Lions, Browns Expected To Finalize Za’Darius Smith Trade
10:42pm: Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer confirms the Browns and Lions have had talks regarding a Smith deal. He adds the price, should this agreement be finalized, will likely be around a fourth-round pick. That level of compensation would, of course, set the market for any other edge rush trades over the coming days.
1:16pm: Za’Darius Smithhas long been connected to a trade sending him from the Browns to the Lions. Signs continue to point in that direction. 
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports a deal between the teams is expected to be finalized tonight or tomorrow. At the moment, Smith is taking part in Cleveland’s Week 9 contest against the Chargers. Provided he does not suffer an injury during today’s game, attention will turn to the status of negotiations for a swap to be worked out.
Smith spoke about the possibility of a Lions arrival last month, stating an openness to a deal which would send him to the Motor City. Presuming this trade does indeed get worked out, the three-time Pro Bowler will return to the NFC North. A former Packer and Viking, Smith will have the chance to play two of his former teams during the latter stages of the 2024 season if he does indeed wind up with the Lions.
Detroit is without Marcus Davenport for the year, something which was exacerbated by Aidan Hutchinson‘s broken tibia. The latter could make a Super Bowl return, but his absence created a massive vacancy along the edge for the time being. In the build-up to Week 9, Lions head coach Dan Campbell strongly hinted at a pass rush addition being around the corner, so today’s report comes as no surprise.
The Lions are short on established options along the edge with their top two options on the mend, so Smith will have plenty of playing time available provided he does wind up changing teams. The 32-year-old recorded at least 10 sacks in each healthy season between 2019 and ’22, but he had a quieter debut Cleveland campaign last year (5.5). So far in 2024, though, Smith has racked up five sacks, a sign that he has remained productive deep into his career. Providing at least a depth presence on the edge for Detroit would be key for the team’s Super Bowl hopes.
The NFC North figures to be highly competitive throughout the season, and any acquisitions on the Lions’ part could tip the scales in their favor. The team has been connected to other trade candidates, but Smith has remained the most common target for some time now. He is attached to a base salary of just $1.21MM for 2024, along with a non-guaranteed $1.5MM in base pay next year. Smith is owed a $2MM roster bonus not long after the start of the next league year, so an adjustment from the Lions – should they end up acquiring him – would not come as a surprise.
Browns Name Jameis Winston Starting Quarterback For Remainder Of Season
NOVEMBER 3: The Browns have named Winston the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season, as Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com writes. Cabot does allow for the possibility that Thompson-Robinson could get some starts if the Browns are eliminated from playoff contention, but after his strong showing against the Ravens in Week 8 — albeit against a leaky secondary missing two starters — the job is now Winston’s to lose.
OCTOBER 23: The Browns are making another switch on their quarterback depth chart. Days after it was reported Cleveland was demoting Jameis Winston, the offseason pickup will move into the starting role.
Winston is expected to take over for an injured Deshaun Watson in Week 8, according to Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz. Prioritized over Joe Flacco to be Watson’s backup, Winston was unexpectedly dropped to the emergency QB3 role as Dorian Thompson-Robinson made another leap. That was believed to be a game plan-specific adjustment, per Schultz, rather than a move that indicated Winston would continue as a third-stringer.
It is nevertheless interesting Winston was viewed as a third-stringer for any game, but Thompson-Robinson had made a similar climb last year. DTR’s progress during training camp prompted the Browns to trade Joshua Dobbs to the Cardinals last summer. The Browns have not seen much from Thompson-Robinson in games, and with the second-year passer now battling an injury, Winston represented the obvious choice to take over in Cleveland’s latest emergency circumstance.
Winston, 30, signed with the Browns on a one-year, $4MM deal. Those terms match what the Colts gave Joe Flacco, with the 39-year-old veteran confirming the Browns never made him an offer to stay. The 2023 Comeback Player of the Year had wanted to stay, expressing fondness for his Cleveland setup on several occasions. Winston, however, joined Jacoby Brissett as the Browns’ preferred options. Not wanting to go where the Patriots did for Watson’s 2022 fill-in (one year, $8MM), the Browns brought in Winston, who still counts as dead money on the Saints’ 2024 and ’25 payrolls.
