Five teams that should sell at the NFL trade deadline

The NFL trade deadline is a little over a week away, and teams are presumably making plans to either unload players for draft picks or to acquire them to bolster rosters capable of making a playoff run.

Here’s a look at which teams should sell at the Oct. 31 trade deadline.

1. Carolina Panthers | Possible trade assets: Brian Burns, DL; Jeremy Chinn, S; Donte Jackson, CB; Terrace Marshall Jr., WR

While the Panthers might be all-in on rookie QB Bryce Young, they just may be kicking themselves next April if the Chicago Bears are drafting Caleb Williams No. 1 overall with the pick Carolina sent them to draft Young this year.

With no pick in the first or seventh round next year, and down a pick in Rounds 5 and 6, an argument can be made that the Panthers need to ship off some assets for draft picks so Frank Reich has the resources to build around Young.

Burns is Carolina’s best player and he could entice a contender wanting to beef up its defensive line to part with a first-rounder (the Rams offered two firsts and a second for Burns last November but Carolina turned it down). Chinn reportedly has drawn interest from several teams, but his quad injury complicates things. He’s expected to miss up to six weeks.

If Jaycee Horn returns after Carolina’s bye week, Jackson becomes all the more expendable. At 28, he’s still young enough to garner a mid-round pick in return. Marshall Jr. doesn’t offer much in terms of upside, but he is a reliable pass catcher. He could be bait to facilitate a late-round pick swap.

2. Denver Broncos | Possible trade assets: Garrett Bolles, OL; Jerry Jeudy, WR; Josey Jewell, LB; Justin Simmons, S; Courtland Sutton, WR

Sunday’s win over the Green Bay Packers changes nothing for the Broncos. They’re 2-5, in need of a roster refresh and have plenty of pieces to sell off to build up their draft capital. It ownership really wants head coach Sean Payton to put his stamp on the team, jettisoning some players and adding new blood is the best way to go about it.

Not to mention the team could open up several roster spots for the rookies in its 2023 draft class including receiver Marvin Mims, linebacker Drew Sanders and safety J.L. Skinner.

Jeudy and Simmons will yield the highest returns (likely first-round picks but no worse than second-rounders), and Sutton could fetch a second- or third-rounder as well. Jewell and Bolles could be shipped off for mid-round picks, and suddenly Denver goes from having a meager 2024 drafts class (with zero picks in Rounds 2 or 6) to a loaded one.

3. Arizona Cardinals | Possible trade assets: Budda Baker, S; Marquise Brown, WR; Zach Ertz, TE, Kyler Murray, QB

It’s clear the Cardinals are in the early stages of a necessary rebuild, and while they’re well-positioned to make a splash in the 2024 draft (they have two picks projected in the top 15), they could add to their war chest with the kind of draft capital that could equate to a franchise-defining draft.

Arizona has 11 picks next year, including multiple picks in Rounds 1, 3 and 5, and it could conceivably add additional picks in any of the first four rounds by trading off some of their assets.

Murray would likely fetch the biggest return. He doesn’t turn 27 until next August and he flashed serious potential in back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons in 2020 and 2021. The former No. 1 overall pick could land Arizona a mid-to-late first-rounder from a QB-needy team likely to miss out on the elite QBs in 2024 (Caleb Williams, Drake Maye) such as the Atlanta Falcons, Las Vegas Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Seattle Seahawks. 

Baker and Brown could presumably each bring back a second-rounder, and Ertz may be worth a fourth-rounder to someone. If the Cardinals do start trading away pieces, they could walk into the 2024 draft loaded with picks in the first three or four rounds. 

4. New England Patriots | Possible trade assets: Kendrick Bourne, WR; Trent Brown, OT; Kyle Dugger, S; Hunter Henry, TE; Mike Onwenu, OG; Josh Uche, DE

Selling midway through the season is unfamiliar territory for the Patriots under head coach/general manager Bill Belichick, but at 2-5 and facing a matchup against the Dolphins before the trade deadline, selling may be New England’s best course of action. The Pats are likely to finish with a top-10 pick in the 2024 draft, and they can add a few other picks to go along with it if they jettison off some of their other assets.

Uche is having a productive season and teams are always looking for help getting to the quarterback. He could possibly fetch a second- or third-rounder from a team needing pass-rush help like Baltimore, Jacksonville or Seattle. Bourne, Brown, Dugger and Onwenu could all likely be had for third-round picks. Leading the team in receptions, targets, yards and touchdowns, Bourne could make a solid addition for a WR-needy team like Baltimore, Kansas City, Los Angeles (Chargers), Green Bay or San Francisco.

5. Tennessee Titans | Possible trade assets: Denico Autry, DE; Kevin Byard, S; Derrick Henry, RB; Ryan Tannehill, QB

The Titans roster is just not good enough to compete for a playoff spot, even in a weak AFC South. Tannehill, Henry and Autry are in the final year of their respective contracts, and it would behoove first-year GM Ran Carthon to trade them now and get something of value in return instead of nothing when they walk in free agency.

Byard, who’s still one of the NFL’s elite safeties, is under contract through 2024 and could be appealing to a team needing secondary help like the Eagles or Lions. He could go for as high as a second-rounder, but a third is more likely. 

Henry could possibly bring back a third-rounder from the right team (Pittsburgh?) and with Tyjae Spears impressing in his first six games, now may be the time to pull the trigger on trading Henry. Tannehill and Autry don’t have much trade value, but they could fetch additional mid-round picks for Carthon to wheel and deal with next year.