This past week, four trades went down across the league — it’s not a full-blown trade bonanza just yet, but we saw some action. In total, five players were traded, and more are sure to come.

Below, I’ve graded each trade for both teams involved. My grades are based on both the value each side got and the context under which the trade occurred. Let’s dive in:

Rams/Titans

Rams get:

• CB Roger McCreary
• Conditional 2026 sixth-round pick

Titans get:

• Conditional 2026 fifth-round pick

The Rams wanted to beef up their secondary, and they got their guy in McCreary. A second-round pick out of Auburn back in 2022, he’s on the final year of his rookie contract and will be a free agent after the season. The Rams will have a decision to make on extending him after the season, but for now, they get some reinforcements as they gear up for a run at a Super Bowl as one of the favorites in the NFC.

The details on this one are a little complicated. The Titans are getting the higher of the Rams’ two fifth-round picks, which was Tennessee’s pick originally anyway. The Rams get back the lowest of the Titans’ three sixth-round picks, which right now is trending to be Los Angeles’ original pick. These picks were previously swapped in the LB Ernest Jones Jr. trade just before the 2024 season.

McCreary is regarded as one of the better slot corners in the league, and he should be an immediate plug-and-play for the Rams once they get him up to speed in their scheme. Even this year, in what’s been a bit of a down year for him relative to his standards, he’s the 37th highest-graded cornerback in PFF’s system. In his short NFL career, he’s posted two seasons with more than 80 tackles and has 17 passes defensed.

The player the Rams are getting in McCreary is an absolute steal at this price, but his fit on the team is a bit questionable. McCreary is a slot-only corner, and that’s where the Rams currently play S Quentin Lake a lot, who’s been one of the best slot defenders and safeties in the NFL this season. McCreary’s addition likely pushes Lake outside or back to playing safety primarily, which is a gamble given just how good Lake has been in the slot this year.

Additionally, McCreary doesn’t upgrade Los Angeles’s size in the secondary. They employ a lot of undersized cornerbacks, including the likes of Darious Williams, Cobie Durant and Emmanuel Forbes. Williams has been solid while Durant and Forbes have been closer to replacement level, but all of them are small corners, as is McCreary. The Rams’ lack of size at that position got exposed against the Eagles when WR A.J. Brown outmuscled the Rams’ secondary to fuel a massive Philly comeback win. McCreary is a good player, but you can’t help but wonder if the Rams could have gotten a better fit given their need.

For the Titans, getting assets back for a player they don’t plan on re-signing makes sense. Still, given McCreary’s pedigree, their return on him is pretty small.

Rams grade: B+

Titans grade: B-

Eagles/Jets

Eagles get:

• CB Michael Carter II
• 2027 seventh-round pick

Jets get:

• WR John Metchie III
• 2027 sixth-round pick

Despite the relative rarity of player-for-player trades, especially mid-season, we have another one here with the Eagles and Jets. Carter is a former fifth-round pick back in 2021 who developed into a quality starting slot corner, whereas Metchie is a former second-round pick of the Texans who was traded to the Eagles just before the season.

Let’s start with the Eagles, who were searching for cornerback help leading up to the deadline. They have two brilliant second-year cornerbacks in Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, but the third cornerback spot in their base defense has been a bit of a problem. DeJean plays in the slot, so Philadelphia has rotated Kelee Ringo, Adoree’ Jackson and Jakorian Bennett without much success. Ringo has settled in as the least bad option there, but Carter now gives them a new option.

Carter figures to play right away in the slot, kicking DeJean to the outside where he played in college at Iowa. It’s a bit of a risk to move DeJean away from where he’s played so well, but DeJean should be fine — and Carter’s addition to the lineup should provide an overall upgrade. Notably, Carter waived his $5 million injury guarantee to facilitate this trade to Philadelphia.

For the Jets, they desperately needed some depth at wide receiver. Garrett Wilson is awesome, but outside of him, the roster is very thin at that position. Tyler Johnson’s done some nice things, but he’s not someone you want as your No. 2 option on the outside.

Metchie battled leukemia as a rookie and ended up subsequently buried on Houston’s depth chart. The Eagles went out and got him to give them some depth in the slot, but they like what they have in Jahan Dotson and undrafted rookie Darius Cooper. Flipping Metchie for Carter makes sense for both sides, though Philly did get the better, more proven player.

Eagles grade: A-

Jets grade: B-

49ers/Patriots

49ers get:

• ED Keion White
• 2026 seventh-round pick

Patriots get:

• 2026 sixth-round pick

The 49ers needed pass rush help badly. All-Pro ED Nick Bosa is out for the year with a torn ACL, and their second-best pass rusher, ED Bryce Huff, is currently out with a hamstring injury. The Niners spent the No. 11 overall pick this year on ED Mykel Williams, but he’s more of an edge setter in the run game than a dynamic pass rusher, and he’s a rookie anyway.

White is a former second-round pick out of Georgia Tech back in 2023 who fell out of favor with the new Patriots coaching staff. He started slowly as a rookie but took a big leap forward in his second season with 56 tackles, five sacks, two forced fumbles and five passes defensed. White was a breakout candidate coming into the season, but for whatever reason, he fell down the depth chart under new Patriots HC Mike Vrabel.

Clearly, White was not in the future plans for the Patriots, nor did he play particularly well when he was on the field this year, ranking 116th out of 120 qualifying edge rushers in PFF grade. He has yet to record a sack on the season. But for San Francisco, this is a cheap flier on a talented young defender with a year and a half left on his rookie deal. Landing in San Francisco where he can play in an even front and move inside on passing downs should help revitalize his production. 

49ers grade: B

Patriots grade: B

Steelers/Patriots

Steelers get:

• S Kyle Dugger
• 2026 seventh-round pick

Patriots get:

• 2026 sixth-round pick

The Patriots also completed an identical trade to the White deal, just with a different player and team involved. Dugger is a highly-paid former starter who, much like White, had fallen out of favor with the new coaching staff in New England. He signed a four-year, $58 million deal in 2024 after excelling as one of the better young safeties in the league.

With the injuries to DeShon Elliott and Jabrill Peppers, the Steelers needed help at safety. The other guys they have back there — Chuck Clark and Juan Thornhill — have not played well, and the Steelers defense as a whole has underwhelmed this year despite being the league’s highest-paid defense. Dugger once starred on the back end for New England and should be a major upgrade for the Steelers.

To facilitate the trade, the Patriots are eating almost the entirety of Dugger’s contract. The Steelers also lopped off the final two, non-guaranteed seasons on Dugger’s contract, so this is a risk-free move for Pittsburgh. If Dugger plays well and stabilizes their secondary, they can extend him. If the trade doesn’t pan out, the Steelers move on not much worse for wear.

For the Patriots, this is a pretty paltry return for one of their better defenders. Guys fall out of favor with new coaching staffs all the time, though it is a little surprising to see a player of Dugger’s pedigree be traded for so little.

Steelers grade: A

Patriots grade: D