NFL trade-deadline grades: Cowboys make moves, but how much better are they really?

The deal also leaves the Jags with one pick each in the fourth and sixth rounds, thinning out their 2026 draft capital after parting with next year's first when moving up to acquire Hunter.

The move allows the Raiders (2-6) to commit to a youth movement. Their top offensive playmakers — tight end Brock Bowers, running back Ashton Jeanty, wide receiver Tre Tucker — are under 25, and they now have eight 2026 draft picks to continue down that path.

Seattle Seahawks get speedster Rashid Shaheed

Analysis: Shaheed reunites with his 2024 offensive coordinator, Klint Kubiak, in an Seahawks (6-2) offense that could be even more explosive during the season's second half. Alongside NFL-leading wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, quarterback Sam Darnold has a pair of excellent options to target on deep downfield strikes. The Saints (1-8) are in full rebuild mode, and while losing Shaheed limits would they can do offensively with rookie quarterback Tyler Shough, getting two picks for a former undrafted free agent is a solid payoff. 

Indianapolis Colts go all-in with Sauce Gardner

The Colts (7-2) needed help at cornerback, but who would have thought Gardner, a two-time first-team All-Pro who signed a four-year extension this offseason, was a realistic option? Indianapolis hit a home run in the trade, getting a lockdown corner just entering his prime.

Two firsts is a hefty sum, but guess who the Colts would be trying to get with those picks? Players as good as Gardner. And unlike those picks, Gardner helps immediately. Despite the Jets (1-7) going nowhere, trading a franchise cornerstone who just turned 25 in August is a step in the wrong direction. All-Pro corners don't grow on trees. If they did, it wouldn't take two firsts to get one. 

Cowboys-Jets Quinnen Williams blockbuster

We prefer New York's second major trade. Williams, who turns 28 on Dec. 21, is arguably the NFL's best run-stopping defensive lineman, but stockpiling picks in exchange for a player who will be entering the twilight of his career by the time the Jets are ready to compete again is a smart strategy. 

After an inauspicious start to the day, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones landed a premier defensive tackle. Alongside Kenny Clark, Dallas has an imposing interior that should be harder to penetrate. Parting with next year's first is a risk, however. Quarterback Dak Prescott has had two seasons cut short due to injury since 2020, and the Cowboys still lack an elite edge-rusher and quality corners, giving opponents areas to attack. Dallas is better, but still not good enough.