NFL TRADE DEADLINE: Recapping all of the moves from Tuesday's deadline

With the 4:00 PM deadline having come and gone for the NFL trade frenzy, it’s time to analyse the biggest moves from Tuesday’s action.

(Image Credit to Cincinnati Bengals)

The NFL season has officially entered its second half, and with the trade deadline having come and gone, teams can now focus on their respective late-season playoff pushes and offseason preparations.

I’m breaking down the big trades that went down on deadline day and their significance for the teams impacted.

LB Logan Wilson to the Dallas Cowboys

After having asked for a trade on previous occasions, the Cincinnati Bengals are trading linebacker Logan Wilson to the Dallas Cowboys. The return for the Bengals is going to be a 2026 seventh-round draft pick.

The Bengals’ 3-6 start to the 2025 season, in which the two most recent losses saw the beleaguered defence surrender a total of 86 points, has supposedly put the team in a position where offloading key defensive playmakers at the deadline is a necessity.

Wilson joins a Cowboys defence that isn’t exactly better off than Cincinnati’s, especially after dealing Micah Parsons before the season began. That said, the University of Wyoming product does bring some experience and strong performances to the Cowboys; he’s posted four consecutive 100+ tackle seasons and is halfway to 100 tackles this season. Logan Wilson has also been more than capable of making the occasional big play, something the Cowboys have lacked for much of the season.

While the Cowboys are still in position to fight for a playoff spot, two straight losses against the Broncos and the Cardinals have seen the team slump to a 3-5-1 record on the season. Dallas will have to hope Logan Wilson can find his footing in the Cowboys’ defensive unit quickly if they are to make noise in the NFC playoff race.

WR Jakobi Meyers to the Jacksonville Jaguars

While the Jacksonville Jaguars are two games back of the Indianapolis Colts for first in the AFC South, they still find themselves firmly in the race for the division; winning the AFC South would mark their second of such triumphs to take place over the last four seasons.

With Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville offence enjoying a strong start to 2025, this move for wide receiver Jakobi Meyers solidifies their case for the AFC South. The trade sees the veteran wide receiver leave the Las Vegas Raiders to pursue a shot at a playoff run; the Raiders will receive fourth and sixth-round draft picks in the upcoming NFL draft.

CB Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts

With the Indianapolis Colts enjoying a 7-2 start to the 2025 NFL season, it’s only reasonable to suggest that they would be buyers at the trade deadline in the hopes of at least securing a playoff berth.

They did just that in a move that sent shockwaves throughout the NFL. Early Tuesday afternoon, the Colts picked up former first-round draft pick Sauce Gardner from the struggling New York Jets to reinforce a defence hampered by injuries. As part of the return, the Jets will receive two first-round selections in the next two NFL drafts as well as wide receiver AD Mitchell.

WR Rashid Shaheed to the Seattle Seahawks

Rashid Shaheed was a valuable piece in the Saints’ fast start to last year’s NFL season. With the Saints struggling to find form throughout the first two months of the season, the team is starting to turn the page towards the future. This move, which sends Shaheed to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for a fourth and a fifth-round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, reinforces their cause.

Upon arriving in the Pacific Northwest, Rashid Shaheed will find himself in one of the league’s best passing games. Not only is quarterback Sam Darnold enjoying another strong season, but Jaxon-Smith Njigba is once again making his case to be one of the league’s best receivers. Adding Shaheed also helps the Seahawks to establish a WR2/WR3 heading into the stretch run.

DE Joe Tryon-Shoyinka to the Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears defence, to say the least, has been problematic throughout the first eight games of the season.

That said, with the Bears currently at 5-3 and with Caleb Williams and the offence enjoying a renaissance under first-year head coach Ben Johnson, I’ve been happy to overlook the defensive struggles until now.

Now I might have to pay a little more attention to the defence, which gains a key piece in the form of defensive end Joe Tryon-Shoyinka. In exchange, the Cleveland Browns will receive a late-round draft pick.

With a crucial run of games coming up for the Bears, the defence will need to find its footing quickly if there is to be a playoff return for the Windy City.

DT Quinnen Williams to the Dallas Cowboys

At 1-7, the New York Jets were going to be one of the more intriguing teams to watch at the deadline. While the Jets had the pieces to be a future contender, it’s clear that work still needs to be done.

As a result, we have … whatever this attempt at a fire sale is.

This was actually the second move the Jets made Tuesday, which saw defensive tackle Quinnen Williams traded to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a second-round draft pick in this year’s draft, a 2027 first-rounder, and defensive tackle Mazi Smith.

Like with the Logan Wilson trade made earlier in the day, the Cowboys are banking on Williams being an immediate contributor on the defensive side of the ball, particularly if the team is to make a late playoff push.

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Article written by Noah Guttman