thelesterlee
The 2023 NFL Trade Deadline has come and gone and for a sport where teams don’t really build through trades, there were actually a lot of interesting moves made this week.
I suppose this is what happens when there isn’t clear-cut Super Bowl favorite. Everyone still thinks they have a shot. I mean, everyone except the Carolina Panthers.
But here are your 2023 NFL Trade Deadline grades:
- Buffalo Bills acquire: CB Rasul Douglas, 2024 fifth-round pick
- Green Bay Packers acquire: 2024 third-round pick
In the 4th game of the season, Tre’Davious White, an All-Pro cornerback who’s led the league in interceptions, tore his achilles. He may never play for the Bills again.
Rasul Douglas is a dog. He started his career in Philly winning a title thanks to Nick Foles blacking out and playing wayyy better than Nick Foles has ever been capable of.
Eventually, he landed on the Arizona Cardinals practice squad before they cut him in 2021 and he signed with the Packers.
Here’s what’s he done since joining Green Bay:
- 10 interceptions
- 32 passes defended
- 2 pick six’s
The biggest of those 10 interceptions came against the Cardinals team that cut him. He had a huge interception off Kyler Murray in the end zone, icing the game for Green Bay and ending the Cardinals undefeated season. Everyone in Arizona was fired shortly after.
Rasul Douglas is the type of guy you hate unless he’s on your team in which case he is your precious baby boy who can do no wrong.
Good for Green Bay getting a 3rd round pick. They’re going to fucking need it. Oh brother, the Packers STINK.
Trade Grades: B+ for Buffalo, A for Green Bay
- Detroit Lions acquire: WR Donovan Peoples-Jones
- Cleveland Browns acquire: 2025 sixth-round pick
Donovan Peoples-Jones went to high school in Detroit. He was a 5-star recruit, the no. 1 receiver in the state and played his college ball at Michigan.
Last season was a career year for DPJ:
- 61 catches (on 96 targets 2nd only to Amari Cooper’s 132 targets)
- 839 receiving yards
- 3 touchdowns
This season, Peoples-Jones has 8 catches for 97 yards.
Either the 24-year-old, 5-star athlete completely fell off a cliff physically or he had a better season with Jacoby Brissett throwing him the ball compared to this season where Deshaun Watson is throwing the ball in the dirt and faking an injury to trick the team into authorizing a massage for him.
I can say with complete confidence Jared Goff is a better QB than Deshaun Watson’s horny ass.
Donovan Peoples-Jones was drafted in the 6th round so good for Cleveland getting that pick back, I reckon. Shrug.
Trade Grades: B for Detroit Lions and C- for Cleveland Browns
- San Francisco 49ers acquire: EDGE Chase Young
- Washington Commanders acquire: 2024 third-round pick
It feels like we’re conditioned to assume the 49ers have this unstoppable defense but they’re pretty much the mendoza line. They’re ranked 15th in defensive DVOA and they’re 18th in passing defense.
Before Chase Young shows up, they already have the most talented group of pass rushers but they only have 18 sacks this season.
Their pass rush would look a lot more dominant if they had some better secondary help locking up receivers.
Every time I turn to a 49ers game, I see Brock Purdy slamming his head into the turf.
Maybe a cornerback or offensive lineman would’ve been better than a guy they don’t really need.
BUT, I will never pretend like getting one of the best pass rushers in the NFL is a bad thing. Even if you are already flooded with talent. Let that cup runneth over. The 49ers will never go a single minute where there isn’t a killer out there seconds away from ripping a QB in half.
Chase Young was drafted no. 2 overall three years ago. Washington is getting a 3rd rounder for him. We really need to start the next season with 31 teams and make Washington wait a whole year before they’re allowed to rejoin the NFL. They have to sit in timeout for a bit while the stench of Dan Snyder airs out.
Nick Bosa and Chase Young are either going to have a Remember The Titans montage where they become best friends despite their differences or Bosa is gonna spray paint the N-word on Young’s locker for taking a sack away from him. Bosa is going to drop a MAGA hat on Chase’s chair on the team plane when Chase goes to the bathroom.
Trade Grades: A- for San Francisco 49ers and F for Washington Commanders
- Jacksonville Jaguars acquire: OG Ezra Cleveland
- Minnesota Vikings acquire: 2024 sixth-round pick
I will not sit here and pretend as if I’ve been studying Minnesota Vikings offensive line play. But here’s an interesting stat: Ezra Cleveland has allowed just one sack in his last 366 pass-blocking snaps according to PFF. You trade a 6th rounder for that type of protection all day every day.
Trevor Lawrence can continue playing in a vacuum safely.
The next player I’m about to talk about miiiiight have a little problem with this trade though.
