LATEST UPDATE; NFL Top Candidates Moved with Deadline

This season’s NFL trade deadline is at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 5, which is still a long way off. Let’s try to get ahead with the latest buzz, names to watch and even some potential trade fits.

We’re only two full weeks into the 2024 season, so the disclaimer here is that, yes, it’s really early. Too early, in fact, to know for sure which teams are going to be looking to add and which teams are going to be dealing away players by the time we get to the first week of November. That makes this a speculative exercise, trying to figure out which players will end up being candidates for trades and which teams will be trying to get them.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin likes to say, “Speculation is a waste of our time,” but he’s speaking from the perspective of a football coach with a new game to get ready for every seven days. We’re looking at this from the perspective of fans, who have the luxury of thinking about the way things could look in six or seven weeks. So here’s our way-too-early look at 15 players who might end up being on the move, for one reason or another, between now and the NFL trade deadline, along with where they could end up. We’ll start with players on defense.

Let’s start with the messiest current contract situation in the league. The Jets acquired Reddick from the Eagles in April for a 2026 third-round pick. He has yet to play or even practice for them. Reddick wanted a new contract from the Eagles, who decided they’d rather trade him than pay him what he wanted. That only transferred the problem to the Jets, who still haven’t worked out a contract extension with Reddick. He sat out the offseason, training camp and the first three games of the regular season, incurring millions of dollars in fines.It’s pretty clear at this point he isn’t showing up unless New York pays up. Reddick — who has at least 11 sacks in each of the past four seasons — requested a trade from the Jets this summer, and the team quickly put out a statement saying they wouldn’t do it. But at this point — and after the season-ending Achilles injury to edge rusher Jermaine Johnson — the Jets need to figure out a solution. They can either give Reddick a deal that gets him into the building, or they can move on from the situation and acquire an asset or two that would help them get a player who can impact the edge rush. The latter solution feels more likely at this point.

Potential landing spot: Arizona Cardinals. Yes, the same team that drafted Reddick in the first round in 2017. It’s a different front office and a different coaching staff than Arizona had the first time he was there. The Cardinals’ offense looks as if it could be stellar, but their defense needs help — they are 28th in pass rush win rate at 28.9%. Other possibilities include the Buccaneers, 49ers and Bears.

Ojulari was the Giants’ second-round pick in 2021 and had eight sacks in his rookie season. But the Giants have overhauled their pass rush and have built it around Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns (as well as Dexter Lawrence II on the interior). Ojulari is making just $1.58 million in the final year of his contract and could benefit from a larger role elsewhere ahead of free agency.

Potential landing spot: Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs are a three-time defending division champion with eyes on the postseason again, and edge rush is a place they could use some more help. Tampa Bay is tied with the Panthers and Commanders for the fewest sacks in the NFL with two. Keep the Raiders, 49ers, Bears, Cardinals and Jets in mind for Ojulari, too.

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

D.J. Jones, Denver Broncos

The former 49er signed a three-year, $30 million deal with Denver before the 2022 season, so he’s in the final year of his contract, making $10 million. Early returns indicate the Broncos could be in for a rough season, and Jones predates coach Sean Payton there, which could mean the writing is on the wall. Jones turns 30 in January, so he’s not likely to be a candidate for a long-term extension with a new team, but he could help a contender as a half-season rental. Jones has six tackles and a QB hit through two games.

Potential landing spot: Chicago Bears. Matt Eberflus’ defense has played well to start the season, but his history tells us he doesn’t believe you can be too deep on the defensive line. Other fits include the 49ers, Eagles, Cowboys and Bengals.

LINEBACKER

Devin White, Philadelphia Eagles

The 26-year-old former Buccaneers star signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Eagles this offseason, but he lost the starting middle linebacker job to Nakobe Dean. He sat out the first game of the season because of an ankle injury but was a healthy inactive for the Week 2 Monday night game against the Falcons. Of the $4 million the Eagles gave him, more than half was in the form of a signing bonus, so he’d be an extremely cheap veteran option for a team in need. White had 83 tackles and two interceptions last season in Tampa Bay.

Potential landing spot: Buffalo Bills. They lost Matt Milano to a torn biceps in the preseason and Terrel Bernard to a pectoral strain in Week 2 against Miami. Buffalo could use more veteran support on the second and third levels of the defense. The Raiders and Patriots also make sense.

His emergence was one of the reasons Indy felt good about moving on from Shaquille Leonard in the middle of last season, but Speed is 29 and set to be a free agent at the end of the season. Should the Colts tumble out of contention, he’s a name to watch. Speed already has 22 tackles this season, and he hit triple-digits in 2023.

Potential landing spot: New England Patriots. They just put Ja’Whaun Bentley on injured reserve (torn pec), so this makes sense. The Bills and Raiders are other possibilities.