The NFL Trade Deadline came and went, but a flurry of deals left NFL fans dizzy trying to sort out all of the pieces. Between a number of deals and news that has transpired since the deadline, let’s take a look at some of the biggest stories of the last week in the NFL.
Dolphins Make A Pair Of Moves, Sign One To Extension
At 5-3, the Miami Dolphins sit tied for second in the AFC East, trailing the 6-1 Buffalo Bills for the top spot. Prior to the trade deadline, the Dolphins certainly made their team stronger.
First, the Dolphins announced that they had traded for the Broncos’ pass rusher Bradley Chubb. In exchange, the Dolphins sent a 2023 first-round pick, a 2024 fourth-round pick, and running back Chase Edmonds. In addition to Chubb, the Dolphins also received a 2025 fifth-round pick.
Chubb is obviously the centerpiece of the deal, as he is one of the premier defensive players in the league. This season with Denver, he has accumulated 26 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles.
Ensuring that the fifth-year player wouldn’t be here just in the short term, Jordan Schultz of The Score reported that the two sides had agreed to a deal. Chubb’s extension was for five years and $110 million ($63.2 million guaranteed).
That wasn’t the only deal that Miami made, though. They also sent a fifth-round pick to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for running back Jeff Wilson. After the 49ers had acquired Christian McCaffrey, Wilson became expendable.
Wilson will form a nice tandem with Raheem Mostert, who Wilson played with previously in San Francisco. Prior to the trade, Wilson had rushed 92 times for 468 yards and two scores this season.
Bears Add And Subtract At Trade Deadline
After having already traded edge rusher Robert Quinn, the Chicago Bears stayed active through the deadline as they also moved young linebacker Roquan Smith. In a deal with the Baltimore Ravens, the Bears dealt the 25-year-old for a second and a fifth-round pick in next year’s draft, as well as veteran linebacker A.J. Klein.
In eight games, Smith has 83 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and two interceptions on the season. The Ravens hope that he will help a defensive unit that ranks 20th, allowing 22.9 points per game.
Baltimore currently sits at 5-3, good for first place in the AFC North. They are the favorites to win their division (-320), and they are +1400 to win this year’s Super Bowl.
The Bears weren’t done, though, as they also brought in some talent by sending a second-round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for wide receiver Chase Claypool.
Trying to develop quarterback Justin Fields, the Bears’ offense ranks dead last in passing yards per game at 126.9. Having shown some signs of life recently, the Bears hope that Claypool will be a solid addition to pair with Darnell Mooney.
With the Steelers this season, Claypool had 32 receptions for 311 yards and a touchdown.
Bateman Done For Season
In other news, the Baltimore Ravens’ receiving core took a hit on Thursday as the team announced that wide receiver Rashod Bateman is done for the season as he will have surgery on his foot.
The second-year wide receiver had 46 receptions for 515 yards and a touchdown in his rookie season. This year, in six games, he had 15 receptions for 285 yards and two scores.
Unfortunately, this leaves the Ravens’ wide receivers a bit thin as Devin Duvernay is Lamar Jackson’s top target now outside of tight end Mark Andrews. On the season, the Ravens rank 26th in passing yards, averaging just 193.8 per game.