Trade Grades: B for Jacksonville and D for Minnesota
- Minnesota Vikings acquire: QB Joshua Dobbs, 2024 seventh-round pick
- Arizona Cardinals acquire: 2024 sixth-round pick
With Kirk Cousins out with a freshly torn Achilles, the Minnesota Vikings starting QB is rookie, Jaren Hall—who was Zach Wilson’s backup in college and the first black QB to ever start a game for BYU.
Personally, I don’t trust a Mormon brother so maybe Josh Dobbs can come in and take some reps when Hall can’t play because his stummy is upset from drinking too much whole milk or whatever the fuck these guys do for fun at that school.
Both QBs might be joining Cousins on the injured reserves after Minnesota sent Ezra Cleveland to Jacksonville.
This trade is a huge win for a guy like me who loves some trash QB play. Jaren Hall is the Vikings QB1. Clayton Tune is running the show in Arizona. These teams are about to set single-season punt records.
Trade Grades: C for Minnesota and C for Arizona
- Chicago Bears acquire: EDGE Montez Sweat
- Washington Commanders acquire: 2024 second-round pick
Montez Sweat has 6.5 sacks this season. The Chicago Bears are dead last in the league with a combined 10. He walks in today as the most talented player on this defense.
Unfortunately, the Bears have only 2 wins and their starting an undrafted quarterback from Bumblefuck U. This team isn’t going to make the playoffs and should be looking to tank for someone better than Justin Fields.
This is the final year of Sweat’s contract so unless he and the Bears are already in contract extension talks, this trade takes a much-needed 2nd rounder away from Chicago for a half year rental who will be nowhere near the facility next season along with head coach Matt Eberflues and GM Ryan Poles.
The Washington Commanders traded two former first-round picks in their physical prime for a 2nd and 3rd rounder. Ban them for 2 seasons.
Trade Grades: B+ for Chicago and F for Washington
- Seattle Seahawks acquire: DL Leonard Williams
- New York Giants acquire: 2024 second-round pick, 2025 fifth-round pick
Death. Taxes. The Pete Caroll-led Seattle Seahawks having a legendary defense.
In 2019, the Giants gave up a 3rd and 5th rounder to the Jets for Leonard Williams. 22.5 sacks later and New York is getting a 2nd and 5th for Williams. The Giants got a better return for a 30-year-old than Washington did for their two star pass rushers who haven’t even signed their first big contracts yet.
Washington deserves a 3-year ban.
Trade Grades: A for Seattle and A for New York
Philadelphia Eagles acquire: S Kevin Byard
Tennessee Titans acquire: S Terrell Edmunds, 2024 fifth-round pick, 2024 sixth-round pick
Kevin Byard is a 2-time All-Star. He’s a 2-time First Team All-Pro safety. I have no idea how Eagles GM Howie Roseman continues to get away with this. An already stacked roster with the only hole being their secondary just got one of the best coverage safeties in the NFL.
Byard has 27 career interceptions and 59 pass break ups and although he hasn’t picked off a pass yet, can you blame him? He was playing for a Tennesee Titans team in no man’s land between competing and rebuilding. It’s really tough to give your all at work when you think the company is going out of business soon.
Don’t be shocked if Kevin Byard ends the season with like, 4 or 5 interceptions now that he’s playing alongside the 5th best pass rushing unit in the league.
This should be illegal. I’m sick.
Trade Grade: A for Philadelphia and C for Tennesee
Atlanta Falcons acquire: DL Kentavius Street, 2025 seventh-round draft pick
Philadelphia Eagles acquire: 2024 sixth-round draft pick
The Eagles are so stacked they have extra defensive linemen to just give away at the trade deadline to local teams that need help around the holidays. This trade is like a tax write off for Philadelphia.
Charity is the only way to describe this move because this was not was Atlanta wanted. The Falcons had a deal and a extension in place for Washington’s Montez Sweat but at the last minute, the Commanders took Chicago’s offer thus leaving Atlanta to rummage through the Eagles garbage and pull out a Kentavius Street who has recorded 0 sacks and 0 QB hits this season.
I guess it’s always good to add depth, right? RIGHT??
Trade Grades: C+ for Atlanta and B- for Philadelphia
Kansas City Chiefs acquire: WR Mecole Hardman, 2025 seventh-round pick
New York Jets acquire: 2025 sixth-round pick
The Kansas City Chiefs have the greatest quarterback of all time and a group of receivers who are leading the league in drops. I don’t know if I have to explain why getting a former receiver who was on the Super Bowl-winning team last year is a good thing.
Trade Grades: B- for Kansas City and C for New York Jets
Is this one of the best NFL trade deadlines ever? Leave a comment below. Respond on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Or shoot me an email at Deadseriousmailbag@gmail.com. Let’s chat, bay-beeeee. Let me know if you disagree with my trade grades so I can ignore you.