Watson is believed to have backed a Winston signing, helping to explain Cleveland’s preference compared to a second Flacco contract. The former No. 1 overall pick has made 80 career starts. The runway is clear for the former Buccaneers and Saints starter to run that count to 90, barring injury. Though, the Browns — given how their season has unraveled thanks largely to Watson’s struggles — may want to give Thompson-Robinson more burn to gauge his development at some point. For now, it will be Winston, who has not been a regular starter since a 2022 injury led to his New Orleans demotion.
While Winston is best known for his high-variance 2019 season — which featured 33 touchdown passes, 30 interceptions and 5,109 yards — he played well in Sean Payton’s Saints finale before going down with an ACL tear. The Saints re-signed Winston to a two-year, $28MM deal in 2022 but ended up benching him for Andy Dalton. New Orleans’ Derek Carr deal keyed a Winston pay cut, and the NFC South club dropped its backup via a post-June 1 release this offseason.
A finger injury led Thompson-Robinson out of the Browns’ Week 7 Bengals matchup. While surgery was in play, that will not end up being necessary, per ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler. The team has since signed Bailey Zappe off the Chiefs’ practice squad. If Thompson-Robinson misses time, Cleveland’s Week 8 QB depth chart will feature Zappe backing up Winston.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/2/24
Today’s minor NFL moves including standard gameday practice squad elevations for Sunday’s slate of games:
Arizona Cardinals
- Elevated: DL Ben Stille
Atlanta Falcons
- Elevated: CB Natrone Brooks, DE Demone Harris
Baltimore Ravens
- Elevated: NT Josh Tupou, DE Chris Wormley
Carolina Panthers
- Signed to active roster: TE Jordan Matthews
- Elevated: CB Caleb Farley, WR Deven Thompkins
Chicago Bears
- Elevated: T Jake Curhan, CB Reddy Steward
Cincinnati Bengals
- Elevated: T Devin Cochran, WR Kendric Pryor
Cleveland Browns
- Elevated: DT Sam Kamara
Denver Broncos
- Elevated: LB Kwon Alexander, FB Michael Burton
Detroit Lions
- Signed to active roster: LB Abraham Beauplan, DL Chris Smith
- Elevated: OLB Al-Quadin Muhammad, TE Shane Zylstra
- Released: TE Parker Hesse
Green Bay Packers
- Elevated: CB Kamal Hadden
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Elevated: WR Elijah Cooks, WR Austin Trammell
- Placed on IR: WR Christian Kirk (story)
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed to active roster: TE Peyton Hendershot
- Placed on IR: TE Jared Wiley
Los Angeles Rams
- Elevated: LB Elias Neal, P Ty Zentner
Miami Dolphins
- Elevated: DT Neil Farrell, LS Matt Overton
New Orleans Saints
- Signed to active roster: S Millard Bradford, CB Shemar Jean-Charles, RB Jordan Mims
- Elevated: CB Tre Herndon, S Roderic Teamer
- Placed on IR: WR Bub Means, RB Kendre Miller
- Waived: G Kyle Hergel
Philadelphia Eagles
- Elevated: TE E.J. Jenkins
Tennessee Titans
- Signed to active roster: CB Justin Hardee, RB Joshua Kelley, WR Bryce Oliver
- Elevated: C Corey Levin, QB Trevor Siemian
- Placed on IR: OL Andrew Rupcich
- Waived: TE Thomas Odukoya
Washington Commanders
- Elevated: RB Chris Rodriguez Jr.
Browns Place LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah On IR
The Browns will be without one of their key defenders for at least the next four games. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the team has placed linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah on injured reserve.
