2023 Early NFL Offseason Trades & Trade Rumors: Jalen Ramsey, D.J. Moore On The Move!
The NFL offseason is now in full swing and we’ve already seen a few teams make trades with more sure to come. We are going to analyze the trades that have been made, cover some trade rumors, and make some trade predictions.
What’s Already Gone Down
DJ Moore to Chicago Bears
The Bears made the first splash in the trade market this offseason by trading their first overall pick to the Carolina Panthers for Moore, two firsts, and two second-round picks. The two key pieces here for fantasy owners are Moore to Chicago and the top pick to the Panthers. We aren’t going to predict who won this one because it’s impossible to know for a few years let alone before Carolina even uses the pick.
For Chicago, we will focus on Moore. We can revisit those picks at a later date. They add a much-needed weapon on the outside opposite Darnell Mooney. The Bears now have Mooney, Moore, and Chase Claypool at wideout for Justin Fields to throw to. This is undoubtedly a positive for Fields and the Bears. The question becomes, how should Moore owners feel? That all depends on how Fields develops. He made a big jump last season but still isn’t good enough as a passer for Moore owners to be thrilled. The hope is an improved offensive line and better weapons his game will naturally continue to develop. Nonetheless, worst case scenario he’s out of Carolina where the QB situation has been a nightmare for years and Moore has thrived despite them.
For Carolina, as we just mentioned they have had arguably the worst QB situation in the league for a few years now. They moved up and now they are going to get their guy. Reports that they aren’t sure whom they are taking are alarming, but hopefully, they do know whom they traded for. If they go after CJ Stroud or even Bryce Young this could set their franchise up for years to come. If they draft Anthony Richardson we expect them to be starting over again really soon.
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Jalen Ramsey to Miami Dolphins
Playing against the Miami defense isn’t going to be fun for opposing quarterbacks next season. The Rams have shipped Ramsey to the Dolphins for a third-round pick and tight end Hunter Long. Yes, the Hunter Long. This price tag seems unfathomably low. How could the Rams not get more? There has to be more to this. We do know this was Ramsey’s preferred destination so maybe he deterred other teams from making offers. Either way, Miami will now pair Ramsey with Xavien Howard on the outside with Kader Kohou in the slot and Jevon Holland back at safety. This secondary is going to be brutal against your fantasy wideouts.
Jonnu Smith to Atlanta Falcons
If there’s one thing fantasy owners wanted this offseason it was more competition for Kyle Pitts in Atlanta. The Falcons sent a seventh-rounder to New England for the athletic safety in what was an obvious cap dump for the Pats. He’s a talented tight end who was a big pickup when the Pats added him, however, they used him more as a blocker. He is good enough to have an impact in Atlanta if they were able to throw the ball. We don’t expect him to have a massive impact on Pitts, but it’s still not how his owners wanted the offseason to start.
Trade Rumors
Aaron Rodgers
We start with the most obvious trade rumor about Rodgers. We can now all agree that Rodgers is perhaps the most unlikeable player in the NFL, and we feel bad for any locker room that has to tolerate him. Nevertheless, he’s still pretty good at football so someone is going to pay up for him. That team looks to be the New York Jets with the Las Vegas Raiders being a dark horse. He is clearly dragging this out for attention and it’s embarrassing for him and every team involved. Still, we expect him to end up in New York eventually. The compensation is anyone’s guess. We’ve heard everything from a second and third to a deal rivaling what the Seahawks got for Russell Wilson last year. Compensation along with his cap hit after it’s all said and done will determine who wins this trade. At the end of the day the real losers are all of us who have to put up with Rodgers’s nonsense year after year. It’s hard to blame the Packers for being done with him.
Austin Ekeler
News just broke today that Ekeler has requested a trade out of Los Angeles after a contract extension couldn’t be reached between the two parties. This would be a game-changer for fantasy owners. For LA Justin Herbert would lose a key weapon and his most trusted outlet. While the wideouts and tight ends in LA would likely see a nice boost in targets. For Ekeler owners this has to be concerning. He could go somewhere and be great, but if it isn’t broken you really don’t want someone going in trying to fix it. While this could work out fine for Ekeler it’s hard to imagine a much better situation just because of how well it’s gone for him on the Chargers.
Derrick Henry
It looks like the Tennessee Titans are looking to move on from King Henry. This move is an absolute difference-maker for both the Titans and the team trading for him. He has been the identity of the Titans’ offense for years now. This will be a blow for the Tennessee offense no matter who they add because Henry is a once-in-a-generation kind of talent. It probably is a smart move though to trade him while he still has some value if they know they aren’t competing for a title this season.
For Henry, we actually like the idea of him getting out of Tennessee. He still has some juice left in the tank, but as he gets older it will benefit him to not have to be the only piece in the offense. His carries may drop a bit, but he could end his career with a bang if he lands on a team that has to respect the passing attack and can’t stack the box against him. One team to watch that he’s been linked to is the Miami Dolphins. That would be a scary offense if teams have to figure out a way to stop him while covering Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. The Ramsey trade may have put those rumors to bed though. Wherever he lands if he is traded his owners shouldn’t feel any worse about it than they do Tennessee.
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