Who Won the Trade Deadline?

Who really won the trade deadline? The Lions, Cowboys, Commanders, Jets? There were a myriad of moves the last few days. The teams who have a legit chance to make the playoffs and go on a run made some big moves.

The Commanders who are having a surprisingly good year picked up Marshon Lattimore for the Saints. This a great move for them as they desperately needed a corner to lock down the opponent’s best receiver. The only issue with this move is what they had to give up which includes a 2025 3rd, 4th and 6th round pick. That is a lot for a team rebuilding with new folks from top to bottom. With that said, the Super Bowl window is now open for them with the success of Jayden Daniels and the rest of the team. We shall see what happens but this wasn’t the best move at the deadline.

A few weeks ago, the Lions lost arguably their best player on both sides of the ball, in Aidan Hutchinson. Surprisingly, the Lions haven’t skipped a beat in his absence, with their team clicking on all three phases. Even with the recent success of the Lions, they felt they needed that edge rusher to make up for Hutchinson’s absence. They found their guy in Za’Darius Smith. This is a huge acquisition for them and all they had to give up was a 2026 seventh round draft selection. The Lions are already the best team in the NFC, and this just made them that much stronger.