NFL trade deadline: Best fits for Maxx Crosby, other top defensive players on market
Offensive players typically get a lot of love each year when the NFL trade deadline comes into focus, but defensive trades can also shift the league landscape.
Take the 2023 NFL trade deadline, for instance. The Washington Commanders sent Montez Sweat to the Chicago Bears, who inked the former first-round pick to a lucrative contract extension. Sweat's addition helped turn Chicago's defense from a middling unit to a top-tier one and got the Bears into the wild-card mix despite a slow start to the season.
A player of Sweat's caliber may not be traded ahead of the 2024 NFL trade deadline. Still, several big-name pass rushers and a few back-seven players could emerge as difference-makers if they swap allegiances midseason.
Here are the best fits for some of the top potential defensive targets ahead of the 2024 trade deadline.
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Maxx Crosby, DE
Crosby seems like a longshot to be traded. He's the Las Vegas Raiders' best player and has repeatedly expressed his desire to remain with the team as trade rumors have swirled around him.
"I want to be Silver and Black. I’ll say it loud and clear. I want to be a Raider," Crosby said on "The Rush" podcast. "I've said that over and over and over again."
That said, Crosby acknowledged that he knows the NFL is a "business." With the Raiders struggling during the 2024 NFL season, they could offload Crosby to acquire assets that will help them land a new franchise quarterback.
The Lions would be a perfect landing spot for Crosby. They have a big need on the edge after star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson suffered a gruesome, season-ending leg injury, and Crosby would provide a similar impact to the No. 2 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, who was leading the NFL in sacks at the time of his injury.
Crosby also spent part of his childhood in Michigan before playing collegiately at Eastern Michigan, so he has ties to the state. If he's not a Raider, that looks like his best match. While it may be an unlikely move, it remains a slim possibility ahead of the deadline.
Za'Darius Smith, DE
The Falcons are averaging a league-low 0.9 sacks per game entering Week 8 and are generating pressure on just 17.4 percent of their opponents' dropbacks, good for the sixth-lowest mark in the NFL. Atlanta already traded for Matthew Judon before the season, but they still need another proven pass rusher to take their team to the next level.
Smith qualifies, as he has 64 career sacks in 130 games. That includes four this season as Myles Garrett's counterpart with the Cleveland Browns, which is 2.5 more than any Falcons defender has entering Week 8. Adding Smith would create more one-on-one opportunities for Judon and potentially bring Atlanta's pass rush from bottom-barrel to serviceable - or perhaps even better.
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Jadeveon Clowney, DE
Clowney tied a career-high with 9.5 sacks during his 2023 season with the Ravens, who were the No. 1 seed in the AFC and made it to the AFC Championship Game. This year, he has one sack in five games while playing for the Carolina Panthers, who rank as one of the NFL's worst teams through seven weeks.
How about a reunion? The Ravens could use some pass-rush depth behind Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh, and their familiarity with Clowney would make him a seamless fit in Zach Orr's defense. He shouldn't cost too much to get, and he would help Baltimore go all-in as it looks to win its first Super Bowl since 2013.
Josh Uche, OLB
The Texans have a great pass-rushing tandem in Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter, but they don't have much behind the two. Uche is on an affordable one-year, $3 million deal with the New England Patriots and has two sacks in seven games as a rotational edge rusher.
Uche seems unlikely ever to repeat the 11.5-sack season he had in 2022, but the Texans can add him to provide some pop behind Anderson and Hunter. If Uche does break out in the second half of the season, that will help the Texans keep their pass rushers fresh as they look to make it to the Super Bowl for the first time.
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Devin Lloyd, LB
The Rams earned a key "Thursday Night Football" win over the Minnesota Vikings with converted edge rusher Michael Hoecht starting at inside linebacker. That isn't a long-term recipe for success, so Los Angeles should seek linebacker help ahead of the trade deadline.
Lloyd hasn't yet lived up to his first-round billing with the Jacksonville Jaguars, but the 26-year-old racked up at least 115 tackles in his first two seasons and has 17 pass defenses in 38 career games. Rams general manager Les Snead could take a flier on him and hope that Sean McVay's coaching staff can turn him into the three-down threat he was during his college days at Utah.
Jonathan Jones, CB
The Chiefs lost their No. 2 cornerback, Jaylen Watson, to a season-ending leg injury. He was enjoying a quality 2024 campaign. Kansas City will have to rely on 2022 draftees Joshua Williams and Nazeeh Johnson to hold the fort there if they don't add a veteran to help fill-in at the position.
Jones would be an ideal fit for Kansas City. The 31-year-old is on an expiring contract and can play both in the slot and on the outside, something that Steve Spagnuolo likes in his defensive backs. Jones also won two Super Bowls with the Patriots, so his battle-tested postseason readiness could shore up the Chiefs' secondary as they look to complete an unprecedented three-peat.
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Budda Baker, S
Going all-in may not be wise for the Jets, but they signaled a willingness to do so by trading for Davante Adams ahead of Week 7. By upgrading the weakest part of their defense, they could continue to try to shape a contender around 40-year-old Aaron Rodgers.
Chuck Clark's ankle injury has thinned New York's safety unit, and the team may not be able to survive with the little depth it has at the position. Baker, a 2020 All-Pro, is a Swiss Army knife who can play all over the secondary or in the box at linebacker. He could help replace Clark as long as the veteran is out before taking over for Tony Adams as the starting strong safety when Clark returns.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL trade deadline: Best fits for Maxx Crosby, more defensive players
