NFL trade deadline aftermath: Which teams improved, which teams should have made moves

The Vikings and Chiefs were among the teams that got better, but the Chargers really dropped the ball on Tuesday Nov 10, 2026 at 7:55 pm ET • 11 min read The 2026 NFL trade deadline came and went Tuesday afternoon at 4 p.m. ET, and the league provided a flurry of activity. Of the NFL's 32 teams, 23 teams combined to make 18 trades, with 19 players and 34 picks changing hands in 2026. That is right in line with the average of 19.3 traded midseason since 2019, which is way up from the average of 7.5 between 2009 and 2018. The volume of trades wasn't the only thing that has increased around the trade deadline lately. There have been 11 future first-round picks swapped since 2019, up exponentially from the three that changed hands from 2001 to 2018. Three first-round picks alone were traded in 2026, with All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons going from the Tennessee Titans to the Chicago Bears (two) and defensive tackle Jordan Davis going from the Philadelphia Eagles to the Jacksonville Jaguars (one).So which teams improved and which teams should have made moves? Let's dive into a 2026 NFL trade deadline evaluation on who did well and who should have done more. Teams that improved Jacksonville JaguarsThe Jaguars smell blood in the AFC waters. On Monday, the Jaguars relinquished a 2027 first-round pick, a 2027 second-round pick, a 2028 fifth-round pick, a 2028 sixth-round pick and a 2029 second-round pick for the services of Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl champion defensive tackle Jordan Davis, Atlanta Falcons Pro Bowl safety Jessie Bates III and New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Davon Godchaux. It makes sense. The Jaguars are right to go all in for the 2026 season. The Buffalo Bills (7-1) have one of the leakiest secondaries in the NFL, allowing 238.8 passing yards per game (fourth-most in the NFL). The Denver Broncos (7-2) have offensive inconsistency issues because of quarterback Bo Nix. His 5.6 air yards per pass attempt is mere decimal points ahead of Kansas City Chiefs (6-2) quarterback Patrick Mahomes' 5.6 air yards per pass attempt to avoid being dead last in the league. However, Mahomes' figure has more to do with the Chiefs' limited passing-game options than with an unwillingness to throw the ball downfield, as with Nix.The AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) have Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, and he will be 43 years old by the time the playoffs begin. Jacksonville beat the Cincinnati Bengals (6-2) in a narrow, one-score game earlier this season, and the New England Patriots (5-4) just got decimated at home (45-27) by quarterback Jordan Love and his Green Bay Packers. Jacksonville's timing is definitely right: They have the NFL's No. 4 scoring offense (28.6 points per game) and the NFL's No. 2 scoring defense (15.1 points per game). Quarterback Trevor Lawrence has what he needs to soar, and now his defense does too. Minnesota VikingsThe Minnesota Vikings (6-2) needed to make a trade for a quarterback after the monstrosity that was their Carson Wentz-led offense in a 23-6 loss on "Monday Night Football." Wentz completed just 8 of his 25 throws for 81 yards and two interceptions for an 8.9 passer rating. That's right, Wentz's 8.9 passer rating is not a typo. It is the worst passer rating by a Vikings quarterback in a game since 1984, when Tommy Kramer registered a 7.5. Wentz's 32% completion percentage is tied for the worst in a game in Vikings history, which is how the Vikings recorded their lowest time of possession (17:28) in 40 years. It would have been a slap in the face to defensive coordinator Brian Flores and his No. 1 scoring defense (14.5 points per game allowed) for the Vikings not to trade for a quarterback. Minnesota did what they had to do Tuesday by sending a 2027 third-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders to acquire old friend Kirk Cousins. At the age of 38, Cousins ranks second in the NFL in touchdown passes in 2026 (20), three behind Joe Burrow's and one ahead of Jordan Love. That's also eight more passing touchdowns than the total number of touchdowns the Vikings' offense has this season. Twelve offensive touchdowns is tied for the fewest by a team with a 6-2 record or better through eight games played since 1950. The good news is four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Justin Jefferson's production should return with Cousins. In the only fully healthy season the duo shared in 2022, Jefferson won NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors after leading the league in targets (184), catches (128), receiving yards (1,809), and receiving first downs (83). The 98.9 passing yards per game that Cousins averages to Jefferson is the most by a quarterback-receiver duo in NFL history (min. 50 games). Minnesota definitely improved on Tuesday. Most receiving yards per game by QB-WR duo, NFL history (minimum 50 games played)Receiving YPGMIN Kirk Cousins/Justin Jefferson98.9HOU Matt