[RELATED: Browns LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah Suffers Neck Injury]
Owusu-Koramoah was carted off the field during the third quarter of last weekend’s game. Fortunately, the linebacker avoided a serious, career-altering injury, but it could still be a bit before he takes the field again. In fact, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com warns that Owusu-Koramoah could ultimately be lost for the rest of the 2024 campaign.
The Browns will now have to navigate at least the next month without one of their defensive leaders. After earning his first Pro Bowl nod in 2023, Owusu-Koramoah has carried his elite production into 2024. The former second-round pick leads the Browns with 61 tackles, and he’s also added three sacks, one interception, and one forced fumble to his 2024 stat line.
“JOK is a leader of our defense,” safety Juan Thornhill told Cabot. “He’s a guy that’s going to make a lot of plays, that spark for our defense and losing a guy like that, it hurts. That’s our brother. You never want to see anybody go down like that. But everybody out there, they’re going to play hard for him each and every week until they get back out there and I’m praying for my boy.”
Owusu-Koramoah has been the one consistent for the Browns linebackers corps in 2024. Jordan Hicks has missed three games and most of a fourth, and Mohamoud Diabate had a stint on IR while recovering from a hip injury. Devin Bush has stepped up and ranks second at the position in snaps played, and the Browns may have to lean on the likes of Winston Reid and Nathaniel Watson depending on the status of Hicks.
Browns Brass Agreed Deshaun Watson Was Team’s Best Starter Option
The first third of the Browns’ season brought consistent scrutiny on Kevin Stefanski‘s decision to keep starting Deshaun Watson. The former Texans Pro Bowler had rarely resembled his Houston version in Cleveland and had bottomed out this season, producing the league’s worst QBR among qualified passers during his seven starts.
Weekly calls for Watson to be benched rang out, but with Browns ownership and GM Andrew Berry not making themselves available to address this big-picture issue, Stefanski continued to do so. Stefanski had kept indicating Watson would not be benched, but the two-time NFL Coach of the Year shed some light on the organization’s decision-making process by confirming he had discussed the matter with Berry and the team’s ownership. It appears the parties were aligned on the decision to avoid benching the struggling starter.
While Stefanski had said ownership was not forcing him to keep starting Watson, who remains tied to a record-shattering guarantee ($230MM), ESPN.com’s Daniel Oyefusi notes the choice to stay the course was agreed upon at all organizational levels. Watson’s Week 8 Achilles tear, of course, changed the Browns’ plan. Although the injury conceivably clouds Watson’s future in Cleveland, his guarantees for 2025 and ’26 — which are currently slated to smash NFL records in terms of cap hits — remain intact.
As many expected he would, Jameis Winston outplayed the 2024 Watson version in Week 8. The free agent pickup completed 27 of 41 passes, including a game-winner to Cedric Tillman, for 334 yards and three touchdowns. The Browns prioritized Winston over Joe Flacco, who said repeatedly he wanted to stay in Cleveland — before ultimately confirming he received no offer to return — but demoted him to the third-string level in Week 7. Dorian Thompson-Robinson, however, did not hold the starting gig once Watson went down. After a promising Week 8 — albeit with a boost from some Ravens dropped interceptions — Winston appears the clear-cut Browns starter.
It is not especially surprising the upper reaches of the organization agreed to keep trotting out Watson, who was at the controls as the Browns lost five straight. The team had made a historic investment in the embattled passer, sending the Texans three first-round picks in a package that included other draft choices and greenlighting the five-year, $230MM guaranteed deal. The Browns joined the Falcons, Panthers and Saints in being willing to send three first-rounders to the Texans for Watson, but their $230MM guarantee set them apart. As Watson was on the cusp of choosing Atlanta, the Georgia native backtracked thanks to the whopping guarantee — a figure that has not been approached despite the QB market skyrocketing since.
The Watson contract, which Jimmy Haslam indicated stemmed from a Berry plan, unfolding as it has may well place the HC-GM combination on hot seats despite the Browns authorizing extensions for both this offseason. Stefanski has also given up play-calling duties for the first time in his Browns tenure, handing the role to OC Ken Dorsey. The team did not discuss changing play-callers until Week 8, Dorsey said (via The Athletic’s Zac Jackson).
