The rush before the deadline happens every year in the NFL. With the unexpected standings throughout the league, the trade deadline was bound to be active and it was with one of the more historical rushes before the deadline and nearly every team piping up in some way.

Here are some of the more notable moves that have taken place coming up to the deadline.

Chiefs Receive Kadarius Toney

Chiefs Receive: Kadarius Toney

Giants Receive: 2023 third-round pick and a sixth-round pick

The first major trade leading up to the Nov. 4 deadline was the Chiefs deal to acquire Wide Receiver Kadarius Toney from the New York Giants. Neither team emerges as a loser in this trade, the Chiefs offense becomes even more explosive and the Giants get a player that tends to be injury prone off their roster.

The one detail to come out of the trade that was unexpected was the tweet that Toney sent out following the trade. What comes to be of Toney on the Chiefs is hard to determine, the one conclusion that can be drawn is that if Toney is as healthy as described, the team’s offense will become far more dangerous under the lead of Patrick Mahomes.

Winner: Chiefs

T.J. Hockenson to Vikings

Vikings Receive: T.J. Hockenson, 2023 fourth-round pick, conditional fourth-round pick in 2024. Placed Tight End Irv Smith Jr. on injured reserve

Lions Receives: 2023 second-round pick and 2024 third-round draft pick. 

Hockenson is in the upper-echelon of tight ends in the league, and with the information of TE Irv Smith Jr. being out for eight to ten weeks, the move makes a lot of sense for the Vikings. The Vikings have a 6-1 record and are in contention for the Super Bowl. While Detroit does not have to worry about paying Hockenson, if Detroit was able to get out of the trade without sending over two fourth-round picks, the trade would have appeared better for them, but losing two picks in the fourth round seems to be a little on the costly side.
Winner: Minnesota Vikings

Chase Claypool Traded to Chicago Bears

Bears Receive: Chase Claypool

Steelers Receive: 2023 second-round pick

Chase Claypool is very likely to become an influential receiver in the Bears’ game plan, but initially the trade does not appear to be in favor of the Bears. Of course, the addition of Claypool will strengthen the Bears’ receiving core, yet it seems like a last ditch effort to prove Justin Fields can work into the passing game.

The return for the Steelers is perfect for their situation. With this season possibly ending up becoming the first losing season for Head Coach Mike Tomlin, the Steelers look to be entering a very short rebuild. Adding a second round pick, even if giving up an influential receiver, is going to end up benefiting a team such as the Steelers who have a strong background with previous draft choices.

Winner: Chicago Bears

Christian McCaffery is Traded Away From Panthers

Panthers Receive: 2023 second, third and fourth-round draft picks, 2024 conditional fifth-round pick

49ers Receive: Christian McCaffery

Although the Carolina Panthers were expected to move one of their major stars, the trade deadline made some noise. Initially, the 49ers were not expected to make a run for McCaffery, as the Bills appeared to be the top contender. Though the trade makes sense for the 49ers, the trade is more likely to benefit them next year or years after Trey Lance returns, since the team does not really fall into the contenders category this year. The one problem was the amount of future that the 49ers sacrificed.

The return the Panthers received makes a lot of sense for their current team stature. The team is likely going to end up with one of the top quarterback prospects in the draft, so adding more draft picks later on could be used to build up the offensive line, receiving core, and defense. The Panthers team is not in the greatest situation in any facet, so adding more draft picks is the best option for them to do until they can build around a franchise quarterback.

Winner: Carolina Panthers

Ravens Acquire Roquan Smith

Ravens Receive: Roquan Smith

Bears Receive: 2023 second and fifth-round pick, LB A.J. Klein

After making it roughly halfway through the season, the clear biggest gap in the Ravens defense if the linebacker play. Although Patick Queen has had a solid season, none of the other Raven linebackers have really been serviceable. The addition of Roquan Smith, who leads the league with tackles and also is a very serviceable coverage linebacker, will make the middle of the field much harder to get through.

The Bears on the other hand did not lose the trade at all, Smith is relatively recognized as a rental to the Ravens this season, as he is on the last year of his deal. Getting a player who had no intention of resigning off the team’s hands and getting two picks in return is more than many teams can ask for.

Winner: Bears

Bradley Chubb Sent to Dolphins

Dolphins Receive: Bradley Chubb and 2025 fifth-round pick

Broncos Receive: 2023 first-round pick, 2024 fourth-round pick and RB Chase Edmonds

The Dolphins, while Tua Tagovailoa has been healthy, have not lost a game this season. Even if that does not automatically make them contenders, it is a great sign for this year, as well as the next few. Almost immediately following the trade, Chubb was given a $110 million extension, keeping him with the Dolphins for the next five years. With the Dolphins teetering on the border of being contenders, the move makes sense for the team, giving up a first-round pick that was originally the 49ers.

The Broncos made the best out of their deal though. Since it seems that the team won’t blossom into the team that many predicted for them, they may be able to do a quick reconstruction. The defense was among the top in the league and although missing Chubb will initially hurt them, the team will be able to do far better with more draft pick additions to support the whole overall team as the defense will not completely suffer without Chubb.

The addition of Chase Edmonds does not hurt of course. Broncos Head Coach Nathaniel Hackett stated that Chase Edmonds would be considered a ‘third-down back’ and will not affect Melvin Gordon or Latavius Murray’s touches.

While the Dolphins were at it, the team traded a 2023 fifth-round pick for 49ers running back Jeff Wilson Jr. to bring back more depth to the running back core.

Winner: Miami Dolphins

Bills Trade For Nyheim Hines

Bills Receive: Nyheim Hines

Colts Receive: 2023 conditional sixth-rounder and RB Zack Moss

Everyone knows the Bills are likely the team at the top of the football pyramid; the cream of the crop. Adding a running back with plenty of receiving ability to the backfield makes the Bills even more dangerous on offense. The Bills are not typically known to have great running backs aside from Devin Singletary’s occasional strong performance and Zack Moss was not getting really any plays, so adding that receiving back makes the offense more versatile and dangerous just on the simple checkdowns.

The Colts have not performed up to the team’s expectations, so this move does not quite hurt them but it seems like a very lateral move for them. They do not benefit much from the trade and the biggest winner in the trade was Nyheim Hines himself for being able to gain a larger role in a team’s offense. The most the Colts gain out of this is having a RB two while Jonathan Taylor is out.

Winner: Bills