The Trade Block

One player from each team that could become expendable

Yannick Ngakoue, DE Jacksonville Jaguars

Just like in real life, we have a name that could be on the block. The Jags are another team that needs to build, and they have depth at DE to make this kind of move for a guy playing on a franchise tag. With guys like Josh Allen, Aaron Lynch, and rookie K’Lavon Chaisson all being 74+ OVR, they could make this move without hurting their team much.

Marcus Maye, S New York Jets

Wait a second… Didn’t the Jets already trade away one of their starting safeties? If I am Moji, I am looking at this terrible roster and seeing where you could get rid of a guy and plug in a younger guy that could fill in and not drop off much. Maye is 27 years old and 81 OVR, but they have a guy in Ashtyn Davis who is just 23 years old and a 71 OVR, and let’s not overlook the 92 SPD / 91 ACC, which is super nice to have from a FS. Let’s be real though, if you can get anything for any of your guys 27 years old or over, I would take it and start the rebuilding process with as much draft capital as you can (I am looking at you MLB group!).

Desmond Trufant, CB Detroit Lions

Trading away an 83 OVR CB might be hard to swallow, but hear me out. Right now he has 91 SPD / 92 ACC, to go along with 83 ZCV and 80 MCV. Those are really great to have. One downside? He is 29 years old and you will likely only get 1 season out of these great attributes before he starts going downhill. The Lions would still have Justin Coleman (84 OVR, 27 years old) and 21 year old rookie Jeff Okudah, who is an absolute stud at his age already. This team has an old QB and old WRs (WR1-WR5 are all 26+ years old). This team needs to start purging the older vets.

Za’Darius Smith, OLB Green Bay Packers

I wanted so bad to put Aaron Rodgers on this list, but the numbers don’t add up and you really aren’t getting enough back from a 36 year old QB. Starting Jordan Love this season could be a real possibility, and whether you keep Rodgers as a backup or trade/release him, you would still be paying the same amount of money either way, so you might as well keep him around. Anyway, back to the OLBs. The Packers have both Smith bros (Za’Darius and Preston), Tim Williams, and 22 year old Rashan Gary. The last time I checked, it is extremely hard to play 4 OLBs at the same time, so you might as well trade one in, and Za’Darius will probably net you the best return of the bunch.

Kawann Short, DT Carolina Panthers

After all of the shuffling of players and coaches this offseason, the Panthers face the reality that it was time to blow things up and start over. KK is 31 years old, and while he can still go at 87 OVR, the Panthers have prepared for his departure by drafting rookie DT Derrick Brown (78 OVR), who could become a force in the league.

Dont’a Hightower, MLB New England Patriots

I really, really hope Glenn is committed this season. And I mean to the point where he has spreadsheets with his roster and he starts formulating a plan, because this team is going to be rough. They have one of the oldest rosters in the game and only a handful of players in the higher ratings that are under 25 years old. One of these guys is 24 year old MLB Ja’Whaun Bentley, who is 77 OVR. This makes Hightower expendable and opens up a draft spot to fill all these other holes (especially this secondary!!).

Lamarcus Joyner, CB Las Vegas Raiders

The LV Raiders actually have some young pieces in the secondary that might not get the playing time they need to fully develop, with 22 year old Trayvon Mullen and 23 year old Damon Arnette Jr. ready to start the process. The Raiders would still have Prince Amukamara for a stop gap, and Joyner still has a little bit of value (82 OVR, 29 years old).

Aaron Donald, DE Los Angeles Rams

This is a tough one for me. This team drops off HARD from their top tier guys, and there aren’t many backups I see that are ready to go, with the starters giving you a good return in trade value. Here is my thought with Donald: What do you think you could get in return for a 99 OVR X-Factor who can single-handedly control the pass rush? For a team without any 1^st round picks (thank you Jalen Ramsey trade), I don’t see the Rams contending for the division anytime soon (the Seahawks and Niners are really, really good), so I would look to prepare myself for in a few seasons once they drop off and maximize those efforts by bringing in a haul for Donald. Trust me, someone out there would pay top dollar for him.