Stefanski’s run as a play-caller stretched back to taking over for a fired John DeFilippo as interim Vikings OC in 2018. Becoming Minnesota’s full-time OC in 2019, Stefanski landed the Browns’ HC job in 2020, arriving two weeks before Berry.
Winston’s early success reflects well on the coach’s scheme, which keyed a playoff berth in 2020 with a healthy Baker Mayfield and obviously flourished with Flacco at the controls en route to a surprising postseason berth last season. Though, with the Browns 2-6 and rumored to be prepared to make more seller’s trades following the Amari Cooper swap, Stefanski may not be out of the woods yet regarding an ouster.
Watson underwent surgery last week. Stefanski did not commit to the high-priced passer as his 2025 starter, though the veteran HC said he still believed in Watson. Thanks to the QB’s two restructures, he is tied to $72.94MM cap numbers in 2025 and ’26. Cutting Watson in 2025 would create an unfathomable $172.73MM dead cap hit, which would be spread over two years in a post-June 1 transaction (which would certainly be necessary in the event of a release). It will now be interesting, given the money still owed to Watson, if the Browns add a starter-caliber arm in 2025.
Trade Rumors: Jefferson, Tomlinson, Browns, 49ers, Broncos, Texans
Following the Amari Cooper swap, more Browns seller’s trades are expected. Za’Darius Smith has emerged as perhaps the top post-Cooper trade chip, but two members of their interior D-line profile as candidates to move. More definitively, Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline indicates the Browns will trade Quinton Jefferson if they receive an offer. The nomadic DT has not played since Week 5, with the Browns not receiving much in the way of production on a one-year, $4MM deal. Having played for five teams in the past five seasons (Bills, Raiders, Seahawks, Jets, Browns), Jefferson has been in a number of schemes and has experience at D-tackle and end. He may have drawn some interest already, and it does not sound like it will take much for a team to acquire the 31-year-old D-lineman.
One of the reasons Jefferson is not seeing the field, Dalvin Tomlinson remains the Browns’ lead DT. He is signed to a four-year, $57MM deal, and The Athletic’s Zac Jackson views Tomlinson and Smith as the most likely Browns to be moved at the Nov. 5 deadline. Being the Browns, void years on Tomlinson’s deal have the eighth-year veteran’s base salary at $1.2MM. That would make an acquisition appealing for a team, as Tomlinson has been productive in New York, Minnesota and Cleveland and does not have any guaranteed money due beyond 2024. Pro Football Focus ranked Tomlinson as a top-30 DT from 2017-22 and slots the 30-year-old 31st through eight games.
Here is the latest from the trade market:
- 49ers connections to bolstering their defensive front persist, with Pauline indicating the NFC West club is indeed in the market for help on its depleted D-line. The 49ers, who cut Arik Armstead this offseason, have seen Javon Hargrave lost for perhaps the season. Hargrave’s timetable, which has already included triceps surgery, may allow for a return deep in the playoffs — should the 49ers stay alive that long — according to The Athletic’s Matt Barrows, but it is understandable the 49ers would want help to boost their chances of another NFC West crown. They have been linked to Patriots DT Davon Godchaux. San Francisco has made several buyer’s trades under John Lynch, acquiring the likes of Emmanuel Sanders, Charles Omenihu, Randy Gregory and Chase Young since 2019. Those moves came after their Jimmy Garoppolo acquisition seven years ago today.
- With Stefon Diggs‘ season-ending injury occurring before the deadline, the Texans have a chance to add a piece to help. Houston is believed to be exploring such a move, but SI.com’s Albert Breer pushes back on that a bit. The veteran NFL reporter predicts the Texans stand down and give reps to backups like John Metchie and Robert Woods over chasing a marginal piece to complement Tank Dell and, when he returns from a hamstring injury, Nico Collins.
