Top 5 NFL trades as final rosters are assembled around the league

All around the league, teams had to make a ton of moves to get rosters from 80 players to 53. With over 800 players hitting the waiver wire, just over 30 were claimed by teams. Of those 30-plus waiver claims, only a handful seem noteworthy. Upgrading the roster at this time of year is tough, but not impossible. Still, there were a number of players that changed teams this past week that had to be acquired via trade, and some teams made some really good deals.

There is always an inherent risk when you’re making a trade in the NFL. NFL trades are not as common as trades in other professional leagues because of the learning curve with NFL playbooks in short order, but there are some deals that just look really good on paper when they go down.

Let’s take a look at the top five trades that were made around the league as 53-man rosters were assembled.

Best NFL trades at 2022 roster cuts: DL Ross Blacklock to the Minnesota Vikings

Vikings get

• DL Ross Blacklock
• 7th-round pick

Texans get

• 6th-round pick

Ross Blacklock was the 40th overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans. Although he wasn’t drafted by current Houston GM Nick Caserio, this trade seems awfully premature. The Vikings made one of the more head-scratching moves at roster cuts when they let go of Armon Watts, a player who had career-highs in sacks and QB hits last year, but the acquisition of Blacklock at least makes that move make a little bit of sense.

For essentially nothing, the Vikings are getting themselves a former top 40 pick who could wind up being a fixture on their defensive line for the next couple of years. Blacklock is going to be playing for new Minnesota defensive coordinator Ed Donatell, and Donatell’s defensive scheme will allow for Blacklock to float around the formation and make plays as a pass rusher.

I think Blacklock got into a great situation to maximize his upside as a former second-round pick, and I think Houston — although they sold Blacklock’s stock for a very low price — managed to get something in return for a player that was not in their plans.