National Football League

10 NFL trades we'd like to see before the deadline: Who lands Derrick Henry?

Updated Oct. 26, 2023 2:56 p.m. ET

FOX Sports NFL Staff

The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET. Teams are nearly out of time to add significant outside talent this season, and with that in mind, FOX Sports' staff of NFL writers collaborated to come up with one player they'd like to see each of the league's top 10 teams add.

The teams are listed in order of where they landed on our Week 8 Power Rankings.

Philadelphia Eagles: CB Jaylon Johnson (from the Chicago Bears)

Howie Roseman has already made one big pre-deadline deal, getting safety Kevin Byard from the Titans for a fifth- and sixth-round pick, plus safety Terrell Edmunds, and nobody thinks he's finished. The Eagles could use running-back depth and a boost to their pass rush, but NFL sources said Roseman has been much more focused on fixing his secondary. While another safety isn't out of the question, they've also struggled to find a reliable third corner.

Johnson isn't a slot corner, but his presence would make the Eagles more comfortable with James Bradberry in the slot role full-time. The 24-year-old would also be great insurance in case the 30-year-old Bradberry or 32-year-old Darius Slay get hurt. The cost to rent him might be high — a third-round pick would probably be the floor — but it would give the Eagles the best secondary in the NFL to go with one of the league's best defensive lines. —Ralph Vacchiano

Chiefs: WR Kendrick Bourne (from the New England Patriots)

Kansas City saved receiver Mecole Hardman from the New York Jets offense. But Hardman won't save the Chiefs offense. They have left quarterback Patrick Mahomes with the worst supporting cast he's ever had. It's fair for GM Brett Veach to have faith that Andy Reid and Mahomes can win another Super Bowl without a top-flight receiver.

Tight end Travis Kelce is a reliable No. 1 option. But a receiver like Bourne could bring a unique element to this offense that it's sorely lacking: a veteran playmaker who can generate yards after the catch. Bourne has long been an efficient option who has been underutilized either because of limited snaps (in San Francisco) or a limited offense (in New England). With the Chiefs, Bourne can truly reach his potential. —Henry McKenna

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San Francisco 49ers: Cornerback Adoree' Jackson (from the New York Giants)

Isaiah Oliver got a tough penalty late trying to keep up with cat-quick rookie Jordan Addison, which has been indicative of his uneven performance overall playing the nickel spot this season. The 49ers also can kick Deommodore Lenoir inside to play slot defender. But by securing the services of the USC product in Jackson, San Francisco brings in a versatile, experienced veteran who can take over at the nickel position.

San Francisco swung for the fences last season and was rewarded by elite level play at running back after a midseason trade for Christian McCaffrey. The 49ers could be tempted to add splashier names like Danielle Hunter or Brian Burns to an underperforming pass rush. But for a team in a Super Bowl window on a defense that's scuffled the last two games, adding a piece that can help them get off the field for the price of a Day 3 pick makes sense. —Eric D. Williams

Baltimore Ravens: RB Derrick Henry (from Tennessee Titans)

A quick glance at the season stats wouldn't indicate Baltimore needed running backs. They rank third in rushing yards per game with an average of 145 and eighth in rushing yards per play with 4.41. Sure, their lead back J.K. Dobbins tore his Achilles and is out for the year again, but the committee in the Baltimore backfield seems to be working, right?

Wrong.

The reason the Ravens have so much production on the ground is once again because of their quarterback. Lamar Jackson is the team's leading passer and rusher with 69 carries for 363 yards and five rushing touchdowns. That's nothing new for Jackson, to be sure. But it's also not something recent for him, either.

The last time Jackson rushed for over 1,000 yards in a season was 2020. In the past two seasons, Jackson has tipped the scales back to a more balanced (albeit still very impressive) passing/rushing split. It's what Baltimore wants. He hovered around 760 rushing yards in 2021 and 2022. He's already recorded half that on the ground this year, but is also on pace for 3,910 passing yards this season. We could see better numbers than his 2019 MVP year before all is said and done — but that may not be enough to send the Ravens on a true postseason run. You can't have one guy do it all himself. Don't forget, they made a first-round exit during Jackson's stellar 2019 season.

That's why I'm proposing they bring in none other than Derrick Henry, another player used to doing things by himself. He is, and has been, a majority of Tennessee's offense and has essentially nothing to show for it. Henry has made the playoffs four times with the Titans. He's even made it to the conference championship game — but never the Super Bowl. Tell me the Ravens wouldn't have a legitimate shot to make (and win) this season with both Jackson and Henry in a Todd Monken offense. It would be fun, if nothing else. Which is what this exercise is. So throw us another bone, NFL script writers. Send Henry to Charm City. —Carmen Vitali

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Miami Dolphins: DE Leonard Williams (from the New York Giants)

What do you give a roster that seems to have everything? It sounds crazy to say, particularly after the Dolphins lost to the Eagles. But Miami's roster is not the problem. Once they get their secondary back intact, they should be just fine. It seems they're on the verge of putting it all together, with the returns of Jalen Ramsey, Xavien Howard and Nik Needham. So while that would be the obvious play for an addition, let's instead add another defensive lineman to the mix.

