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 only increases each year.
Which players could be on the move at the end of this month? Today, we’re examining trade candidates in the AFC West, which looks like a two-team race through five 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 West Trade Candidates
Denver Broncos | S Justin Simmons
Where to begin? The Denver Broncos are 1-4, have already traded Randy Gregory to the San Francisco 49ers, and are ready to move on from Frank Clark. Sean Payton’s club is reportedly “open for business,” and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the first-year Denver head coach blows things up ahead of the deadline.
The Athletic recently reported that the Broncos are more inclined to trade their defensive players than their offensive talent, and we’ve seen that borne out this week.
While Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, Garett Bolles, and others could make for attractive trade candidates, we’ll focus on the defensive side of the ball.
Which trade was the best deal? 🤔 #Bears WR Chase Claypool and 7th-round pick ➡️ #Dolphins for 6th-rounder#Chargers CB JC Jackson and 7th rd. ➡️ #Patriots for 6th rd.#Broncos OLB Randy Gregory and 7th rd. ➡️ #49ers for 6th rd.
PFN News Tracker: https://t.co/XZXPvxMSm5 pic.twitter.com/ES1O7Lihd5
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) October 6, 2023
Justin Simmons no longer fits with a Denver club ready to go through a rebuild, and the Broncos could pick up some draft capital for the veteran safety now that he’s healthy. The 29-year-old has been a second-team All-Pro in each of the past three seasons.
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Simmons will have roughly $9.6 million in base salary remaining on his contract after this week, which could present a problem in trade talks.
But if Denver is willing to pay down some of that total, it could end up with a decent draft pick in exchange for Simmons.
Kansas City Chiefs | RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire
The Kansas City Chiefs will likely always be too competitive to become genuine sellers at the trade deadline, but that doesn’t mean they won’t make deals. The Chiefs were 5-2 last season and still traded cornerback Rashad Fenton to the Atlanta Falcons for a conditional 2023 seventh-round pick.
It’s a similar story this year. Kansas City is tied for the conference lead with a 4-1 record and isn’t about to start clearing out its roster. But they could theoretically part ways with Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who’s in the final year of his rookie contract.
CEH’s descent into irrelevance has continued in 2023. The former first-round pick has played just 63 offensive snaps this season, well behind Isiah Pacheco (178) and Jerick McKinnon (104).
While Edwards-Helaire has received more touches than McKinnon, most of those opportunities came in the Chiefs’ Week 3 blowout of the Chicago Bears.
Kansas City shouldn’t be expecting much in return for CEH. But if another club is searching for a pass-catching RB, the Chiefs could offload Edwards-Helaire before he becomes a free agent next offseason.
Las Vegas Raiders | WR Hunter Renfrow
While the Las Vegas Raiders reportedly weren’t shopping Hunter Renfrow, they certainly haven’t given the veteran slot receiver much chance to contribute this season.
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Renfrow has received just nine targets through five weeks. That’s fewer than backup Raiders running back Ameer Abdullah.
Top cardio WRs so far…
MVS: 138 routes, 11 targets (8.0%)
Hunter Renfrow: 83, 7 (8.4%)
Olamide Zaccheaus: 94, 8 (8.5%)
Randall Cobb: 92, 8 (8.7%)
Van Jefferson: 161, 15 (9.3%)
Donovan Peoples-Jones: 155, 15 (9.7%)
Alec Pierce: 179, 18 (10.1%)
KJ Osborn: 159, 17 (10.7%)— Rich Hribar (@LordReebs) October 6, 2023
Josh McDaniels and Co. gave Renfrow a two-year, $31.7 million extension upon taking over the Raiders last offseason, and the 27-year-old seems like the perfect fit for McDaniels’ offense, at least on paper.
But he hasn’t been involved in Las Vegas’ passing attack, even with free agent addition Jakobi Meyers spending most of his time outside.
Renfrow will have $4.3 million in 2023 base salary remaining after this week, but his 2024 salary is not guaranteed. Any club looking for a viable slot receiver could do worse than send a late-round pick to the Raiders in exchange for Renfrow.
Los Angeles Chargers | RB Isaiah Spiller
Like the Chiefs, the 2-2 Los Angeles Chargers aren’t about to become sellers at the trade deadline. But they have at least one spare part that could be on the move before Halloween.
Isaiah Spiller was a highly touted prospect heading into the 2022 NFL Draft but ended up falling to the fourth round. He appeared in just three games during his rookie campaign and was a healthy scratch until Austin Ekeler went down with an ankle injury in Week 1.
Even with Ekeler sidelined, Spiller has been well behind Joshua Kelley on the Chargers’ running back depth chart. Spiller played only 35 snaps and handled 10 touches from Weeks 2 through 4 — Kelley saw 180 snaps and 41 touches.
With Ekeler set to return in Week 6, Spiller will fall even further down the pecking order. If Los Angeles can get anything in return for him over the next several weeks, they should probably take it.