Ranking 8 most impactful deals of the 2024 NFL trade deadline

Lions acquire DE Za’Darius Smith from the Browns Can the Chiefs go undefeated?

Carmen Vitali

NFL Reporter

The 2024 NFL trade deadline has come and gone, with surely nothing else important happening on Tuesday, November 5. There was a flurry of movement early in the day with Za’Darius Smith headed to the Detroit Lions to help reduce the hit Aidan Hutchinson’s absence has on that defense. The Steelers finally got their wide receiver in Mike Williams. And perhaps the biggest splash was Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore being traded to the Washington Commanders.

There was also a flurry of movement in the weeks leading up to the trade deadline, a lot of which involved receivers. It started with Davante Adams reuniting with his old pal Aaron Rodgers on the New York Jets. Then there was Amari Cooper headed to help out Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. Wideout Diontae Johnson broke free of the Carolina Panthers and got sent to the Baltimore Ravens, as well.

The splashiest non-receiver trade involved the Minnesota Vikings, who traded for left tackle Cam Robinson with the news that their own standout left tackle Christian Darrisaw would miss the rest of the season with an injury.

Oh, and the Dallas Cowboys traded for a wide receiver, giving up a fourth-round pick for Jonathan Mingo.

So which of the major trades will yield the best results and which players will make the most impact for their new teams? Let’s take a look.

1. Cam Robinson to the Vikings

It’s not hyperbole to say that Robinson might have just saved the Vikings’ season. The injured Darrisaw is one of the best left tackles in the NFL and the tandem of him and right tackle Brian O’Neill is what has allowed this Minnesota offense to thrive under Kevin O’Connell with Sam Darnold at the helm. Those two tackles were also able to mask some issues along the interior of the line and that, coupled with a well-coached Darnold with a ton of offensive talent around him, propelled the Vikings thus far. Without Darrisaw, that was all in jeopardy.

And yet, despite arriving midweek last week from Jacksonville, Robinson got up to speed quickly. He reportedly was just told to “block the guy in front of him” and that’s exactly what he did. Robinson even got a game ball for his efforts in Minnesota’s win over the Colts on Sunday night. Being able to seamlessly pick up where Darrisaw left off lands Robinson first on the impact ranking.

2. Marshon Lattimore to the Commanders

The playoff field changes significantly year over year. As many as half of the teams in any given year didn’t make the postseason the year prior. And yet, it’s always hard to predict who those teams might be.

Enter the Commanders. Their rookie second-overall pick Jayden Daniels is developing beautifully and seems to have full command over the offense in Washington. They are currently sitting atop the NFC East, so attention has turned to the defense. In desperate need of secondary help, they land the splashiest trade of the cycle in Lattimore. He now joins Benjamin St. Juste and Mike Sainristil to make up the team’s starting corner rotation, which should take some pressure off the defensive front for the Commanders.

I think Lattimore ups Washington’s playoff probabilities that much more and keeps them in the top spot in the division with the impact he could have.

3. Amari Cooper to the Bills

I think all Buffalo fans breathed a sigh of relief when the team went out and got the Bills offense some help, but the crazy part was the fact that Josh Allen was still thriving despite a true No. 1 wide receiver. He had elevated the team around him, leaving no doubt about his elite status.

But that’s probably not a way to live once you start talking playoffs. Now that Cooper is there, it shifts everyone into their correct role on that offense. Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman can be secondary and tertiary receivers. Running back James Cook can still be a check-down option but can be the rushing bell cow. We were already seeing the Bills be able to withstand the departures they had this offseason and had figured they were the team to beat in the AFC East, but now they’re as equipped as ever to handle whatever comes their way in the postseason with the runway to get it all clicking before then.

4. Za’Darius Smith to the Lions

There’s no replacing Aidan Hutchinson, but the Lions had to figure out a way to get some more pass-rush production. Smith now heads to his third NFC North team and should be immediately productive given all the help he’ll get along that Detroit defensive front.

The unsung heroes of this Lions defense right now are Alim McNeil and D.J. Reader, who aren’t getting the gaudy stats but are making their presence felt up front. They’re eating up blockers and were able to help isolate favorable matchups for Hutchinson when he was in there. They should be able to do that for Smith now. Coupled with the best safety tandem and a fluid scheme under defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Detroit can get even more aggressive defensively. That’s not as big of a deal when your offense is capable of routinely hanging 40-50 points on opponents, which is why the Smith trade isn’t higher on this list, but it should make things much more sustainable for the Lions going forward.

Lions acquire DE Za’Darius Smith from the Browns

5. Diontae Johnson to the Ravens

As unstoppable as the Ravens have looked this season, they have a couple of absolutely baffling losses. Johnson should round out the offense so that it truly is unstoppable in Baltimore. Having two legitimate receiving threats, on top of Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely, on top of having the best rushing offense in the league between Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson, should spell an embarrassment of riches. I don’t know how any defense can contend with that. Baltimore is going to need all the firepower it can get if it wants to beat out the Chiefs for a spot in the Super Bowl. And as much as Johnson won’t be a focal point of the offense, he should very much help it reach its full potential with a repeat MVP candidate in Jackson at the helm.

6. DeAndre Hopkins to the Chiefs

Obviously, this is a match made in heaven based on what we saw on Monday night between the Chiefs and the Bucs. In his Kansas City debut, Hopkins had 86 receiving yards and two TDs, and Patrick Mahomes wasn’t afraid to throw it to Hopkins in contested situations.

That’s the worst thing anyone could have let the Chiefs do.

They were already the favorites to come out of the AFC and go for a third-straight Super Bowl title, and that was when things didn’t look pretty at all. They have been eking out one-score games all season and while they’re incredibly efficient on offense, the Chiefs haven’t been flashy. Hopkins now gives them the means to be flashy and they should cruise to the postseason and beyond pretty easily, like most of us expected.

Can the Chiefs go undefeated?

7. Mike Williams to the Steelers

I’m glad Pittsburgh got some extra receiving help. I do think Williams being the big-body outside target he is will fit exactly what quarterback Russell Wilson needs as far as throwing down the field and to the outside. The tandem of Williams and George Pickens should be a good one, provided Williams can stay healthy. The Steelers already know they can lean on their defense to a winning record and postseason berth most years. If they add offensive productivity to that mix, don’t look now, but they could actually become a force in the AFC.

And no, I can’t believe it’s Mike Williams who is making me say that either.

8. Davante Adams to the Jets

Do I think Adams will help the Jets offense and Aaron Rodgers look, well, more like Aaron Rodgers? Yes. Do I think it will ultimately matter when you’re talking about a Super Bowl berth or not like the Jets were talking about prior to the season? No, probably not. That’s why for as much as Adams probably boosts this offense between how good of a receiver he is and how comfortable he is with Rodgers, he’s still at the bottom of this list. Digging themselves out of a 3-6 hole to not only make the postseason but actually advance in it, would be unprecedented. For Jets fans’ sake, I hope that does happen. They’ve been suffering too long and their team went all in on trying to fix it. They just might have went all-in with the wrong guy.

Carmen Vitali is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. Carmen had previous stops with The Draft Network and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. She spent six seasons with the Bucs, including 2020, which added the title of Super Bowl Champion (and boat-parade participant) to her résumé. You can follow Carmen on Twitter at @CarmieV.