If you’re a Cowboys fan who was disappointed to hear about the Raiders reportedly not being willing to trade star edge rusher Maxx Crosby, fear not: There is still hope before the Nov. 4 trade deadline. All it takes is just the right offer for teams to change their minds.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones also said he wasn’t interested in trading Micah Parsons, and we all know how that turned out. Also, Jones didn’t rule out the possibility of taking a big swing with the draft picks they gained from the Packers in the Parsons trade.
Teams also shouldn’t give up on Titans star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, another player who supposedly isn’t for sale. Every team has a price, and often teams tell NFL insiders they’re not interested in trading their best players to drive up the price.
So don’t be shy, NFL GMs. Go ahead and pick up the phone and pester the losing teams about their best players over the next seven days.
Here are the top 15 trade candidates. We tried to be as realistic as possible with this list, but we also ignored some of the reports of players not being on the trading block.
Again, things change quickly. Just ask Cowboys fans.
15. Jaelan Phillips, edge, Dolphins
Phillips isn’t as good as some of the players on the honorable mention section below, but he has a real chance of being moved, unlike the top two names on the list.
Phillips could be a buy-low, high-upside player because of his significant injuries over the past two seasons. There’s a chance he gets better in the back half of the year after getting his body acclimated to playing a full season. It says plenty that Phillips, who has two sacks, is playing 72% of the Dolphins’ defensive snaps this season.
14. Riq Woolen, CB, Seahawks
Woolen has struggled in coverage this season, but his physical attributes could be enticing for several teams.
Then again, it’s telling that Mike Macdonald, a defensive-minded coach, has been unable to get the most from the 6' 4" Woolen, who has failed to regain the top form he showed as a rookie when he recorded six interceptions in 2022.
13. David Njoku, TE, Browns
Njoku has more juice than Baltimore’s Mark Andrews when compared as pass catchers, but consistency has always been the issue for the 2017 first-round pick.
The Browns are likely open to moving Njoku because of how impressive rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. has been this season. Njoku has 27 catches for 260 yards and two touchdowns.
12. Mark Andrews, TE, Ravens
Andrews is no longer a dynamic weapon in the passing game at this point in his career, but the 30-year-old tight end is still an asset as a run blocker.
Several teams would welcome Andrews’s versatility and vast experience in the postseason. Andrews has 24 catches for 208 yards and two touchdowns this year.
11. Carl Granderson, edge, Saints
Granderson hasn’t gotten enough attention for how consistent he’s been in New Orleans since entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2019.
Saints GM Mickey Loomis could decide to trade him because the team committed to a three-year, $51 million contract extension for Chase Young this past offseason. Also, New Orleans’s salary cap would benefit from moving Granderson’s contract, which has high cap numbers for the next two seasons.
Granderson has 4.5 sacks this season and 33 total for his seven-year career.
10. Rashid Shaheed, WR, Saints
Shaheed doesn’t get enough credit for his big-play ability.
The 2022 undrafted free agent provided stability for Spencer Rattler and likely will do the same for Tyler Shough, who could be the team’s new starting quarterback moving forward. Shaheed has 39 catches for 431 yards and two touchdowns this season. For his career, he’s averaging 14.9 yards per reception.
9. Alontae Taylor, CB, Saints
If Loomis decides to be a seller, Taylor could be the best available cornerback due to his experience playing on the inside and the outside.
New Orleans could be willing to make a deal because it has a few young, intriguing defensive backs, including Kool-Aid McKinstry. Taylor, the 2022 second-round pick, has played in 55 career games with 44 starts.
8. Breece Hall, RB, Jets
Hall is well on his way to his first career 1,000-yard season.
He was on pace to do that in 2022 before a season-ending knee injury cut short his dynamic rookie season. Hall struggled to regain that top form over the past two seasons, but he has found a productive rhythm this season with offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand.
Hal has 581 rushing yards, averaging 5.0 yards per carry, including 133 yards in the Jets’ 39–38 win over the Bengals on Sunday.
7. Jakobi Meyers, WR, Raiders
Now, we’re getting to the territory of top players who actually have a real chance of being moved before the Nov. 4 deadline.
