After a wild eight weeks of football, one of the most exciting days of the NFL is here, trade deadline. Some teams look to make huge improvements to their squad to compete for the superbowl while other teams make moves to build for the franchise’s future.

     The Minnesota Vikings have had issues at the tight end position this year due to Kyle Rudolph leaving the team in free agency and Irv Smith Jr.’s season ending injury. They traded a 2022 fourth round pick to the New York Jets for tight end Chris Herndon and a 2022 sixth round pick. This trade solves their issues at the position by adding Herndon, a young, solid player.

     All NFL fans know the Houston Texans are rebuilding. They traded cornerback Bradley Roby to the New Orleans Saints for a 2022 third round pick and a 2023 conditional sixth round pick. This addition is huge now that they paired Roby up with superstar cornerback Marshawn Lattimore.

     A shocking move involving the Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers happened, where the Jaguars sent former first round pick, cornerback C.J Henderson to the Panthers for tight end Dan Arnold and a 2022 third round pick. The Panthers get a potential future Pro Bowler cornerback for a very low cost. The Jaguars took a huge bet giving up on Henderson already, but at least got an okay return.

     Reports made by NFL insiders stated that the New England Patriots were going to release five-time Pro Bowl cornerback Stephon Gilmore, but before they could, the Carolina Panthers offered the Patriots a 2023 sixth round pick for Gilmore, and they accepted the trade. This makes the Panthers defense a lot better due to Gilmors ability to lockdown receivers and get interceptions.

     Jack Cushman, Varsity quarterback for Foran, who is also a Patriots fan says, “It’s a big loss for the Patriots, he was the anchor in the secondary.”

     The Philadelphia Eagles made a move for the future as well, trading three-time Pro Bowler tight end Zach Ertz to the Arizona Cardinals for rookie cornerback Tay Gowen and a 2022 fifth round pick. It’s a win win for both teams, Arizona adds another weapon for Kyler Murray while the Eagles build for the future and let tight end Dallas Goedert get more targets.

     Varsity football player Joe Gaetano comments on Zach Ertz saying, “He’s really good in the pass game and will be a great addition for blocking.”

     The New York Jets send a conditional sixth round pick to the Eagles for quarterback Joe Flacco. This move adds depth at the position due to Zach Wilson’s injury. Flacco is a great veteran that will help in the locker room and teach younger players. He’s not a new face to the team either. He played with the Jets the year prior.

     The New Orleans Saints add a familiar face to their team as well, sending a 2024 seventh round pick to the Houston Texans for running back Mark Ingram. This trade adds solid depth to the position, and didn’t give up much value either. Ingram is a great veteran running back that made three Pro Bowls.

     The biggest trade of the deadline is the Von Miller trade to the Los Angeles Rams. The Denver Broncos sent defensive end Von Miller to the Rams for 2022 second and third round draft picks. Miller is a eight-time Pro Bowler since entering the league in 2011. He helped the Broncos win Super Bowl 50 and won the MVP award for that game. The Rams arguably had the best defense before the trade, and now adding Miller makes their defense even better. 

     The Kansas City Chiefs have had a rough year, especially on defense. So they sent a 2022 sixth round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers for outside linebacker Melvin Ingram. Ingram is a three-time Pro Bowler and will add a spark on defense for the Chiefs which is what they need.

     The Chiefs made another trade, this time sending guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif to the New York Jets for Tight End Daniel Brown. This trade doesn’t do much to the teams, but does add depth for them. The Jets have a horrible offensive line so they hope this addition helps them there.