The Giants are set to pay Leonard Williams a massive sum for this season, and while the Dolphins can't afford to take all of his contract, they ask the Giants to keep most of Williams' salary on their books in exchange for a little more draft capital. And that would bring the Dolphins defensive line into mind-bogglingly dominant from, with Williams, Christian Wilkins, Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb. It's enough to make even Patrick Mahomes a little nervous. —McKenna

Jacksonville Jaguars: OLB Josh Uche (from the New England Patriots)

Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke made a move for then-suspended wide receiver Calvin Ridley at last year's trade deadline, and it wouldn't be surprising to see Jacksonville make another splashy midseason move in 2023. Looking like one of the AFC's best teams, the Jags have a pass rush that has been far too inconsistent (apart from edge rusher Josh Allen, who's been terrific in his contract year). That could bite them in the postseason, as it did last year, when they failed to sack Patrick Mahomes in the AFC divisional-round loss to the Chiefs. They failed to adequately address the pass rush in the offseason.

The Patriots' Josh Uche feels like the best possible fit. He's off to a slow start, but he would give Jacksonville a strong situational rusher on passing downs (Uche had a career-high 10.5 sacks last year) without taking away from the development of former No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker, whose best trait is defending the run. A fourth-round pick seems like a reasonable price for Uche. —Ben Arthur

Detroit Lions: Any defensive lineman from the Washington Commanders

Hear me out. Jonathan Allen doesn't sound happy in D.C. (nor does anyone right now, really) and a trade would save the Commanders over $14 million in cap space. Allen, Chase Young and Montez Sweat should all be fair game, quite honestly, and Detroit should want any of them. Young and Sweat should be especially easy to get considering they're in the last year of their contracts.

The obvious need for the Lions right now is in the secondary, to be sure. They've suffered multiple injuries there between C.J. Gardner-Johnson (out indefinitely), Emmanuel Moseley (out for the season) and a rotating cast of injuries among the safeties, in particular. Kerby Joseph is injured, currently. Rookie Brian Branch has been fighting through some things. But Detroit has already sunk so much capital into the defensive backfield that it would be hard to stomach continuing to do so, especially if they think Joseph can get healthy and Gardner-Johnson can return this season.

But another way to help the secondary is to never let the ball get there in the first place — by bolstering the defensive line. Second-year edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson is wreaking havoc, but put Allen in the interior rotation and watch how much more that opens things up. Better yet, put Young or Sweat opposite Hutchinson and watch the panic in the eyes of opposing offensive lines unfold. The Lions have the opportunity to own the trenches on both sides of the ball. I'd love to see them take it. —Vitali

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Dallas Cowboys: LB Jordan Hicks (from the Minnesota Vikings)

Is this the sexy, headline-grabbing trade many Cowboy fans would prefer to see? No. But it's how the mostly conservative Cowboys tend to operate. As fun as it would be to put Derrick Henry on the team that could have drafted him back in 2016, I just don't think the Cowboys are willing to drop that kind of capital when they already have a Pro Bowl running back, and I think they're far more likely to increase Jalen Tolbert's snap count than trade for another wide receiver.

What makes sense, though, would be a minor trade for a reliable veteran like Hicks. The Cowboys are paper-thin at linebacker after putting Leighton Vander Esch on injured reserve. And while converted safety Markquese Bell is having an impressive season, Hicks would do a lot to bolster this group. Even in Year 9, he's averaging 9 tackles per game and he was just recently named NFC Defensive Player of the Week after tallying two takeaways in Minnesota's win against Chicago. He's a free agent at the end of the season, so a Day 3 pick should be enough to pry him away from the Vikings and shore up a problem spot. —David Helman

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Seahawks: Edge rusher Justin Houston (from the Carolina Panthers)

Yes, the Seahawks brought back former second-round pick Frank Clark this week in free agency, but Seattle head coach Pete Carroll understands he can never have too much pass rush. And with Uchenna Nwosu out for the year, the Seahawks are relying on young pass rushers in Boye Mafe, Derrick Hall and Darrell Taylor. Adding a 34-year-old pass rusher in Houston, who had 9.5 sacks with the Baltimore Ravens in 2022, gives the Seahawks an experienced pass rusher who knows how to run games with the defensive line and could help close out games in the fourth quarter by heating up the pass rush.

The last time Seattle GM John Schneider swung big in a trade, they gave up a package that included two first-round picks to bring in Jamal Adams, which hasn't worked out as planned. The Seahawks execute a more reasonable transaction here, giving up a late-round selection in a negotiation with someone Schneider is familiar with (Carolina GM Scott Fritterer) from his time as a personnel executive in Seattle. —Williams

Buffalo Bills: CB Donte Jackson (from the Carolina Panthers)

Tre'Davious White isn't coming back this year after suffering a torn Achilles tendon. And since the injuries to him and linebacker Matt Milano, the Bills defense has been in disrepair. The defensive efficiency has dipped so much (with the second-best DVOA in Weeks 1-4 and the 28th-best DVOA from Weeks 5-7) that they should prioritize improving their secondary.

Jackson would be a welcome addition to a unit that's making do with top cornerbacks Dane Jackson and Christian Benford. I get that fans probably want Buffalo to acquire someone like Hunter Renfrow or Courtland Sutton — and those players make a lot of sense. But the Bills have larger problems on defense than they have on offense. Quarterback Josh Allen has been paid handsomely to overcome the Bills' personnel issues. —McKenna

Patriots beat Bills in Week 7

This story was compiled by:

AFC South reporter Ben Arthur (@benyarthur)
NFC South reporter Greg Auman (@gregauman)
Dallas Cowboys reporter David Helman (@davidhelman_)
AFC East reporter Henry McKenna (@McKennAnalysis)
NFC West reporter Eric D. Williams (@eric_d_williams)
NFC East reporter Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano)
NFC North reporter Carmen Vitali (@CarmieV)