NFL Trade Deadline 2019: 5 Trades that should’ve been made
The day of the 2019 NFL Trade Deadline came and went with nothing but smoke and no fired. But these trades should’ve been made on Tuesday.
Considering how many big names have been traded this season, it was reasonable to think we could see some furious action at the 2019 NFL Trade Deadline, particularly on Tuesday ahead of the 4:00 p.m. ET hard cut-off for deals. Instead, the deadline came with barely a whimper as the only real move of consequence on Tuesday was the Los Angeles Rams trading Aqib Talib to the Miami Dolphins in a salary cap dump.
In a year where the likes of Jalen Ramsey, Jadeveon Clowney, Marcus Peters, Laremy Tunsil and even players like Mohamed Sanu and Emmanuel Sanders were traded, it was a bit of a letdown to see the NFL Trade Deadline arrive so quietly. There were plenty of rumors, sure, but none of it resulted in actual trades being made, for one reason or another.
That doesn’t mean that trades shouldn’t have been made, though. There were missed opportunities throughout the league, both for teams looking to invest in the future through the draft and teams aiming to make a late-season run at the playoffs and perhaps a Super Bowl. These are five such trades that should’ve transpired at the 2019 NFL Trade Deadline.
Everything that we heard leading up to the NFL Trade Deadline was that the Cleveland Browns and general manager John Dorsey were locked in on a possible trade for Trent Williams with the Washington Redskins. However, the stubborn Washington front office would not part ways with a player that refuses to take the field for them. That’s bad business but the Redskins are hardly a franchise that makes sensible decisions.
While putting a trade for Williams here would make sense, we’re instead going to accept the reality that Washington wasn’t actually willing to play ball in working out a deal. With that being the case, Dorsey and the Browns should have looked elsewhere to address an offensive line that remains a glaring weakness on a disappointing football team.
Targeting a player like Eagles offensive lineman Halapoulivaati Vaitai would have been a phenomenal move for Cleveland. When on the field, Vaitai has proven to be a versatile player that can perform well at both tackle and guard, even if he isn’t the star-caliber player that Williams is. Perhaps just as importantly, he would’ve been cheaper.
At 2-5 on the season, the Browns still aren’t out of it as their second-half schedule is incredibly friendly. It’s disappointing to see them not make a move to address their biggest shortcoming (outside of head coach Freddie Kitchens), especially with a team like the Eagles and Howie Roseman, who’s always ready to make a deal.