Meyers, who requested a trade before the season, would immediately help any team as a reliable pass catcher and willing run blocker. You could argue that Meyers could help a contender more than Chris Olave and Jaylen Waddle because of his versatility, and he wouldn’t cost as much in a trade.
Meyers, who’s dealing with injuries to his toe and knee, has 29 catches for 329 yards and no touchdowns this season.
6. Chris Olave, WR, Saints
Teams have reportedly called the Saints about their top two receivers. But Loomis has been reluctant to trade his best players despite all the losing the past five years.
Maybe Olave sticks around for the development of Shough, but the team should trade him if they don’t have any plans to work out a long-term extension with the 2022 first-round pick. Olave has battled injuries in recent seasons, but there’s no denying he’s one of the better downfield playmakers in the league when healthy. Olave has 52 receptions for 503 yards and three touchdowns this season.
5. Kayvon Thibodeaux, edge, Giants
Thibodeaux’s name could be connected to more trade rumors in the next week, now that this New York defensive front hasn’t played up to expectations.
Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo were doing the heavy lifting. However, the defense was nowhere to be found in the fourth quarter during their Week 7 loss to the Broncos and Sunday’s loss to the Eagles.
The Giants should prioritize the development of rookie edge rusher Abdul Carter and turn Thibodeaux into an asset that could help a roster filled with holes. Thibodeaux has 23.5 career sacks in four seasons, including 2.5 this year.
4. Jaylen Waddle, WR, Dolphins
Dealing Waddle seems unlikely because the team already lost Tyreek Hill to a season-ending leg injury, and he’s the only reliable target for Tua Tagovailoa, who needs to play well so the team doesn’t look bad for handing the quarterback a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension last year.
Still, Waddle might be the only player on the roster who could net Miami a Day 2 pick or better in a potential trade before the deadline. If the Dolphins are willing to move Waddle, he’d likely be the best available wide receiver. He has 35 catches for 504 yards and four touchdowns this season.
3. Trey Hendrickson, edge, Bengals
The Bengals might be willing to listen to trade offers for Hendrickson after their ugly loss to the Jets. This team won’t make any real noise this year.
It doesn’t matter if it’s Joe Flacco or Joe Burrow. This team doesn’t have the defense to contend for a Super Bowl. The Jets started 0–7, but still went into Cincinnati and dropped 39 points and 502 total yards.
The Bengals should look toward the future and prioritize acquiring a high draft pick by trading Hendrickson, who has four sacks this season. However, teams will need to monitor Hendrickson’s hip injury.
2. Jeffery Simmons, DT, Titans
Simmons is another star defender who reportedly isn’t on the trading block. Again, teams should ignore those reports because organizations quickly change their minds for the right price.
Simmons is a versatile defensive lineman who pushes the pocket and stops the run. It’s time for the three-time Pro Bowler to show what he can do playing on a winning team. And it’s time for the worst roster in the league to accumulate high draft picks.
Simmons, who’s dealing with a hamstring injury, has 30 total tackles and 4.5 sacks this season.
1. Maxx Crosby, edge, Raiders
The Raiders are not entertaining trade offers for Crosby, and the star edge rusher reportedly told the team he doesn’t want to go anywhere else. Still, every Super Bowl contender in need of an edge rusher should hound the Raiders and force them to listen to their hard-to-refuse offers.
The Raiders’ refusal to go the full rebuild route has made them an afterthought franchise. The Patriots needed just a few years to replace Tom Brady with Drake Maye. Heck, even the Commanders have turned it around after landing Jayden Daniels. Las Vegas needs a clean slate, with only two playoff appearances since 2002.
Crosby, one of the NFL’s best game-wreckers, has 63.5 career sacks in seven seasons, including four this season.
Honorable mention
Jermaine Johnson, edge, Jets; Alvin Kamara, RB, Saints; Michael Carter II, CB, Jets; Kyle Pitts, TE, Falcons; Arden Key, edge, Titans; Bradley Chubb, edge, Dolphins
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ranking the Top 15 Players Available at the NFL Trade Deadline.