Winners and losers from NFL trade deadline: Commanders make a splash, while NFC East rivals drop the ball

The NFL trade deadline officially passed on Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, and while there weren’t as many noteworthy deals as in recent weeks, several teams made moves to improve their playoff hopes.

With that in mind, here are the biggest winners and losers from Tuesday’s flurry of trades:

WINNER | Washington Commanders 

Having a franchise quarterback on a rookie contract can completely change the trajectory of a franchise, and the Commanders are taking advantage of the opportunity Jayden Daniels is giving them.

Washington (7-2) made the biggest splash at the trade deadline, acquiring four-time Pro Bowl CB Marshon Lattimore and a 2025 fifth-round pick in a deal with the Saints on Tuesday. To complete the trade, the Commanders gave New Orleans their third-, fourth- and sixth-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft.

The Commanders have been one of the most surprising and feel-good stories of the regular season’s first half. However, Tuesday’s blockbuster solidified them as a true threat to win the NFC East and a team capable of making a deep playoff run.

After allowing the most passing yards (4,627) and touchdowns (39) last season, Washington’s defense has improved significantly under new HC Dan Quinn. Through nine games, Washington is allowing 202.41 passing yards per contest, the 11th-fewest in the NFL, though the stats are a bit skewed due to facing a few underwhelming quarterbacks.

The addition of Lattimore should help the unit continue to make progress. In seven games this season, the former first-round pick has made 30 tackles and two pass breakups while allowing just 83 yards in coverage, the fewest among cornerbacks who have played at least 400 snaps. 

LOSER | Dallas Cowboys 

Despite owning a 3-5 record and expecting to be without QB Dak Prescott (hamstring) for at least the next four games, the Cowboys decided to be buyers ahead of the trade deadline. On Tuesday, Dallas traded a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to acquire second-year WR Jonathan Mingo and a seventh-round pick from Carolina.

While it’s not a terrible idea to start building for the future amid a lost season and taking a flier on a player under contract through 2026, it’s still a questionable deal for Dallas.

Mingo hasn’t shown much promise since being drafted 39th overall in 2023. Last season, the Ole Miss product only caught 43 passes for 418 yards, and he hasn’t fared much better through nine games in 2024. Not only does Mingo have just 121 yards on 12 receptions, but he also lost reps to rookie Jalen Coker, an undrafted free agent out of Holy Cross.

Aside from the fact that Mingo probably isn’t a player worth gambling on, the Cowboys overpaid to acquire him based on how the wide receiver trade market shook out, making the move even more questionable. After all, the Chiefs traded a conditional fifth-round pick to land five-time Pro Bowler DeAndre Hopkins, and the Ravens sent a fifth-rounder of their own to Carolina for Diontae Johnson and a sixth-round pick. 

WINNER | Pittsburgh Steelers 

Time will tell if the AFC North-leading Steelers (6-2) are legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Regardless, Pittsburgh desperately needs to win at least one playoff game — something it hasn’t done since 2016 — to consider this season a success, and the team made strides toward doing so on Tuesday.

The Steelers executed two low-risk, high-reward trades, sending a fifth-round pick to the Jets in exchange for WR Mike Williams and dealing a seventh-rounder to land ex-Packers edge-rusher Preston Smith.

Williams, an impending free agent, was a non-factor in nine games with New York, catching just 12 passes for 166 yards. Even so, the 6-foot-4, 218-pounder is a competent veteran who should improve a Steelers team whose second-leading receiver, TE Pat Freiermuth, ranks 92nd in the NFL in receiving yards (264). 

Meanwhile, the 31-year-old Smith should serve as a valuable rotational piece for a defense that ranks second in points (14.9) and ninth in yards per game allowed (310.25). So far this season, Smith, who averages 7.5 sacks per season, has collected 19 tackles, two for loss, 2.5 sacks and four QB hits. 

LOSER | Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf

Like many teams, the Patriots (2-7) had a relatively uneventful trade deadline, though they did trade edge-rusher Josh Uche to the Chiefs last week for a 2026 sixth-round pick. Even though that was a worthwhile deal for New England, Wolf should’ve continued making moves to help expedite the team’s rebuilding process. 

Last week, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported that the Patriots could do a mix of buying and selling, yet they questionably chose not to. According to Rapoport, teams were interested in acquiring K.J. Osborn and Tyquan Thornton, two wideouts who don’t have much of a future in New England. As a team that clearly won’t be in playoff contention for some time, the Patriots should’ve continued selling off assets.

Additionally, it would’ve made sense to acquire at least a decent wide receiver to aid promising rookie QB Drake Maye’s development. Perhaps there wasn’t a wideout available worth overpaying for, but the Patriots could’ve afforded to take a big swing for an impending free agent, especially since they have the most cap space in the NFL for 2025. 

WINNER | New Lions edge-rusher Za’Darius Smith

Smith, a three-time Pro Bowler who has five sacks this season, had the privilege of being traded from one of the NFL’s worst teams to one of the best. There was considerable buzz surrounding a potential deal that would send Smith to Detroit leading up to the deadline, and the Lions and Browns finally came to an agreement on Tuesday.

As part of the deal, the Lions traded a 2025 fifth-round draft choice and a 2026 sixth-rounder to Cleveland for Smith and a 2026 seventh-round pick. It was a wise move for both teams, as the Browns acquired some much-needed draft capital to build for the future, whereas Detroit strengthened its chances of contending for Super Bowl LIX.

With Smith added to the mix, the Lions found a quality replacement for star edge-rusher Aidan Hutchinson, who suffered a season-ending leg injury in Week 6. The Lions defense has struggled in the first three games without Hutchinson, racking up the eighth-fewest sacks in the NFL (five) while posting a 30.6% pass-rush win rate, ranking 26th among teams. 

LOSER | New York Giants 

The 2-7 Giants chose to stand pat at the trade deadline, which could come back to haunt them by the time April rolls around. New York had a few intriguing trade candidates, including impending free agents WR Darius Slayton and edge-rusher Azeez Ojulari, who drew interest from teams like Pittsburgh and Atlanta.

It’s impossible to deny that Slayton and Ojulari have been solid for the Giants. Slayton has caught 32 passes for 469 yards and one touchdown this season, while Ojulari has notched six sacks, two shy of his career high. Although the Giants could re-sign both players, it’s puzzling why they didn’t cash in on their value now, given that it opted against extending Slayton last offseason and traded for star edge-rusher Brian Burns to replace Ojulari.

Hanging on to Slayton and Ojulari would’ve made more sense if Giants GM Joe Schoen was on the hot seat. However, owner John Mara told reporters last month that he didn’t plan on firing Schoen or HC Brian Daboll this offseason. Now that they’ve passed up the opportunity to collect potential trade-up ammo for the 2025 draft, the Giants must hope they don’t string together a few meaningless wins to fall out of range to land a top quarterback prospect.