- The Broncos have been linked to potential seller’s moves despite their 5-3 record, with Courtland Sutton and Baron Browning the notable names thrown around as trade chips. But Sutton also anchors an otherwise thin Denver pass-catching corps. A case can be made Denver needs to add talent to boost Bo Nix‘s development rather than subtract. While the Broncos could simply opt to give every possible rep to rookies Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele, Breer offers a plausible scenario exists the team adds at either receiver or tight end. Adam Trautman‘s 85-yard showing against the Panthers aside, the Broncos have received little from their tight ends this season. Third-rounder Greg Dulcich has drifted to healthy-scratch status. Sean Payton has made a notable buyer’s trade at tight end before, obtaining Jeremy Shockey from the Giants. Though, that move came just before training camp in 2008.
Trade Rumors: Smith, Broncos, Johnson
Za’Darius Smith continues to come up in trade rumors, despite the Browns snapping their losing skid in Week 8. While Cleveland is not prepared to deal Myles Garrett due to the reigning Defensive Player of the Year remaining a cornerstone presence, Smith looms as a player likely to be dealt as the team regroups midway through Deshaun Watson‘s catastrophic contract. The Browns are still hearing from teams, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano, with the former indicating a reasonable Day 3 pick would likely complete a trade. The Lions figure to be a team in on Smith, who addressed a potential Detroit deal recently, while the Ravens — who nearly re-signed Smith in 2022 — are believed to be eyeing defensive help.
In 2023, Smith moved from Minneapolis to Cleveland in a pick-swap trade that featured two fifth-rounders going to the Vikings along with sixth- and seventh-rounders being sent to the Browns. The veteran pass rusher is now 32 and tied to a two-year, $23MM deal that features both a veteran-minimum 2024 base salary — thanks to the Browns’ penchant for void years lowering cap hits — and a $2MM roster bonus due in 2025. The Browns would take on a hefty dead money bill if/when they move Smith, with $14MM-plus set to hit their 2025 books as a result of a deal. That would be an interesting development for a team that has Watson tied to a $72.9MM 2025 cap number.
Here is the latest from the trade market:
- While the Browns will not need to cover any of Smith’s salary to move him, the Bears certainly will if they want to trade benched guard Nate Davis. Chicago is interested in dealing Davis, who has disappointed on his three-year, $30MM contract. Davis is due just more than $5MM in remaining 2024 salary, and Fowler notes the Bears are prepared to pay some of that tab to extract an asset from an O-line-needy team. Davis, 28, may see his path back to the Bears’ lineup further impeded by Ryan Bates‘ re-emergence; the 2024 trade pickup is in the IR-return window. Davis has not played since Week 5, and the four-year Titans starter has not started since Week 2.
- John Lynch confirmed during a KNBR appearance (h/t Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News) the 49ers were not in on Diontae Johnson. The eighth-year GM has said the 49ers are confident in their receiving group even with Brandon Aiyuk out for the season. San Francisco defeated Dallas without Jauan Jennings but expects to have the WR3 back after their Week 9 bye. As for the Panthers‘ effort to move Johnson, 1340 AM’s Sheena Quick notes two teams were negotiating with the NFC South team prior to the Ravens‘ entrance into the derby. Baltimore came in last, per Quick, but is believed to have made the best offer. The Ravens checked in with a pick-swap proposal involving fifth- and sixth-rounders, and the Panthers are also paying part of Johnson’s salary in what became a wildly underwhelming return for Carolina. The Panthers had initially targeted a mid-round pick for the contract-year wideout.