Marcus Peters, CB Baltimore Ravens

Let me preface this with I don’t think the Ravens should make any moves. They are set up really well to win right now. I could see them give up on Mark Ingram for J.K. Dobbins more playing time, but I doubt many will be interested in a 30 year old HB. If the Ravens moved on from 27 year old Peters, they would still have Marlon Humphrey, old ass Jimmy Smith (still 83 OVR at 32 years old), and Tavon Young. They could still compete with that trio and still be one of the best rosters in the game. If the trade was too good to let go, I wouldn’t shame them for pulling the trigger.

Ryan Kerrigan, DE Washington Football Team

First off, let me talk about something. Why is this team full of terrible people? And they aren’t even good! The only people they beat are those inside their households! Guice (I know he’s not on the team anymore), Cody Latimer, Reuben Foster, Adrian Peterson… Shit at this point I am not sure why they haven’t asked Ray Rice or Greg Hardy for a tryout. Anyway, Kerrigan is now very expendable with the team investing early picks on Chase Young and Montez Sweat in back to back years.

Nobody, No Position New Orleans Saints

Let’s look at the facts. This roster is top to bottom the best in the game right now. Half of this division is rebuilding (Panthers, Falcons). The majority of their top players are either too old to garnish any sort of value in return (33 year old Emmanuel Sanders and 32 year old Malcom Jenkins are expendable, but no one is buying), or else they are players you want to keep around for the long run. Spencer needs to win now and not look at the future, because this is his time to make something happen.

Rashaad Penny/Chris Carson, HB Seattle Seahawks

This is a toss-up. I could see you making a case for trading either guy. Carson is rated better (+8 OVR), but Penny is a year younger and slightly faster/more agile. They also have Carlos Hyde on the roster, who makes a good backup. There really isn’t too much value in having 3 decent HBs on your team, so I would play around with both guys, find who I liked more, and ship off the other.

James Conner, HB Pittsburgh Steelers

As I evaluated this roster, I am really impressed by their defense. I don’t even want to touch any of the pieces because it is built very well for right now. One spot I find interesting is the HB position. As I look at Conner, all I can think is “Meh.” At 25 years old, he is actually the oldest HB on the team. They have other guys they could look at utilizing, such as Benny Snell Jr., Jaylen Samuels, and especially at rookie Anthony McFarland. The Steelers can afford to move on from Conner very easily, even if it was for just a late round pick, and save them from paying for Conner in his last year of his deal.

Keke Coutee, WR Houston Texans

I was really close to picking J.J. Watt for this move, especially since the Texans are screwed in the draft pick department. However, the drop off from Watt to whomever replaces him is quite substantial. Coutee is an interesting player to trade. He is just 23 years old and 73 OVR, and pretty decent stats. Could you get a 3^rd or 4^th for him? Very possible. Right now Coutee is buried below 26 year olds Brandin Cooks and Will Fuller V, as well as savvy vets Kenny stills and Randall Cobb above him. Keke is not likely to develop very well, and there may be some teams out there looking to add some youth to their WR group (*COUGH*PACKERS*COUGH*)

Jayon Brown, MLB Tennessee Titans

This team is packed full of LBs. Here is a list of guys who are easily startable on your defense: Brown, Harold Landry III, Rashaan Evans, Vic Beasley, and Kamalei Correa. Brown would yield a very nice price from a LB-hungry team (or just JP alone), and Correa could bump inside in a 3-4 scheme and find right in. Most of the game you are in a passing defense (Nickel, Dime, Quarter), so it just doesn’t make sense in this day and age to have so many good LBs vying for playing time.

Kyle Rudolph, TE Minnesota Vikings

Kevin Stefanski is no longer the OC for the Vikings, so the need for 2 good TEs in this offense is significantly decreased. Rudolph has lost a few steps in his age and 22 year old Irv Smith Jr. looks ready to take the starting role in this offense. The return on Rudolph won’t be much, but this Vikings team at the top is getting old and it is time to start purging the old vets.