2 NFL trade deadline deals that work wonders and 2 that don’t.

The NFL trade deadline has passed. All the rumors and speculation leading up to today can now come to an end as each of the 32 NFL teams is now essentially tied to their roster for the rest of the season. The Kansas City Chiefs once again appear to be the favorites to take home the Lombardi Trophy, so today’s deadline was essentially a “how do we catch up to the Chiefs” deadline.

Several big names were up for grabs on Tuesday as contenders tried to bolster their rosters for a potential Super Bowl run. While some of these teams will immediately feel the positive effects of acquiring a high-level player, some others will regret the move they made today. Here are two teams that made a deal and will feel great in a few months, and two other teams that will quickly regret the move.

1. Marshon Lattimore to Washington Commanders

The biggest trade of the day may also be the best as the score is 7-2 Washington commanders acquired longtime New Orleans Saints defensive end Marshon Lattimore in exchange for several draft picks. While Lattimore has been hampered a bit by injury in recent years, he is still a very high-level quarterback and will immediately replace him in Washington, a team that is starting to look like a real contender in the NFC.

Washington gave up third-, fourth- and fifth-round picks in next year’s draft, which isn’t nothing, but it’s a reasonable price to pay for a player of Lattimore’s caliber. New Orleans has done a great job bringing back some useful assets for Lattimore, who has been a NOLA fan favorite for years. However, this is a victory for Washington, and it will become obvious next weekend.

2. Za’Darius Smith to Detroit Lions

Everyone’s favorite “player plus destination” prediction came true on Tuesday when Detroit Lions brought in Za’Darius Smith from the Cleveland Browns as a replacement for injured superstar Aidan Hutchinson. While Smith isn’t as dominant a disruptor as Hutchinson (there aren’t many players in the league, of course), he’s still a force for Cleveland and is as good a replacement as the Lions can find on short notice.

The Lions not only added Smith, they added him for pennies! Detroit sent fifth- and sixth-round picks in the 2026 draft to the Browns for Smith, who was one of the hottest names on the trade market days before the deadline. Cleveland is now in full recovery mode and just wanted to get anything back to Smith. So much the better for Detroit!

1. Jonathan Mingo to the Dallas Cowboys

This is not the deal Cowboys fans expected from their team today. Jonathan Mingo was a second-round pick in last year’s draft and has never achieved what Carolina hoped he would. The wide receiver has just 12 catches so far this season, and while he’ll be a better quarterback in Dallas when Dak Prescott returns, giving up a fourth-round pick for him is a huge overpayment.

A fourth-round pick isn’t a blue-chip asset by any means, but it’s a lot more than what other players were trading for today, and Mingo has done little to show he’ll live up to it. Mingo may need a change of scenery to thrive, but Dallas shouldn’t count on that right now. This is a confusing deal for Jerry Jones and the Cowboys.

2. Mike Williams to Pittsburgh Steelers

By all accounts, it was a day of confusing wide receiver trades. The New York Jets have made it clear they are listening to trade offers for Mike Williams. Pittsburgh Steelers I ended up using his services. Williams has had a remarkable career, but after injury cut short his 2023 season, he no longer has the burst or breakaway ability that made him so valuable in Los Angeles over the years.

Can he catch the occasional deep ball from Russell Wilson? Maybe. But he won’t make a difference in this offense, and he’s not exactly the type of receiver Russ needs at cornerback in Pittsburgh.