing rookie Ryan Finley an audition for his future with the franchise. At the same time, though, the Bengals' typical inaction at the trade deadline signaled a lack of self-awareness.
Mike Brown's team could have dealt a handful of players before Tuesday in an effort to compile draft assets ahead of an obvious rebuilding situation, but the most logical player to dangle on the market was 31-year-old wide receiver A.J. Green. And this doesn't appear to be a case of the price on Green being too high as a result of the Patriots sending a second-round pick to the Falcons for Mohamed Sanu. It was just ignorance.
"There's a lot of interest in A.J. Green," CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora reported Tuesday. "Will the Bengals do the obvious or will they keep their head in the sand and say, 'We're diametrically opposed to making trades and it's not what we do and we don't want to help other football teams,' which is the messaging they're putting out there."
They chose the latter.
Winner: Dolphins
The Rams and Dolphins were perfect partners for this trade-deadline dance. As mentioned, the Rams needed to dump what was left on Talib's salary, and the Dolphins are in the business of acquiring as many draft picks as possible as they rebuild their roster. In 2019, with plenty of cap flexibility, Miami didn't care what dollar figure was attached to Talib's expiring contract.
So, assuming Talib will be off the books in 2020, the Dolphins essentially traded a 2022 seventh-round pick for a 2020 fifth-round pick. At least Miami is pairing its apparent tanking with some sound trading.
Loser: A.J. Green
When Green returns from his foot injury, he will join a winless team that's giving a fourth-round rookie quarterback a tryout in actual games. Green will be a free agent in 2020, but at 31, he is running out of time to be a key part of a team that can advance beyond the wild-card round of the playoffs.
Because the Bengals never considered trading Green, we'll never know what teams would have been willing to make an aggressive move for the seven-time Pro Bowler before the deadline. But because teams like the Packers, Saints and Patriots at various points were considered logical fits, Green has to be wondering what could have been.