- Teams are wondering if the Broncos will still consider selling despite their best eight-game start (5-3) since 2016. In addition to Zach Wilson, previously believed to be available, Fowler adds teams view outside linebacker Baron Browning and cornerback Damarri Mathis as potentially available pieces. A starter to open the season, Browning just returned from IR. Teams looking at the contract-year edge defender points to a potential belief the Broncos will view fellow 2021 draftee Jonathon Cooper as the more likely extension candidate. Browning has played as a backup to Nik Bonitto upon returning, though a trade would strip an option away from a strong Denver defense. A starter to open last season, Mathis has been buried on Denver’s depth chart — one including Riley Moss as Patrick Surtain‘s boundary CB complement — since being activated from IR. Mathis generated summer trade buzz as well.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/29/24
Here are the latest transactions from around the NFL:
Buffalo Bills
- Released: RB Darrynton Evans
Carolina Panthers
- Released: S Russ Yeast
Chicago Bears
- Placed on injured reserve: OL Bill Murray
Cleveland Browns
- Signed to active roster: WR Jaelon Darden
- Placed on injured reserve: CB Tony Brown
Detroit Lions
- Activated from Non-Football Injury list: OL Christian Mahogany
Houston Texans
- Placed on injured reserve: WR Stefon Diggs
Minnesota Vikings
- Released: RB Myles Gaskin
New England Patriots
- Signed to active roster: LB Ochaun Mathis
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Waived: LB Adetokunbo Ogundeji
- Reinstated from Reserve/Suspended list: CB Cameron Sutton
Tennessee Titans
- Waived: WR Mason Kinsey
Murray suffered a torn pectoral in the Bears’ loss to the Commanders on Sunday, thinning out Chicago’s offensive line depth. He played 37 snaps at left guard in Week 5 in relief of an injured Tevin Jenkins, who left Sunday’s game with another injury. After full participation in practice last week, Larry Borom should be ready to be activated from injured reserve to reinforce the Bears’ offensive line before Week 9.
The Texans officially played Diggs on injured reserve after tests confirmed a season-ending ACL tear, a non-contact injury that occurred in Houston’s Week 8 victory over the Colts. With Nico Collins already on IR, C.J. Stroud will turn to Tank Dell and Dalton Schultz to keep the offense afloat until Collins returns. Diggs’ injury could heavily affect his market in free agency after requiring the Texans to remove the final three years of his contact to facilitate his trade from the Bills.
Sutton is eligible to play for the first time this year after serving an eight-game suspension for violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy. He was suspended after he was arrested for domestic battery by strangulation in March, leading to his release by the Lions. The Steelers then signed him to a one-year deal in June before the league handed down his suspension in July, forcing Pittsburgh to turn to Beanie Bishop at nickel.
Browns LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah Suffers Neck Injury
12:48pm: Owusu-Koramoah posted “All is well” on social media Monday morning. Head coach Kevin Stefanski later revealed he has now been released from hospital, a positive development for team and player.
9:51am: The Browns recorded their second win of the season on Sunday, but the team lost a key defender in the process. Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was carted off the field due to a neck injury.
The 24-year-old was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game and taken to a nearby hospital. Encouragingly, the team announced he has movement in all of his extremities. Owusu-Koramoah remained in hospital overnight for observation, as noted by Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com.
While that was a precautionary measure, losing Owusu-Koramoah for any extended period would deal a major blow to the Browns’ defense. The Pro Bowler leads Cleveland in tackles with 61 on the year, and he has added three sacks and an interception. Owusu-Koramoah landed a three-year, $37.5MM extension this offseason, confirming his status as a foundational member of Cleveland’s core.
The Notre Dame product has started 41 of his 49 Browns appearances, and he enjoyed a breakout last year in terms of production (101 tackles, 3.5 sacks). That helped his leverage for negotiations on the extension front, and expectations were high for 2024 and beyond as a result of the new contract. Owusu-Koramoah has lived up to them so far, and he will be counted on to reprise his role as a key figure at the second level of the defense when he returns.
In the meantime, the Browns will move forward with an even thinner LB corps. Veteran Jordan Hicks has been sidelined for three games this year, including yesterday’s win over the Ravens. Missing him along with Owusu-Koramoah for a notable period would be significant for Cleveland’s defense. The team also has the likes of Mohamoud Diabate, Nathaniel Watson, Khaleke Hudson and Devin Bush as options to step into a larger role for the time being. At 2-6, the Browns face a long path to return to the postseason, but their chances of doing so would take a hit if Owusu-Koramoah were unable to return in the near future.
