For much of October, reports will feature teams that might be ready to buy or sell while we wait to see how the next few weeks play out. A potential seller wins a few games and all of a sudden maybe this team wants to keep more key players than initially thought. A few losses from a potential buyer could mean the team isn’t very keen on making a win-now move. A lot can and does change every week in the NFL.
But now the end of October is here and the trade deadline is two weeks away. The phone lines are buzzing and Week 7 revealed more notable concerns for potential buyers. Does this mean sellers will benefit sooner rather than later? With big names such as Jonathan Taylor and Saquon Barkley floated as potential trade targets this trade season, we play the role of matchmaker for several high-profile teams looking to fine-tune their rosters for the latter part of the regular season and beyond.
Minnesota Vikings
The need: Help in attack
The solution: Jonathan Taylor, running back
The NFL’s only undefeated team, Minnesota, improved to 6-0 with a 16-10 victory over the Colts. This kind of score is the norm. The Vikings have 10 touchdowns this season, the fewest 6-0 team since the Lions of 1934. 1934!
Kyler Murray’s experience was difficult. He’ll produce a big play or two with his legs or arm, but the consistency from down low hasn’t been good enough. He is 27th in sack rate, 29th in completion rate and 31st in touchdown rate.
Surprisingly, the Vikings are scoring on 41.5% of their drives, 12th in the NFL, but that’s a lot of Will Reichard field goals. Taylor, meanwhile, is a scoring machine, and he would bring explosiveness to the running game as well. The Vikings saw it up close on Sunday, with Taylor totaling 110 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. Aaron Jones is playing through a knee injury, which he aggravated on Sunday. The Vikings can’t risk wasting their Super Bowl-caliber defense. Taylor is the solution.
Cincinnati Bengals
The need: Run back
The solution: RB Saquon Barkley
The Bengals lead at 4-2 on the young season after a loss to the Ravens. Joe Burrow and company. I don’t particularly like running the ball, and maybe the reason is that the offense only averages 3.6 yards per carry.
It was a disappointing year for Chase Brown. His -0.6 yards per attempt above expectation is among the worst in the NFL, and it doesn’t seem to be working for him. Enter Barkley, who is actually producing 1.15 yards per carry above expectations despite almost everything around him falling apart. Only four players – Kenneth Walker III, Jaylen Warren, Bijan Robinson and Kyle Monangai – have a higher rate. The Bengals made a big deal for Dexter Lawrence this year despite concerns about his age and productivity, and it’s been a huge success so far. Barkley could be a similar spark, especially with defenses paying so much attention to Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
Buffalo Bills
The need: Another disruptor from the start
The solution: DL Jeffery Simmons
Even with big improvements from defensive tackle Deone Walker and EDGE Greg Rousseau, the Bills are 24th in defensive success rate, and with Ed Oliver’s injury issues, Buffalo has been iffy ahead of Walker. Buffalo has long maintained the status quo leading up to the deadline, but this is the year to fundamentally change that.
Simmons is a superstar – one of the best defenders on the planet, regardless of position. Can you imagine combining him with Walker? Legitimately terrifying. This would also help a leaky secondary. When opposing quarterbacks are not Under pressure, the Bills are getting shredded: 30th in defensive EPA per play and dead last in defensive success rate. This must change.
Kansas City Chiefs
The need: Downstream overtaking
The solution: WR Adonai Mitchell
The Chiefs fell from the ranks of the undefeated with a humbling 20-3 loss to the Seahawks that exposed multiple problems. One of the biggest was the complete lack of a downfield passing attack. Patrick Mahomes attempted three passes 20+ yards downfield and connected on zero of them. This was his biggest unsuccessful attempt since Week 16, 2024.
Kansas City’s passing game has been missing since Tyquan Thornton’s injury. Mahomes didn’t even attempt a pass more than 20 yards last week against the Chargers, only the second time that’s happened in his entire career. Thornton still has more than half of Mahomes’ completions 20+ yards this year (4), despite not having played since Week 4. No other Chiefs pass catcher has more than one.
As fun as it would be to send George Pickens to Kansas City, the Cowboys seem determined to try to win this year. Mitchell was actually off to a good start this season before injuring his finger. Omar Cooper Jr. has shined over the past two weeks and when Mitchell returned in Week 7, he played just 44% of the offensive snaps.
Green Bay Packers
The need: Interior defensive linemen
The solution: DL DeForest Buckner
Buckner made it clear last week that he wants to play for a winner, and the Colts don’t appear to be winning any time soon. The Packers, meanwhile, are 4-3 and look like they could be a legitimate contender, especially when Micah Parsons returns. The defense reformed without him, even with significant injuries inside the line. Buckner has been a very good – and at times dominant – player this year. The Packers lost some capital after trading Parsons last year, but Buckner, at 32 and in the final year of his contract, wouldn’t be prohibitively expensive.
Detroit Lions
The need: Secondary help
The solution: CB Tariq Laine
Woolen came to Philadelphia on a one-year deal to fill the outside cornerback hole opposite Quinyon Mitchell, and he did a decent job. Opponents are completing fewer than half of their passes and are averaging just 6.2 yards per attempt when Woolen is the primary defender this season. The Lions were going after Joey Porter Jr. before he ultimately ended up against the Cowboys. This could be another solid option for much, much less. The Eagles appear to be sellers given the disastrous string of injuries on the offensive side of the ball.
Chicago Bear
The need: Help from the start
The solution: EDGE Khalil Mack
Not all reunions make sense. This one does it. The Bears actually rank seventh in pressure rate and third in sack rate this season, but they could still use some pass juice on the edge. Chicago is 18th in pressure rating when not bringing a pass coverage blitzer. The Chargers are obvious sellers, and Mack is still effective: three sacks and seven quick pressures, which is more than any current Bears EDGE.
San Francisco 49ers
The need: More front thrust
The solution: Daron Payne
The 49ers rank 29th in percentage of opposing plays that yield zero or negative yards. Enter big Payne, who not only remains a solid player himself, but would free things up for offseason acquisition Osa Odighizuwa on the interior. Payne’s numbers are nothing special, but he ranks 21st in PFF’s run defense category among 136 interior defensive linemen. Payne is in the final year of his contract and Commanders general manager Adam Peters was working in the San Francisco front office. There’s a deal to be made here.
New England Patriots
The need: Offensive line reinforcements
The solution: OL Kevin Zeitler
A longtime mainstay who was playing solidly as recently as last year, Zeitler signed with the Packers less than a month ago due to major issues on the offensive line in Green Bay. But he has yet to play an offensive game and was healthy in Week 7. It might not work, and if it does, Green Bay might be eager to recoup any draft capital for him.
New England, with injuries along the offensive line, could make sense as a low-cost candidate. Alijah Vera-Tucker (hamstring) is on IR and Ben Brown (knee) missed Week 7. Mike Onwenu (ankle) is out for most, if not all, of the rest of the season. Onwenu’s replacement, Greg Van Roten (thigh), is also on IR.
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