With the 2021 NFL season firing on all cylinders, the next big date that approaches in the pro football calendar is the upcoming trade deadline, set for early November.
While there are teams that have already jumped out into contendership status talks, like Lamar Jackson’s Ravens who smoked the Colts out of the water in their Monday night game thriller at home in Week 5, other teams will certainly be looking to strike at least one deal to improve and reinforce their rosters for what’s to come moving forward.
There are some teams in dire need of making a splash before the deadline to try and either bolster their playoff pretentions or just flat out salvage their seasons.
So, with that said we bring you three potential and idealistic trade scenarios that could end up happening before the trade deadline.
It’s becoming more and more apparent that the relationship between the New York Jets and their star safety Marcus Maye is on its way to rupturing for good.
While Maye was pitted to be the Jets next big star at the safety position, especially after trading Jamal Adams to the Seahawks, things haven’t really worked out for the best for the team or the free safety.
Between being hit with the franchise tag before the beginning of the season by New York, his off the field issues and the clear sensation that there is no room for the Jets’ last season MVP, that doesn’t mean that teams will not be wanting to jump at the chance of signing the player who at 28 years old, gives off the feel that his best football is still to come. So, enter the Dallas Cowboys.
Sure, we can talk about Dallas’ offense and how good it’s been since Prescott returned, but no, let’s focus on the best part of the Cowboys so far, their defense. Former Falcons HC, now Cowboys DC Dan Quinn has managed to make this defense one of the best units in the league with guys like rookie Micah Parsons and CB Trevon Diggs leading the helm for Dallas.
Yet, they’ve been kind of shaky at the free safety position, so why not go for Maye here? Maye has the skills to become a leader in the Cowboys’ secondary and if Dallas can pony up an interesting offer to New York, along the lines of some premier draft picks or even a player like WR Michael Gallup for example, I don’t see any losers in this trade scenario.
I’ll be the first one to say that any team who can give Marlon Mack enough playing time to showcase all of his abilities should consider themselves incredibly lucky to have him.
After missing practically all of last season, in exception to one game because of a torn Achilles injury, Mack came back in 2021 to the Colts ready to show the league why he’s such a solid ball rusher, only to see his snaps and playing time limited because of RB’s Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines.
It’s because of this and Mack’s understanding that he could become a very useful weapon for any team looking for a new RB that he and Indianapolis agreed to look for trade opportunities before the deadline.
With that said, the Kansas City Chiefs are scoping the market out for a new RB1 after losing Clyde Edwards-Helaire to a sprained MCL injury that will have him on the sidelines for a minimum of three weeks.
The Chiefs do have other options at RB, with guys like Jerick McKinnon and Darrel Williams both stepping up, but if given the chance, Marlon Mack could end up becoming a pivotal piece of a Chiefs offense that could have him paired up with Edwards-Helaire once he’s back, forming a formidable RB duo for a team with clear playoff and Super Bowl contention aspirations.
If the Chiefs offer the Colts a second or even third-round pick to Indianapolis in exchange for Mack, I think it would be a pretty round deal for both teams.
The Arizona Cardinals have been above and beyond exceptional this season. Led by QB Kyler Murray, who is playing at an MVP level and with a defense that’s all about no thrills, no mess-ups, just plain old dominating football, Arizona has Super Bowl-bound written all over them.
Now, I know, this has been said before about the Cardinals, and with Arizona, it’s best to go on a game to game basis before starting to cool the champagne and bringing out the cigars, but it seems like they’re their only enemies right now and moving forward.
So what could they do to push away the fears of falling victims to their self sabotages? Strengthen the roster even more with the addition of Dolphins star CB Xavien Howard.
Howard, who is considered by many as one of the best CB’s in the league looks more and more ready to leave Miami as soon as the right suitor comes knocking on the door. There were big plans and ambitions for the Dolphins entering the season, but after some disappointing outings and a lack of real promise, Howard could very well see moving to a team that is considered the best in the league right now as an obvious no brainer.
Xavien Howard would be the perfect addition to a Cardinals secondary that could use a player with his skillset to upgrade the cornerback core. He could very well be the last piece for the puzzle in Arizona’s hopes of making this season a Super Bowl-bound one. Howard won’t be a cheap trade, but he’ll be worth giving up draft and player capital.
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