Five winners from the NFL trade deadline as Philadelphia Eagles soar again

The parity during the current NFL season feels closer than ever, and as a result, the trade deadline was more crucial than ever this season.

Trades have come at a relative premium this season, with the Green Bay Packers’ trade for former first-team All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons the highest-profile move of the offseason.

However, it has been quite quiet on the trade front overall, and as the trade deadline neared, it’s not surprising that the movement continued to be slow.

Parity in both conferences seems close, with the NFC ninth-seed Carolina Panthers and Bryce Young at 5-4 just over a game back from the Philadelphia Eagles at the one-seed.

Meanwhile, in the AFC, the Indianapolis Colts have been the shock revelation of the season at 7-2, while the usual Super Bowl favourites, the Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs, and Baltimore Ravens, are all languishing from tricky starts.

When marginal gains appear to be so valuable in a season where anyone can beat anyone, these five teams came out of the trade deadline with the most to cheer about.

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Philadelphia Eagles

Howie Roseman is a master of trades, whether that be on draft day or trade deadline day, and the 2025 trade deadline was no different.

Injuries have caused issues for the Eagles’ defence this season, with five starters currently listed on the injured reserve list.

As a result, Roseman worked his magic in the trade market again, adding cornerbacks Michael Carter II from the New York Jets and Jaire Alexander from the Ravens, as well as edge rusher Jaelen Phillips from the Miami Dolphins.

In return, the Eagles gave up two sixth-round picks, a third-round pick, and wide receiver John Metchie, who they acquired earlier in the offseason from the Houston Texans.

As the offence starts to find its groove again, their three defensive additions will have to learn the scheme before they hit the ground running on the road in Green Bay on Monday Night Football.

Dallas Cowboys

No team has been more bipolar this season than the Dallas Cowboys, who, on the one hand, have scored over 35 points in five separate games this season.

Yet on the contrary, the Cowboys also have the ignominy of fielding one of the worst defences in the league.

As a result, Jerry Jones went out and traded for Logan Wilson from the Bengals for a seventh-round pick, who adds experience to the core of the Cowboys’ defence at inside linebacker.

At the deadline, the 83-year-old made another splash to add to his strengthened defensive core, trading for Quinnen Williams from the Jets, giving up a 2027 first and second-round pick as well as defensive tackle Mazi Smith.

Not only did Jones reinforce his team’s biggest weakness, but he also did so, and the Cowboys still have a first-round pick to further improve their team at the 2027 draft.

New York Jets

On the other side of the coin of the Williams to Dallas trade are the Jets, who had a fire sale of two of their best defensive stars.

Despite giving up blue-chip talents, Williams and Ahmad ‘Sauce’ Gardner, the Jets now hold five first-round picks across the next two drafts.

Gardner was sent across to Indianapolis to supplement the Colts’ secondary with the Jets acquiring a 2026 and 2027 first-round pick in return for a player who is arguably not even in the top five of his position group in the league.

As the towel has now well and truly been thrown in on the 2025 season, Aaron Glenn and his staff can now turn their attentions to building a young defensive core in the 53-year-old’s image.

One of their first five rounders across the next two years will undoubtedly be used to acquire a quarterback, but the odds on the four picks being used to bolster the defence also feel quite high.

While their 2025 deadline business appears to show the franchise taking two steps back, there is no doubt the return they’ve made on their trades sets them up exceptionally for the future.

Seattle Seahawks

The further west Sam Darnold travels, the better his career resurgence appears to go, and the beneficiaries of his latest improvements are the Seattle Seahawks.

The offseason departures of DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, as well as the exit of Geno Smith, left Seahawks fans with a degree of apprehension coming into 2025, but Mike Macdonald’s squad have made a blistering start to the year.

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Jaxon Smith-Njigba has taken an elite step in his development this season, and the Washington outfit has now added a true dual-threat field stretcher in Rashid Shaheed from the New Orleans Saints.

The Seahawks have a favourable run in the second half of the season, facing just two teams who currently sit in the playoffs (two games against the Los Angeles Rams and a home matchup with the Colts) while their current record is a healthy 6-2.

Shaheed gives offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak a true wildcat option, with the 27-year-old capable of lining up in the backfield and as a receiver, while also returning kicks and punts, giving this Seahawks offence another dimension in their playoff push.

Los Angeles Chargers

Lastly, the Los Angeles Chargers sneak into the winners category for their eleventh-hour trade for Saints guard Trevor Penning.

The injuries that Jim Harbaugh’s side has endured to their offensive line this season have been brutal, and left tackle Joe Alt was the latest to go down in week nine.

The Chargers face a stacked division in the AFC West, and the addition of Penning to their injury-stricken offensive line could be one of the fine margins between the LA side hosting a playoff game or not.

The earlier trade acquisition of Odafe Oweh also promises to provide upside for the Chargers, who lost edge rush talent in the offseason, but the addition of Penning feels like one rooted in the front office’s understanding of how crucial it is to support Justin Herbert, who is in unbelievable form this season.

If the Chargers can protest Herbert despite their injuries in front of him, there’s no reason why the former Oregon signal caller can’t take this team deep into the playoffs.

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