Insider notes on NFL Trade Deadline: Ravens looking to reload, Chiefs still open for business, Rams looking to be sellers
As the NFL trade deadline approaches, the rumor mill is heating up as some teams are looking to add the final few pieces while others are in sell mode. Here’s the latest as we move towards the trade deadline of 4 p.m. eastern time on Tuesday, November 5.
NFL Trade Deadline notes
Baltimore Ravens
Sources tell me the Ravens are shopping for a pass rusher at the present time. On the whole, the team has not done badly rushing opposing quarterbacks, ranking fourth in the league in total sacks with 22 after seven games. Kyle Van Noy (7) and Odafe Oweh (4.5) have produced 11.5 of the 22 sacks, but the cupboard is bare after that.
Third-round pick Adisa Isaac was expected to help out this season, but he is buried on the depth chart and has dressed for just a single game after suffering multiple minor injuries in the preseason.
Cleveland Browns
After a disastrous 1-6 start to the season and now without the services of starting quarterback Deshaun Watson, who had not been playing well prior to his season-ending Achilles tear, league insiders tell me they expect the Browns to sell off pieces and collect draft picks for the future.
This does not bode well for general manager Andrew Berry, who could be on the outs once the season is done. Berry orchestrated the trade for Watson, which included surrendering three first-round picks as well as a five-year, $230 million contract for the quarterback, which is now problematic.
Many of Berry’s other moves and draft classes have not panned out as hoped. People point to the fact that Berry and the franchise in general do not emphasize character or the energy level of players, and it’s coming back to haunt them.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs made a major move on Wednesday, acquiring DeAndre Hopkins from the Tennessee Titans. But they may not be finished making moves.
I’m told the Chiefs will look to acquire a cornerback via the trade market with the hopes of finding a replacement for Jaylen Watson, who was put on the IR list after suffering a significant leg injury that required surgery for a broken fibula and tibia. Published reports from ESPN say Watson could return late in the season if the Chiefs make the playoffs. The team was left a bit shorthanded at the position after trading L’Jarius Sneed in the offseason, and they are relying on Nazeeh Johnson, a seventh-round pick in 2022, to hold down a starting spot.
The Chiefs are going all-out with the hopes of winning a third consecutive Super Bowl. The expectations are that the franchise could lose some key personnel people and coaches in the offseason, as many will be offered promotions elsewhere. As mentioned earlier this week in my article on the state of the New York Jets, assistant general manager Mike Borgonzi is expected to be a hot name for teams needing a general manager to take over a franchise once the Chiefs’ run is complete.
Los Angeles Rams
Cooper Kupp may not be the only Ram on his way out of town, as I’m told the Rams, like the Browns, are expected to be sellers over the next two weeks. The season has not gone as expected, and Los Angeles presently sits in the cellar of the NFC West with a 2-4 record.
The depth chart is not stacked with talent after Kupp, and the team may retrieve nothing but late-round picks in return for their veterans. The good news is the Rams, who once ignored the draft and sat around the pool on draft weekend, have done a masterful job since getting back in the game. They’ve loaded up on talent the past three drafts and have received a lot of production from their young players.