2024 NFL Cap Space, By Team
With the trade deadline nearing, more player movement can be expected during the coming days. Of course, a key factor in any deals will be the financial situation for contenders aiming to bolster their rosters for the second half of the campaign.
Courtesy of Over the Cap, here is an updated look at each teams’ cap space:
- San Francisco 49ers: $54.13MM
- Cleveland Browns: $45.16MM
- New England Patriots: $36.61MM
- Las Vegas Raiders: $34.59MM
- Detroit Lions: $27.53MM
- Washington Commanders: $23.44MM
- Dallas Cowboys: $20.75MM
- Arizona Cardinals: $19.44MM
- Tennessee Titans: $18.26MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars: $17.12MM
- Green Bay Packers: $13.96MM
- Indianapolis Colts: $11.11MM
- Philadelphia Eagles: $10.36MM
- Minnesota Vikings: $9.48MM
- Cincinnati Bengals: $8.98MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers: $8.93MM
- Seattle Seahawks: $8.19MM
- Atlanta Falcons: $8.16MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $7.83MM
- Los Angeles Chargers: $7.72MM
- Chicago Bears: $6.14MM
- Houston Texans: $6.01MM
- New York Jets: $5.1MM
- Miami Dolphins: $5.02MM
- Baltimore Ravens: $4.36MM
- Buffalo Bills: $2.37MM
- Kansas City Chiefs: $2.35MM
- New Orleans Saints: $2.15MM
- Los Angeles Rams: $1.91MM
- Denver Broncos: $1.77MM
- New York Giants: $1.51MM
- Carolina Panthers: $1.12MM
Just like last year, the 49ers find themselves with considerable cap space to work with. The team has several reasons to roll over as many funds as possible into the offseason, however, with Brock Purdy eligible for an extension and the likes of Charvarius Ward, Deommodore Lenoir and Talanoa Hufanga on track for free agency. Major investments including a commitment beyond 2024 would thus come as a surprise.
San Francisco is among the teams to watch regarding an addition, and major injuries on both sides of the ball could lead to a stop-gap solution being targeted. The 49ers may also be open to moving away players before the deadline, though, with Ward being named as potential candidate to be dealt. Sitting at 3-4, the team’s bid to return to the Super Bowl has not gone as planned to date, but a notable midseason addition could certainly change things.
Having lost Aidan Hutchinson until at least the Super Bowl, the Lions have an obvious need along the edge. Replacing his production with any one addition will not be feasible, but bringing in at least a rotational option would not come as a surprise. Indeed, Detroit has been involved in the edge market with respect to showing interest in some of the veterans who could be on the move.
That list no longer includes Haason Reddick, but the Lions have also been connected to Za’Darius Smith. The Browns have already moved Amari Cooper, so it would come as little surprise if the team were to deal away the three-time Pro Bowler in a move which would allow him to return to the NFC North. Smith certainly seems to be open to a trade, and Detroit would easily be able to absorb the remainder of his $1.2MM 2024 salary.
While Smith could be on the move, fellow Cleveland edge rusher Myles Garrett is (understandably) seen as untouchable. That is also the case for Raiders start Maxx Crosby, with owner Mark Davis making it clear a trade will not be considered before or after the deadline. Even though the Titans have been active already on the trade front, they too will not entertain a deal involving two-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons. While talks have taken place related to Cooper Kupp, the Rams do not expect to move on from the former Super Bowl MVP.
The receiver position remains one to watch even with Davante Adams (Jets), Cooper (Bills) and DeAndre Hopkins (Chiefs) already joining new teams. As the Panthers consider selling off pending free agents, Diontae Johnson could be available for a mid-round pick. In the case of the Jaguars, Christian Kirk is still a candidate to be dealt (although he is not a pending free agent). Teams like the Steelers and Chargers have yet to add a pass-catcher, but they have shown interest and could pull off a move in the coming days.