Philly Front Office

We are only 6 weeks into the NFL season, but with the NFL Trade Deadline just 3 weeks away teams are going to start having existential thoughts about their place in the league hierarchy. For some, it’s an easy choice: they are bad and want to be bad so they sell. For others, it is a little more nuanced due to injuries, expectations, and divisional circumstances. Let’s see who is already setting up the estate sale and who is still deciding what to do with their remains just in case.

All Dead

These teams are disasters who also happen to play in divisions they have ZERO chance of winning.

• Miami Dolphins – Winless with the Lions and Patriots coming up. If they don’t beat the Jets this weekend, they are staring at 0-8 before the deadline. The only problem is that they have nothing to trade. It’s #1 pick or bust for the Dolphins
• LA Chargers – There’s one good thing about being the “other” team in a city that already doesn’t care about football, no one cares that you are winless and totally inept. Considering the division and remaining schedule, this season is over and it’s time to start looking to sell vets like Khalil Mack and Derwin James.¹
• Tennessee Titans – The Titans just do not have enough talent and Cam Ward isn’t moving the needle yet (not saying he can’t, just that he isn’t). Their schedule sin’t even hard, they just stink. You would think that because Jeffery Simmons just signed an extension that he can’t be moved. That’s not true due to how it was structured. They really should move him for the two 1st round pick bounty they could receive. Calvin Ridley and Jermaine Johnson II should be moved as well.

Mostly Dead

Perhaps a very skilled healer like Miracle Max could bring them back to life if he had a good reason but there is nothing redeeming these teams at the moment.

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers – YIKES! Who would have thought an offseason of acrimony would spill so easily and thoroughly into games. Oh, right, everyone. The Bucs might be in a bad division, but that doesn’t mean they have a chance at winning it to reach the playoffs. Sell Antoine Winfield Jr., Tristan Wirfs, Vita Vea, and Kenny Gainwell to rebuild this thing. Of course, they were already fleeced by Baker Mayfield, so we all know they aren’t going to be smart here.
• Arizona Cardinals – Coincidentally, their only two wins have come in So-Fi Stadium so far. They play in the toughest division in football and shouldn’t have any desire to actually make the playoffs. Just sell Budda Baker and Josh Sweat already!
• Washington Commanders – At 1-4-1 while playing absolutely lousy football and losing their top receiver, the Commanders should just pack in. Why are they only mostly dead then? Because the NFC East is currently led by the Giants and Jameis Winston at 3-2-1. Still, Washington should see the writing on the wall and trade Daron Payne, K’Lavon Chaisson, and Frankie Luvu before they get hurt too.

Mostly Dead-Ish

Because I am too invested, the Birds are in the middle of two categories.

• Philadelphia Eagles – On one hand, the Eagles do not have an adequate QB, Offensive Coordinator, or Head Coach. On the other, the NFC East is putrid and the defense is still a very good unit. I can’t put them more dead because they technically have a chance and I can’t put them less dead because I don’t have much hope. All that back and forth aside, we should know by Monday Night where they stand because they are playing the Cowboys at home. If the Eagles lose that game, it’s time to sell. That means future free agents Moro Ojomo and Riq Woolen at the very least need to be moved.

NFL Trade Deadline Preview: SELL THE TEAM!!!

Dead-ish

They don’t want to acknowledge it, but they might be terminal. If the next couple games go south, pull the plug.

• New York Jets – They are a fun 2-4, but with Miami and Las Vegas coming up there’s at least a chance they are 4-4 heading into Kansas City before the Deadline. Does that mean they would be delusional enough not to sell? It’s possible. They should still see what they can get for Minkah Fitzpatrick and Will McDonald IV though.
• New Orleans Saints – The Saints are a plucky team and you can imagine them making a big improvement next year with a proper draft class and some spending. This year though? They still have some hope because of a bad division but it would be dependent on winning both pre-deadline games against the Steelers and Browns. Do that and they can hold on to…ummm…there’s no one really worth trading here who won’t leave them with a prohibitively expensive cap hit next season.
• Houston Texans – What the hell happened to them? The Texans aren’t quite the Rams, but they should be better than they are.² The good news is that CJ Stroud looked pretty good against the Jags (except for that awful endzone pick) and they play the Giants and Chargers before the deadline. Win those and they are back in contention. Lose even one of them and they should think about selling Sheldon Rankins, Reed Blankenship, and Dalton Schultz. All of their really good players come with big dead cap hits and Stroud isn’t getting traded mid-season.
• Indianapolis Colts – Chris Ballard was just fired and Shane Steichen has a short leash. They have the Vikings and Jags away coming up before facing the Cowboys at home. Just beating Dallas ain’t gonna cut it. DeForest Buckner, Sauce Gardner, Quenton Nelson, Charvarius Ward, and even Jonathan Taylor could not only go but really jumpstart a rebuild in Indy.

Highlanders

There can be only one. Neither are going to sell, but it has to be noted that one of them is already dead, they just don’t know it yet.

• New York Giants – Big Blue is 3-2-1 and just committed to J.J. McCarthy as their starter with Jaxson Dart done for the season. They have Houston, Jacksonville, SF, Seattle, and Detroit on their schedule plus the Eagles’ defense twice. If the division wasn’t so bad, they would probably love one more year of a bottomed out draft pick, but that’s not going to happen. They should still trade Kayvon Thibodeaux though.
• Dallas Cowboys – It’s the moveable object vs the stoppable force this Monday with the Eagles bad offense taking on the Cowboys Swiss cheese defense. While I fully expect the Eagles to lose this game, I can still seeHowie Roseman doing the smart thing and selling off their soon to be free agents while Jerry Jones digs deeper in a vain attempt to win the division.

1. The Chargers do business in the opposite way of the Eagles. They give high base salaries that are tougher for teams to take on, but easier for the Chargers to restructure and maneuver if they need to. ↩︎
2. If you are wondering why the Rams aren’t here but the Texans are, it is because there is no way the Rams are going to pack it in and the NFC will be easier to make the playoffs than the AFC it seems. ↩︎

Sources: Tankathon, Spotrac, OvertheCap.com

Photo: Princess Bride