The 3 scariest trades that came out of the NFL’s trade deadline
The NFL trade deadline has come and gone and, while it was a snoozer for many teams around the league, several made their rosters look even more formidable with big-time additions. Indeed, fittingly as Halloween draws to a close, there are contenders who suddenly look a lot more frightening as we approach the second half […]
The NFL trade deadline has come and gone and, while it was a snoozer for many teams around the league, several made their rosters look even more formidable with big-time additions.
Indeed, fittingly as Halloween draws to a close, there are contenders who suddenly look a lot more frightening as we approach the second half of the season.
As the dust settles on a deadline that did not quite bring the hive of activity some might have anticipated, we analyze the three scariest trades that will give teams set to face a trio of Super Bowl hopefuls a lot more to keep them up at night.
The 3 scariest trades that came out of the NFL’s trade deadline
Chase Young to the 49ers
On paper, the San Francisco 49ers' much-vaunted defensive line was already extremely scary, but it has not played to the level most anticipated in recent weeks as the 5-3 Niners have lost three in a row.
The 49ers have only 18 sacks on the season, with reigning Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa accounting for three of them.
Bosa has found it much more difficult to get home on pressures this season, but he is still creating substantial disruption. The problem is across from him.
San Francisco defensive ends not named Bosa have just 1.5 sacks since Week 1, when Drake Jackson had three. Jackson and Clelin Ferrell have 14 pressures apiece with recent acquisition Randy Gregory tallying six. Bosa has 44, the third-most among NFL edge rushers.
Enter Chase Young. The 49ers pulled off the headline move of the trade deadline by acquiring the former Defensive Rookie of the Year and 2020 second overall pick for the scant price of a compensatory third-round pick in 2024. They will likely get a 2025 third-round pick back if he leaves in free agency next offseason.
Young's injury history likely played a role in the very reasonable opportunity cost, but this season he has been healthy and disruptive, tallying five sacks, nine quarterback hits and 38 pressures.
A monstrous athlete who wins with tremendous get-off, power and the ability to bend around the edge, reuniting Young with former Ohio State teammate Bosa gives the Niners potentially the most dynamic edge rushing duo in the NFL. The prospect of them playing on the same D-Line as Javon Hargrave and Arik Armstead is a mouth-watering one, at least for San Francisco.
For opponents, it raises concerns that the 49ers' surprise pass-rushing woes may soon be over. With Young on the other side, Bosa's almost incessant pressure on opposing quarterbacks may finally have the desired impact.
Kevin Byard to the Eagles
Safety was viewed as a weak spot in the Philaldephia Eagles' secondary. That may not be the case anymore after Howie Roseman delivered a scarcely needed reminder of his prowess in the trade market by bringing in Kevin Byard in a deal with the Tennessee Titans last Monday.
Philadelphia only gave up a fifth and a sixth-round pick in next year's draft, along with safety Terrell Edmunds, to land the two-time first-team All-Pro.
Byard brings leadership, versatility and playmaking ability to the Eagles defense, and each of those qualities was on display as he made his debut in the Week 8 win over the Commanders.
He played most of the game at free safety but also spent time in the slot and in the box, making seven tackles to help Philadelphia narrowly complete the season sweep of their NFC East rivals.
Byard and the Eagles' secondary will face a sterner test when they meet Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys' passing attack in Week 9. However, instead of seeing the safety spot as an area they can go after, opposing offenses now have to be wary of a ballhawk who can do damage from several areas of the field. Only once since his rookie year has the NFL interceptions leader from 2017 failed to have at least four picks in a season.
Playing behind the Eagles' vaunted defensive front, he should have plenty of opportunities to add to his career tally while helping speed the development of second-round rookie Sydney Brown.
With Byard in the picture, linebacker stands as the weakest area of the Philadelphia defense, but that's a deficiency he can help minimize as the 7-1 Eagles plot a return to the Super Bowl.
Rasul Douglas to the Bills
The Buffalo Bills have looked short at cornerback since losing Tre'Davious White, but a defense that throttled the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in primetime last week improved its odds of restricting more fearsome offenses with the addition of Rasul Douglas.
Buffalo sent a 2024 third-round pick to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for Douglas and a fifth-rounder in next year's draft.
Douglas' raw numbers this season do not paint the picture of an acquisition who should scare opposing passing games. He has allowed 23 catches on 34 targets for 274 yards and three touchdowns.
But those numbers tell a very incomplete story. Douglas has Pro Football Focus' 13th-best coverage grade among cornerbacks with at least 50 coverage snaps, with his performance in that metric reflective of a player who has the movement skills to match with number one receivers in man and the eye discipline and recognition abilities to excel in zone.
Douglas had nine interceptions over the course of his first two seasons in Green Bay and has already added to that tally with another this season, and his ball skills are further illustrated by his pass breakup numbers. He had 13 in 2021 and again in 2022. This year, he has six to his name.
In other words, the Bills are getting a scheme-diverse corner with a proven proclivity for making plays on the ball.
Much is dependent on Buffalo's ability to get a consistent tune out of Von Miller and Co. up front, but Douglas' addition is one that could create more nerves among their AFC rivals than people realize.
The 49ers, Eagles and Bills all have designs on once again going deep into January. All three of them have suffered shocks already this season in their efforts to win the ultimate prize, but their aggressive moves at the deadline should ensure opposing coaches preparing for them will have plenty to fear long after they have finished their Halloween candy.
NFL Power Rankings: Week 9
A to Z Sports breaks down the current trends in the NFL, with Week 9 of their NFL Power Rankings.
