The 2022 NFL Trade Deadline has come and gone, and it was truly unlike any other NFL trade deadline before it. There is never a shortage of rumors leading up to the NFL trade deadline in a given year, but typically it’s a lot more talk than actual substance and movement. That was not the case here in 2022.
There were a ton of moves made before the 2022 deadline and substantial moves at that. We saw players like Christian McCaffrey get traded away, Bradley Chubb, Roquan Smith, and plenty of other notable names that found new homes at the midway point of the NFL season. Which teams could be considered the trade deadline’s biggest “losers” though? Unfortunately for these franchises, picking the top three biggest losers from the 2022 trade deadline was rather easy.
Top 3 biggest losers of the otherwise thrilling 2022 NFL Trade Deadline
1. Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys had an opportunity to make a bold move at the 2022 NFL trade deadline, and they failed to do so. The Cowboys could have gone after a player like Brandin Cooks of the Houston Texans to help fortify their championship run hopes in 2022, but they didn’t pull the trigger.
It’s so odd for Jerry Jones and company because they’ve been in this position a number of times before. You had the Roy Williams trade once upon a time, then of course the Amari Cooper trade more recently than that. Cooks would have cost a fraction of the price of those guys, and he’s been one of the NFL’s most reliable receivers since he came into the league in 2014.
Sure, Dallas has CeeDee Lamb in place and Michael Gallup working his way back to full strength. Outside of that, they certainly don’t have anyone who comes close to being as good or reliable as Brandin Cooks. This team is in a competitive window and even though they’re not even in first place in the NFC East right now, they have a chance to be the best team in the NFC this year.
It just seems odd that the Cowboys wouldn’t make a trade for someone like Cooks, who was made available by the Texans and obviously wanted to be elsewhere, especially because we’ve seen the Cowboys make bolder (that’s the word, right?) moves in the past.
2. Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are out of lifelines. There is no phone-a-friend, there is no 50-50, there is no “ask the audience”. They are facing a million-dollar question and they simply don’t have the answer. The reigning NFL champions are drifting into borderline irrelevance when it comes to teams with contender status around the NFL as we approach the halfway point of the season.
It looks like everyone else in the NFC West got better in the last couple of weeks except the Rams.
- Seattle is seeing rookie RB Kenneth Walker emerge into a superstar
- Arizona added Robbie Anderson and got DeAndre Hopkins back
- San Francisco added RB Christian McCaffrey
The Rams apparently offered multiple first-round picks to the Panthers for pass rusher Brian Burns, but that offer was turned down because the Rams don’t have any first-round picks in 2023, only 2024 and 2025 thanks to the Matthew Stafford trade.
Not that the Rams are in bad shape — they just won a Super Bowl — but it’s possible looking back to the 2022 offseason that they relied too much on in-season trades and that has now come back to bite them a little bit here.
The Panthers didn’t take the bait on the Burns offer. The Rams couldn’t strike a deal for even Robert Quinn who went for a mid-round pick with the Bears taking on the majority of his salary. They didn’t make a competitive enough offer for Bradley Chubb, if they made an offer at all.
The lack of edge rush presence will haunt the Rams over the course of the season, and could even prevent this team from making the playoffs when all is said and done.
3. Green Bay Packers
The 2022 NFL trade deadline was incredibly pathetic for the Green Bay Packers. Besides the Dallas Cowboys, the Packers might have been the most worthy of an entire fan base shaking their heads at because this team is in a very tight window with Aaron Rodgers right now.
Receivers were available. All three NFC North teams besides the Packers made trades to add assets at the deadline, but the Packers stayed put despite having the most obvious need at receiver in the entire NFL.
- Chicago acquired WR Chase Claypool from the Steelers
- Minnesota acquired TE TJ Hockenson from the Lions
- Detroit added future draft capital (at the very least)
The Vikings went out and made a trade happen, even with a division rival. The Packers have the reigning back-to-back MVP, and they are asking this guy to go out there and play the NFL’s version of the honeycomb game from Squid Game. It’s an impossible task every week just for Rodgers to get the Packers into the end zone through the air. It’s like pulling teeth.
Again, receivers and playmakers were available. The Packers could have gotten Kadarius Toney. They could have gone after Chase Claypool. They could have inquired about Hockenson or tried to beat the price the Vikings were willing to pay. They could have gone after Brandin Cooks. They could have done something. Anything.
They didn’t. General manager Brian Gutekunst continues to impress with his willingness to put Aaron Rodgers in situations where we see him face-down on the field in a loss against the Commanders.