Schaub/Andre Johnson97.1DET Matthew Stafford/Calvin Johnson95.6 San Francisco 49ers The NFC-leading San Francisco 49ers (7-1) bolstered their two biggest areas of weakness — defensive tackle and wide receiver — with two highly decorated veterans: three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen. The great news is San Francisco didn't have to invest too much draft capital into either player, sending the Indianapolis Colts a 2027 fourth-round pick for Buckner and a 2027 sixth-round pick for Allen. Buckner's 4.0 sacks through nine weeks are tied for the seventh most in the NFL among defensive tackles, while his 22 quarterback pressures rank as the 15th most among defensive tackles. That's fantastic production for any player, let alone a 32-year-old the 49ers know incredibly well after he played the first five seasons of his career in San Francisco. Allen, whose 12,402 career receiving yards rank as the fourth most in the NFL among active players, is a nice, reliable depth addition for a 49ers receiver room that can't manage to stay healthy. Buffalo Bills Buffalo led the NFL in scoring defense with 19.3 points per game allowed from 2021 to 2025 under ex-head coach Sean McDermott, but under first-year defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, they're allowing 23.4 points per game, ranking 16th in the league. They're also 14th in expected points added (EPA) per play and 17th in EPA per dropback, but those numbers were artificially deflated by Wentz and the wheezing Vikings offense on Monday. Through the first eight weeks of the season, the Bills were tied for 24th in scoring defense (25.9 points per game allowed), 24th in defensive EPA per play and 27th in EPA per dropback. Enter Titans safety Amani Hooker, whom they acquired along with a 2027 fifth-round pick in exchange for a 2027 second-round pick. Hooker, who is 28 years old, leads the NFL in interceptions (5) after picking off Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow three times in an overtime defeat in Week 8. The Bills could certainly see Burrow in January. Hooker is just the third player in the past 40 years with 50-plus tackles (52) and five-plus interceptions (5) in his first seven games of a season, along with Washington cornerback DeAngelo Hall (2010) and Colts linebacker Cato June (2005). He and Green Bay Packers All-Pro safety Xavier McKinney are also the only two players in the last three seasons with 200-plus tackles (204) and double-digit interceptions (10). Acquiring Hooker also came at a steep price. His three-year, $40.5 million contract is now a team-friendly asset that has him under team control through the 2028 season. On Monday night, Minnesota had open wide receivers throughout the game, but Wentz was unable to find them. That won't be the case against stiffer quarterback competition in the postseason. Teams are throwing at Buffalo's secondary at the second-highest rate in the NFL (62.6%) as they are allowing the fourth-most passing yards per game (238.8) in the league, per NFL Pro. That's why Buffalo parted with a second-round pick to acquire Hooker. Philadelphia EaglesGeneral manager Howie Roseman built two Super Bowl championship teams with the Eagles in 2017 and 2024, and he may be well on his way to doing so again after his wheeling and dealing in 2026. The Eagles have 10 picks in the first two rounds across the next three drafts — five first-round picks and five second-round picks.Roseman turned wide receiver A.J. Brown, defensive tackle Jordan Davis and offensive lineman Cam Jurgens into two first-round picks, two second-round picks and two fifth-round picks. The Eagles have their own first-round pick and second-round pick, plus the Jaguars' first-round pick in 2027. They have their own first-round pick and own second-round pick plus the New England Patriots' first-round pick (A.J. Brown trade) and the Baltimore Ravens' second-round pick (Cam Jurgens trade) in 2028. In 2029, they have their own first-round pick, their own second-round pick and the Jaguars' second-round pick (Jordan Davis trade). Even though the Eagles have lost seven in a row since their 2-0 start and Super Bowl MVP quarterback Jalen Hurts is out for the season with blood clots, Roseman has Philadelphia primed to bounce back toward Super Bowl contention sooner rather than later. Tennessee Titans The Titans have won just one of their first eight games this season, indicating they are still far off from contending despite spending an NFL-most $333.9 million in free agency in the 2026 offseason. That's why they traded two of their best defensive players for significant hauls.First, they sent All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons and a 2028 fifth-round pick to the Bears in exchange for a 2027 first-round pick, a 2027 fourth-round pick and a 2028 first-round pick. Then, they sent Hooker and a 2027 fifth-round pick to the Buffalo Bills for a 2027 second-round pick. Now, the Titans have four first-round picks — their own plus the Bears' 2027 and 2028 firsts — and three second-round picks — their own plus the Bills' 2027 second — in the next