The NFL‘s Oct. 31 trade deadline is just around the corner. Teams have become far more aggressive in player acquisition in recent seasons, and the total number of pre-deadline trades has increased each year.
Which players could be on the move at the end of this month? Today, we’re examining trade candidates in the AFC North, where all four teams remain in contention through six weeks.
From the current NFL standings to team depth charts to coverage of every game in the 18-week NFL schedule, we have all the news from around the league to keep you up to speed.
AFC North Trade Candidates
Baltimore Ravens | WR Devin Duvernay
The Ravens are leading the AFC North with a 4-2 record heading into Week 7, so they’re more likely to be buyers than sellers at the trade deadline. But that doesn’t mean they couldn’t move a player off their roster.
Baltimore could use help at several positions, including running back and pass rusher. If the club wants to add reinforcements at those spots, it could consider trading someone like Devin Duvernay, a role player and special teamer who could have value but might not represent the most significant loss for the playoff-hopeful Ravens.
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Duvernay, a Pro Bowl returner in 2021 and 2022, is still Baltimore’s top punt and kick returner, but he doesn’t have much of a role on offense. He’s played just a quarter of the Ravens’ offensive snaps this season following the offseason additions of fellow receivers Zay Flowers, Odell Beckham Jr., and Nelson Agholor.
Elsewhere, Baltimore could be willing to deal corners with Rock Ya-Sin or Ronald Darby. The Ravens added additional defensive backs when their secondary was dealing with injuries. But now that Marlon Humphrey has returned, Ya-Sin and Darby have become backups.
Cincinnati Bengals | OT Jackson Carman
While Jackson Carman was supposed to battle Jonah Williams to become the Bengals’ starting right tackle this year, the proposed competition never really took place. Carman struggled throughout the preseason, removing himself from the RT equation, while Williams has excelled in his transition to the right side.
Carman is still active on gamedays, but he’s not considered Cincinnati’s top swing tackle. When left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. departed Sunday’s win over the Seattle Seahawks with a groin injury, offseason addition Cody Ford stepped in to replace him on Joe Burrow’s blindside.
Any team that acquires Carman would control his rights through 2024 while receiving a player nominally capable of playing every offensive line position except for center. It might be a stretch to suggest the Bengals could get anything of real value in exchange for the failed former second-round pick, but maybe Cincinnati could trade Carman for help at running back or tight end.
Cleveland Browns | WR David Bell
The Browns spent a third-round pick on David Bell in the 2022 NFL Draft, but he hasn’t made much of a contribution. After posting 24 receptions during his rookie campaign, Bell has slid down Cleveland’s WR depth chart and has played just 49 offensive snaps this season.
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Bell doesn’t have a role behind Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones, and Elijah Moore dominating targets. The Browns might view rookie wideout Cedric Tillman as more of a long-term asset than Bell, while they also have Marquise Goodwin on the roster.
Cleveland could look for a late-round pick in exchange for Bell if the team doesn’t feel he’ll ever be able to work his way into the WR rotation. The Browns could also potentially use help at running back or add depth along the offensive line, especially with Joel Bitonio banged up and Jack Conklin already on injured reserve.
Pittsburgh Steelers | OT Chukwuma Okorafor
With Steelers left tackle Dan Moore Jr. sidelined in Week 5, first-round rookie Broderick Jones made his first career NFL start. But now that Moore is ready to return following Pittsburgh’s Week 6 bye, it sounds as though Jones will be heading back to the bench.
The Steelers could clear up this logjam by trading incumbent right tackle Chukwuma Okorafor, shifting Moore to right tackle, and inserting Jones on Kenny Pickett’s blindside.
Okorafor is scheduled to have an $11.83 million cap figure in 2024, so he could become a cap casualty. Instead, Pittsburgh could try to acquire something for him now. Rival teams are always searching for offensive linemen, and Okorafor is only 25 years old.
Third-string quarterback Mason Rudolph could also theoretically draw interest from other clubs, especially as signal-callers around the league continue to go down with injuries.
