The NFL trade deadline is on Nov. 5, which means the last opportunity to add in-season help is rapidly dwindling. Entering Sunday, only the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills hold a multi-game division lead in the loss column, meaning that many teams are still in contention.
Below we take a look at five deals that could put some teams over the top and turn them into serious Super Bowl contenders.
Adam Thielen to the San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers have been ravaged by injuries on offense this season. Their biggest blow was losing Brandon Aiyuk to a torn ACL and MCL in Week 7, leaving a permanent hole at wide receiver.
With bigger names like Davante Adams and Amari Cooper off the block, Adam Thielen could make sense as a plug-and-play option. The Carolina Panthers receiver played under Kevin O’Connell during his final season with the Minnesota Vikings in 2022. O’Connell comes from Sean McVay’s tree, which has ties to Kyle Shanahan’s system in San Francisco.
Obviously, that doesn’t make Thielen a perfectly clean fit, but it could lessen his learning curve as a midseason addition. San Francisco would have to sign off on his health, as the 34-year-old has not played since Week 3 with a hamstring injury, but he would come at a fairly cheap cost given that Carolina traded Diontae Johnson for a late-round pick swap.
Darius Slayton to the Pittsburgh Steelers
Acquiring Darius Slayton would represent the Pittsburgh Steelers doubling down on their pre-existing strengths. Slayton is a vertical threat with a 12.6 aDOT this season, which ranks in the top quartile of wide receivers this season. Russell Wilson is an astounding 8-for-10 for 275 yards since becoming the Steelers starter in Week 7.
There would certainly be some redundancy with George Pickens, so this isn’t a perfect fit. Pickens is also a vertical threat who lines up almost exclusively on the perimeter (76%). For reference, Slayton has lined up on the perimeter 78% of the time this season.
The @Giants' offense is basically unwatchable for one specific quarterback reason, but Darius Slayton has quite an audition reel as a contested-catch guy. I tend to think that a lot of contending teams would find that interesting. pic.twitter.com/kNqKg30YYD
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) October 30, 2024
Still, the Steelers can’t be picky about addressing one of the most blatant needs on any contending roster. A slot receiver would be a cleaner fit, but Pittsburgh should add some receiver support regardless.
Za’Darius Smith to the Baltimore Ravens
Many would already consider the Baltimore Ravens a legitimate Super Bowl contender. However, their defense could limit their ceiling short of the Super Bowl again, specifically the pass rush. The Ravens rank 27th in pressure rate after ranking eighth last season.
READ MORE: NFL Trade Deadline — 6 Defensive Players Who Could Get Dealt
Za’Darius Smith is no stranger to Baltimore, having played his first four seasons there from 2015-18. The 32-year-old has had a productive year for the Cleveland Browns, accounting for five sacks and 24 pressures. Both of those totals would rank second on the Ravens.
The Ravens are an extremely far cry from last year’s defense that led the league in points allowed. Smith wouldn’t patch every hole, but he could help address the biggest deficiency that has led to this season’s backslide.
Marshon Lattimore to the Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders have shown signs of life on defense recently. After an abysmal three-game start to the season, the Commanders have posted a positive EPA per dropback figure in four of their last five games. The only exception was a game against the Ravens’ uber-efficient offense.
Still, the Commanders have a young secondary that reflects a roster that was supposed to be in the early stages of a rebuild. At 6-2, Washington harbors legitimate playoff aspirations and should seek to address its largest hole.
Marshon Lattimore could be on the block if the 2-6 New Orleans Saints are looking to shed salary. Per NFL Pro, Lattimore has allowed 10 completions on 19 targets for 142 yards and zero touchdowns as the nearest defender in coverage this season, good for a 77.1 passer rating.
He’s under contract for two more seasons as well. So while Washington is understandably not going to go all-in despite exceeding expectations, acquiring Lattimore could boost the team’s window of contention for multiple years while Jayden Daniels is on his rookie contract.
Budda Baker to the Dallas Cowboys
Most are focusing on whether the Dallas Cowboys will add to their offense at the trade deadline, but the defense is even more problematic. The Cowboys rank 22nd in both EPA per play and EPA per dropback and are the 31st-ranked scoring defense as well.
Dallas did not adequately replace safety Jayron Kearse, who was a valuable box safety and played 77% of the snaps in 2023. Budda Baker is one of the most versatile safeties in the league who would add a sorely needed dose of playmaking to a listless Cowboys defense.
Baker is in the last year of his contract, which would likely lessen the draft capital required in a trade. The two-time All-Pro requested a trade from Arizona back in April of 2023, though he received a pay bump to alleviate those concerns. Still, the lack of an extension suggests that Baker will ultimately depart the desert, potentially making him gettable at this year’s deadline.