All told, the 2023 NFL Trade Deadline was nothing like a year ago. There were several deals on deadline day that went down, but very few of the deals that transpired were true needle-movers in any meaningful way -- and the big names we saw on the move last year were in short order this time around too.
Having said that, the NFL Trade Deadline is now in the books and we have the deals that were made sitting before us, though we still have no idea how these trades will work out on the field.
But hey, where's the fun in waiting on that to happen before assessing the deadline? So with that, let's label some winners and losers from the 2023 NFL Trade Deadline.
NFL Trade Deadline Winner: San Francisco 49ers
Should we just go ahead and schedule a San Francisco 49ers blockbuster trade for next year's trade deadline too?
Last year, it was the Christian McCaffrey deal that shook up the NFL landscape as the league's most dangerous weapon was put in the hands of offensive mastermind Kyle Shanahan. Now, on the heels of three straight losses, the 49ers are making sure to fortify the defense by trading a third-round compensatory pick for Chase Young, the former No. 2 overall pick.
Young has been fantastic this season but injuries have hampered his career to this point. Having said that, giving the 49ers a deeper and higher-tier rotation up front with Young joining Nick Bosa and another trade acquisition, Randy Gregory, could be something lethal. San Francisco needed to get Steve Wilks' defense back on track and adding a player with Young's talent at a reasonable price -- even if it's just a half-season rental -- seems like the exact right move to accomplish that.
NFL Trade Deadline Loser: Ravens, Chiefs, Cowboys, Dolphins and quiet contenders
On one hand, you have to respect the approach from contenders like the Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins and so on. These teams are in a position to contend because of their front office and head coaches' work. Moreover, there were reportedly some high-end draft picks being floated as asking prices, per MMQB's Albert Breer, so not wanting to give up the most valuable draft picks in the arsenal also makes sense.
At the same time, we're looking at a real logjam atop most of these conferences. The Ravens might have a stronghold on the AFC North, but are among four teams at 6-2... the same of which is true for the Chiefs. These are teams with clear areas to improve at the deadline, and they didn't do much at all (KC did trade for a Mecole Hardman reunion prior to this week).
The Dolphins might be the most forgivable contender in this capacity. The flip side of that, however, is the Cowboys. Yes, Jerry Jones and Dallas traded quite a bit in the offseason and earlier in the year, taking away a lot of their early Day 3 draft capital. But this team watched the rival Eagles trade for Kevin Byard to fill a void and they didn't do anything to deepen the WR room, replace Trevon Diggs or Leighton Vander Esch, or anything at all.
You could certainly look at the deadline as an opportunity for contenders to separate themselves. At the end of the day, though, very few actually did so.
NFL Trade Deadline Winner: Donovan Peoples-Jones (and the Lions)
It's a baffling mystery as to why a Cleveland Browns passing game that has struggled with and without Deshaun Watson this season refused to involve Donovan Peoples-Jones, who flirted with a 1,000-yard season in 2022, more in the aerial attack. But now he's free from that mystery and going to the Detroit Lions after the trade deadline deal.
The Lions have long been lacking a reliable No. 2 target, most recently someone to help offset the attention defenses can pay to Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam Laporta. The hope was that Jameson Williams could be that once he returned from suspension, but he's been sporadically effective overall.
Jared Goff has quietly been one of the best QBs in football this season and adding DPJ to the mix is only going to make the Lions look like more of a contender in the NFC with the ways he can help open up the offense. The sticker price might not be massive, but the impact could be so in Detroit.
NFL Trade Deadline Loser: Chicago Bears
Let's start with the fact that I don't hat the Montez Sweat trade as much as some others, even if the cost of a second-round pick might look questionable after what happened with the disastrous Chase Claypool trade from last year.
Having said that, the overall process from Ryan Poles here should definitely be called into question. This team was essentially only a buyer at the deadline, paying a premium price -- the highest draft compensation moved this year -- for an edge rusher who isn't going to fix a 2-6 team. Meanwhile, the Bears then held onto the likes of Jaylon Johnson and Darnell Mooney, who could've brought back some value and now are in danger of leaving for nothing in the offseason.
Reports have indicated that the Bears had a high asking price, for Johnson specifically. Yes, you don't want to get robbed, but any price is better than losing him for nothing, which is what Chicago now faces. This isn't a contender and, though they can lock up Sweat to an extension and make him a building block, the overall process at the deadline was anything but sound for this organization.
NFL Trade Deadline Winner: Buffalo Bills
On the trade deadline special of The Insiders, NFL Media's Ian Rapoport noted that the Buffalo Bills may have made more calls than any other team in the league trying to make a deal. Cornerback was a clear need for this team in the wake of the Tre'Davious White injury on Oct. 1. They finally found a deal and one that makes a lot of sense.
The Bills sent a third-round pick to the Green Bay Packers in return for veteran CB Rasul Douglas and a fifth-round pick. Douglas has been a huge boost for the Cheeseheads since coming to Green Bay and becomes a key component for Buffalo's defense moving forward this season.
Buffalo really felt the absence of White since he went out, especially with the secondary much thinner than it has been in years past. So getting Douglas onto a possible Super Bowl contender for a relatively cheap price was a no-brainer and an obvious win for the Bills.
NFL Trade Deadline Loser: Minnesota Vikings and Jaren Hall
In the wake of the Kirk Cousins injury, the Minnesota Vikings had an opportunity to really start hitting a reset button in more ways than one. They could've brought in substantial draft capital for the likes of Danielle Hunter, K.J. Osborn, Jordan Hicks, and a bevy of other veterans on the roster. It was also an opportunity to get a good look at fifth-round rookie Jaren Hall before big offseason decisions at quarterback.
The Vikings did none of that. In fact, you could argue they moved backwards at the deadline.
Minnesota's two deals for the day were trading for veteran QB Josh Dobbs with the Cardinals and sending guard Ezra Cleveland to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a sixth-round pick. Now, they likely limit Hall's opportunities in a season that might be lost already while also putting less protection in front of him and Dobbs. Furthermore, they now are left with a veteran-laden roster that might not have much of a future. It was a complete whiff for the Vikings in what their plan should've been.