The NFL trade deadline on Tuesday likely won't come with many fireworks. In 2014, Akeem Ayers was sent to the New England Patriots and Mark Barron was sent to the St. Louis Rams. The year before that, a trade that sent Isaac Sopoaga to the Patriots was the only deadline deal.
Trades in 2015 haven’t worked out for anyone except the Jets
High-profile trades involving stars like Haloti Ngata and Jimmy Graham haven’t worked out too well for any parties involved.
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But given the results of high-profile trades earlier in the year, avoiding trades altogether might not be the worst idea.
Pro Bowlers like Haloti Ngata, Jimmy Graham and Brandon Marshall were all traded in March, but of all the teams that made big swaps in the offseason, only the New York Jets really came out on top. Most clubs would have been better off avoiding trades altogether.
Marshall is top-10 in the NFL in both receptions and receiving yards after racking up 50 catches for 686 yards and four touchdowns in the first seven games of the season. Passing the ball for most of those receptions has been Ryan Fitzpatrick, who was traded to the Jets one day after Marshall.
With Fitzpatrick out of the lineup against the Oakland Raiders after suffering a thumb injury, the Jets saw his value first hand, as Geno Smith struggled to keep the team in the game. More on the severity of the thumb injury will be revealed on Tuesday with an MRI, but the Jets are already prepping for life without their starter.
The No. 3 defense of the Jets is probably the biggest reason why the team is 4-3 and currently in line to earn an AFC Wild Card berth, but the team’s No. 7 offense certainly isn’t hurting and was being led by a pair of players who were acquired for late-round picks.
Other teams weren’t quite as lucky as the Jets, though.
Eagles get Kiko Alonso, Bills get LeSean McCoy
Philadelphia had to know the danger when they acquired a young linebacker who was coming off of an ACL tear. One of those dangers was the possibility of further injury to a surgically repaired knee, which is exactly what happened for Alonso. While he had a nice interception in his debut with the Eagles, Alonso wasn’t playing very well before he partially tore his ACL in Week 2, and he’s been out since.
McCoy has dealt with some injuries too, and has also been underwhelming during his time on the field. After averaging 4.6 yards per carry in six seasons with the Eagles, McCoy has just 3.9 yards per carry in Buffalo and only one rushing touchdown. His backup, Karlos Williams, has dealt with injuries too, but has a 5.4-yard average and three touchdowns.
For four seasons, Graham was one of the most terrifying receiving threats in the NFL, but he hasn’t replicated that success since joining the Seahawks. After racking up 46 touchdowns in the last four seasons, Graham has just two at the halfway point in 2015 and none since September.
It's tough to criticize the Saints offense too much after one of the most prolific passing performances of all time last week. but prior to that game, Drew Brees had eight touchdowns in six games and never more than two in a single contest. For the last 10 years, the Saints have had one of the NFL's best offenses and Unger is playing well at center, but a target like Graham is certainly missed for Brees.
Lions get Haloti Ngata
No team has a worse record than the Lions (1-7), so giving up draft picks to get a 31-year-old defensive lineman is likely a move they’d want to take back, regardless of his play. Unfortunately for the Lions, his play has been underwhelming too. The five-time Pro Bowler hasn’t stopped Detroit from falling from No. 3 to No. 32 in points allowed after losing Ndamukong Suh in free agency.
Meanwhile, Ngata's former team is 2-6 and No. 25 in total defense. The play of Brandon Williams and Ngata as a lethal combination in 2014 helped the Ravens finish No. 6 in points allowed, but now Williams is on his own and the rest of the Baltimore defensive line isn't picking up the slack.
Eagles get Sam Bradford, Rams get Nick Foles
The most noteworthy trade of the entire offseason was a swap of starting quarterbacks, but both teams pretty much got what they asked for. St. Louis got Foles, who has led the team to a 4-3 record, but with just seven touchdowns, five interceptions and an 81.6 passer rating. The Rams are really leaning on running back Todd Gurley.
For the Eagles, Bradford has just sort of been there. If Mark Sanchez wasn't their second option, Bradford might have been benched already after throwing 10 interceptions and nine touchdowns en route to a 3-4 start. Given the trade also sent the Rams a second-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, the swap of subpar quarterbacks went in favor of the Rams.
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