two drafts. That should hopefully get Tennessee out of rebuilding purgatory. Kansas City ChiefsThe Chiefs (6-2) are always in win-now mode, with Mahomes (31 years old), tight end Travis Kelce (37), defensive tackle Chris Jones (32), defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo (66) and head coach Andy Reid (68) getting up there in age. Kelce, Rashee Rice, who is coming back from an offseason knee surgery, and former first-round pick Xavier Worthy haven't been getting the job done. Kansas City is averaging 117.5 receiving yards per game by wide receivers this season, which is the fewest of the Mahomes era (since 2018) and ranks 28th in the NFL this season. That's why the Chiefs went out and traded for Downs. The 25-year-old Downs has been a weapon out of the slot since entering the league as a third-round pick in 2023: His 1,995 yards receiving out of the slot are the second most in the entire NFL in the span of his career, trailing only Detroit Lions All-Pro wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (2,160). * Downs was drafted in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft Yes, Downs is a rental playing out the final year of his rookie contract in 2026, but Kansas City had a dire need. Plus, if Downs builds a nice rapport with Mahomes, this deal could lead to a second contract come the 2027 offseason. It's also a huge win that the Chiefs didn't have to part with any Day 2 draft capital. This move should give Kansas City's passing game a much-needed jolt. Indianapolis ColtsOnce the Colts fired general manager Chris Ballard after Week 6, the Indianapolis fire sale was on. They traded away four players in the past two weeks, the most by any team in a season in the past 25 years. They made the most trades (four) and acquired the most draft picks (six) of any team this season. As a result, the Colts now have 11 picks in the highly anticipated 2027 NFL Draft, although they still lack a first-round pick. That belongs to the New York Jets thanks to Indianapolis' 2025 NFL trade deadline mistake of sending their 2026 and 2027 first-round picks to the Jets in exchange for cornerback Sauce Gardner. The next general manager the Colts hire will have those 11 draft picks to rebuild the franchise. Indianapolis did decide to retain three-time Pro Bowl running back Jonathan Taylor, which may make sense given he is 27 years old — young enough to be a major contributor for a rebuilt Colts offense through the 2028 season. Taylor averages 88.8 rushing yards per game, the fifth-best average in NFL history. Colts in-season trades, 2026 seasonTotal haul in returnG Quenton Nelson (SEA)2027 third-round pick, 2028 fifth-round pickDT DeForest Buckner (SF)2027 fourth-round pickWR Josh Downs, 2027 seventh-round pick via Bills (KC)2027 fourth-round pick, 2027 fifth-round pickWR Keenan Allen (SF)2027 sixth-round pick* Most players traded away (four) by any team in the past 25 seasonsTeams that should have made moves Los Angeles ChargersThe Los Angeles Chargers' position toward the 2026 NFL trade deadline made no sense. They're the NFL's last winless team at 0-8, and they had a number of veterans on expiring contracts they could have shopped. Nine-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Khalil Mack at 36 years old is certainly at the top of the list, but cornerback Donte Jackson and defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson also could have been moved. Perhaps even former first-round pick wide receiver Quentin Johnston could have been shipped over for draft capital. Los Angeles completely fumbled by only trading away linebacker Daiyan Henley to the Denver Broncos for a 2027 fourth-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick. They should have joined the Colts and Titans in tearing down much of their current roster. Green Bay PackersGreen Bay is dead last in the NFL in rushing offense (68.2 rushing yards per game) while leading the league in dropped passes with 23, seven more than the next closest team — the Los Angeles Rams. Love has also been hit 57 times this season, the fifth most in the league. Despite all that adversity, he leads the NFL in passing yards (2,618) and completions of 20-plus yards (40) and is third in passing touchdowns (19). With the Packers winning five of their last six games to improve to 6-3 in 2026, Love deserves more support. Whether that's along his battered offensive line or at running back — another position beset by injuries — getting him more help in the ground game could have been a game changer for the Packers' postseason hopes. Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are 3-6 in the NFC West, which means their 2026 season is already cooked in terms of playoff hopes. Arizona has already lit premium draft capital on fire at luxury positions. Remember: It drafted running back Jeremiyah Love third overall in the 2026 NFL Draft while having plenty of other glaring needs. Not trading eight-time Pro Bowl safety Budda Baker at the age of 30 while clearly rebuilding is an epic whiff. The same can also be said for 29-year-old Pro Bowl edge rusher Josh Sweat.