5 surprise players who could be dealt at NFL trade deadline

1. Cameron Jordan, DE, New Orleans Saints

Again with the New Orleans Saints.

As good as this team was during the Sean Payton and Drew Brees era, it’s clear they now need to start thinking about adding draft picks for an infusion of youth. They still have a lot of talent, so a full-on rebuild isn’t needed, but they have to get a few key positions figured out.

The best way to do this will be to send veteran players to contending teams and stockpile picks. That was the plan with the aforementioned Michael Thomas and they should do the same with defensive end Cameron Jordan.

A 12-year veteran, Jordan is still playing at a high level despite being 33 years old. He had 12.5 sacks and 59 tackles in 2021 and is already up to 32 tackles with 4.5 sacks this season. He’s a savvy veteran with some impressive rushing moves but can also simply overpower players on his way to the quarterback.

A long-time leader on the New Orleans defense, it would be hard to say goodbye to Jordan but there’s a chance they could get some decent draft capital in return — look at what the Broncos got for Von Miller as a rental player.

Pass rushing is always needed in the NFL and Jordan can still bring it, which would make him an ideal trade target. But it would still be a bit of a surprise to see him sent elsewhere since he’s been such a central figure in New Orleans since 2011.