The NFL trade deadline didn’t bring a ton of big fish to the NFC. While AFC teams added splashy receiver names like Davante Adams, Amari Cooper, and Diontae Johnson, the NFC largely saw tweaks around the edges.
Looking at every trade made around the deadline, we break down the top five moves made by NFC teams this year.
CB Marshon Lattimore
Commanders From Saints
The Washington Commanders are perhaps this season’s most unexpected contender. As a result, they have an incomplete roster propped up by Jayden Daniels’ excellence while also lacking in defensive depth. It’s not an indictment of their team-building but rather the reality of a team that was supposed to be rebuilding but is contending instead.
That said, GM Adam Peters deserves credit for capitalizing on the moment and trying to maximize 2024. The Commanders gave up a third-, fourth-, and fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft in exchange for New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore (plus a 2025 fourth-rounder).
Lattimore missed Week 9 with a hamstring injury, which presents some risk. But it’s a no-brainer when considering that the Commanders’ pass defense ranks 26th in EPA per dropback. Assuming he’s healthy, Lattimore represents the true No. 1 cornerback the Commanders have been missing for years.
Marshon Lattimore has not allowed a TD in single coverage since the 2021 season pic.twitter.com/PtbJmpNU7l
— PFF (@PFF) November 5, 2024
As a bonus, Lattimore is under contract through 2026, so this is unlikely to be a rental. Washington is recognizing the importance of striking while Daniels remains cheap on his rookie contract. Lattimore’s acquisition is a big step towards potentially fending off the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East.
EDGE Za’Darius Smith
Lions From Browns
The Detroit Lions had one of the most obvious roster holes of any contender. With Aidan Hutchinson done for at least the regular season, the Lions lost the pass rusher who accounted for over half of their pressures at the time of his injury.
Remarkably, even though Hutchinson hasn’t played since Week 6, he STILL accounts for 37.5% of their sacks. That’s the third-highest rate of any player this season.
Za’Darius Smith is a necessary addition in that regard, particularly with other edge rushers such as Marcus Davenport, Josh Paschal, and John Cominsky either currently injured or out for the season.
Smith has 5.0 sacks this season, while no non-Hutchinson Lions defender has more than 2.5. His 13.9% pressure rate is also a solid figure, ranking 28th out of 175 players with 100+ pass-rush snaps this season.
In addition, Smith is under contract for 2025 at a very reasonable cap hit of $5.4 million. That makes this a move for next year as well when Smith can pair with a healthy Hutchinson for a Lions team still presumably contending for the Super Bowl.
OT Cam Robinson
Vikings From Jaguars
The Minnesota Vikings were painted into a corner after the season-ending injury to Christian Darrisaw in Week 8. Left tackles are hard to acquire in any market, let alone midseason.
Cam Robinson is an imperfect player, but he’s a reasonable solution given the situation the Vikings were in. Robinson has started all 92 games he’s appeared in over his eight-year career. His 9.1% pressure allowed rate this season is his worst rate in five years, but his 4.2% rate from 2023 was also his best since PFF began tracking pressures in 2019.
There’s no replacing Darrisaw, but Robinson provides a reasonable alternative to simply moving to the next tackle on the depth chart. For a Vikings team trying to compete in the brutal NFC North, this was a necessary addition.
WR Jonathan Mingo
Panthers From Cowboys
The rest of these deals are ranked from the perspective of the acquiring team. However, while the Dallas Cowboys received headlines for acquiring second-year wide receiver Jonathan Mingo, it’s the Carolina Panthers who clearly won this trade by receiving a 2025 fourth-round pick in return (they sent a 2025 seventh-round pick out with Mingo).
The disconnect between Mingo’s value and that of Johnson (late-round pick swap with the Baltimore Ravens) is a little confounding. However, had the Panthers simply switched trade returns for Johnson and Mingo, no one would really bat an eye at either deal.
The Cowboys certainly needed help, but buying in at 3-5 and with Dak Prescott on injured reserve is a curious move. Mingo has only 12 receptions for 121 yards this season and hasn’t been able to earn a larger role despite Johnson’s trade and Adam Thielen being on injured reserve since Week 3. He’s playing only 55% of the snaps this season, compared to 79% as a rookie.
This will shock no one but:
The Dallas Cowboys spent more to acquire Jonathan Mingo than they got in exchange for Amari Cooper.
— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) November 5, 2024
As a team still in the very early stages of the rebuild, the Panthers did well to acquire what will likely be an early Day 3 pick for a receiver who was not part of their present or future plans anyway.
EDGE Baron Browning
Cardinals From Broncos
The Arizona Cardinals are one of the most surprising contenders as the only team over .500 in the NFC West. And while the Cardinals didn’t make a big splash, they did address a major roster hole at an affordable cost.
The pass rush has been a significant weakness for the Cardinals this season, as Arizona has the fourth-lowest pressure rate (29.3%). Baron Browning doesn’t have a sack this year, but he had 5.0 two years ago and 4.5 last year in a situational role for the Denver Broncos.
Browning’s production could tick up in a larger role, as he was playing a career-low 24% of the snaps for Denver this year. At the price of a 2025 sixth-round pick, Browning is well worth the cost.