Seth WalderNov 4, 2025, 10:25 AM ETCloseSeth Walder is an analytics writer at ESPN, specializing in quantitative analysis. He is also a regular on “ESPN Bet Live” and helps cover sports betting. Seth has been at ESPN since 2017. He previously worked at the New York Daily News covering the Jets and Giants. You can follow Seth on X via @SethWalder.
play0:39Schefter: Eagles bolster defense with Jaelan Phillips tradeAdam Schefter reports on the Eagles’ trade with the Dolphins for Jaelan Phillips.
play0:59Should Ravens make a trade before the deadline?Bart Scott joins “Get Up” to explain why the Ravens should be trying to make a defensive acquisition ahead of the NFL trade deadline.
What does trading for Logan Wilson mean for Cowboys? (1:29)Dan Graziano reacts to the Cowboys finalizing a deal to get Logan Wilson from the Bengals. (1:29)
Schefter: Eagles bolster defense with Jaelan Phillips tradeAdam Schefter reports on the Eagles’ trade with the Dolphins for Jaelan Phillips.
Should Ravens make a trade before the deadline?Bart Scott joins “Get Up” to explain why the Ravens should be trying to make a defensive acquisition ahead of the NFL trade deadline.
Bart Scott joins “Get Up” to explain why the Ravens should be trying to make a defensive acquisition ahead of the NFL trade deadline.
Let’s grade trades from the 2025 NFL season. When a deal happens, we often hear the old adage that it will take years to know how well each team did. To that I say: Nonsense. General managers don’t get the benefit of hindsight while they are making their decisions, so why should we when evaluating those decisions?
They’ll both play a role in our grades, though a low-impact decision can still receive a strong or poor grade. Low-stakes, clear-cut wins or losses still matter.
Wilson, 29, started 65 games for the Bengals since being drafted in 2020 and signed an extension prior to the 2023 season. He recorded a 32.5% run stop win rate in 2025, almost perfectly average among qualifying linebackers (he was average in the category in 2024, too). He has also allowed 0.8 yards per coverage snap this season, per NFL Next Gen Stats, a shade better than average for a linebacker.
Now, without Wilson, the Bengals will primarily rely on a pair of rookies — Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter — at linebacker.
When the Ravens traded Odafe Oweh for Alohi Gilman I thought it was a fine move — Oweh was losing out on snaps in Baltimore and Gilman helped upgrade another area of need for the defense. But there was no question that it left the Ravens’ pass rush wanting — especially with Nnamdi Madubuike out for the season. It left the Ravens with an edge rushing group consisting of Kyle Van Noy, rookie Mike Green, David Ojabo and the now-injured Tavius Robinson.
Jones has been playing as a full-time edge rusher, as he did last season. But earlier in his career, he moved around the line and aligned more often as a three-technique in some seasons. It’s feasible Baltimore could use him inside some, especially without Madubuike.
Jones’ $8.5 million deal included a $6 million signing bonus, so Baltimore is taking on at most the proration of the remaining $2.5 million. Jones, 28, is a pending free agent, so he could yield a compensatory pick for Baltimore if he signs a qualifying contract. The fifth-round draft pick compensation feels reasonable, though if the (currently unknown) conditions turn that pick into a fourth-rounder that might be a shade high.
This is a logical move for the Titans. They’re going nowhere in 2025 and are currently sitting on $108.6 million in cap space in 2026, per OverTheCap.com, so it’s unlikely that Tennessee will receive compensatory picks for departing free agents. They need to deal as many players on expiring contracts — and then consider moves for others — for as much draft capital as they can acquire.
Considering his track record and that he’s getting back to form after his ACL injury, I think it’s reasonable for the Eagles to expect him to be little better than that in the second half of the season. Phillips also generally scores well in run stop win rate, and that has particularly been the case this season, when his 30.5% RSWR at edge ranks 11th among edge rushers.
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman will not rest until he has turned over every rock looking for the best option at outside cornerback opposite Quinyon Mitchell. Earlier this week, he traded with the Jets for Michael Carter II — a nickel whose presence might allow Cooper DeJean to play outside in nickel packages. Now, it’s Alexander, the former Packers star turned healthy scratch with the Ravens.
But I can understand the sentiment: The Eagles are trying to maximize their chances of finding a solution — whether it’s Alexander or Kelee Ringo or Jackson or rookie Mac McWilliams or DeJean or Jakorian Bennett outside with Carter in the slot. And if they think Alexander increases the probability of finding an answer by even a couple of percentage points, then it’s worth it.
For the Ravens, this is a freebie. They’re saving a little money (Alexander’s contract was guaranteed) and gaining a little draft capital for a player who wasn’t playing for them anyway.
Eagles get: CB Michael Carter II, 2027 seventh-round pick Jets get: WR John Metchie III, 2027 sixth-round pick
The Eagles needed a third cornerback and hope they’ve found an upgrade in Carter. Philadelphia is in good shape at the other two corner spots with second-year players Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. But with DeJean most effective in the slot, the outside corner spot opposite Mitchell has been an area of concern.
Adoree’ Jackson allowed 1.9 yards per coverage snap and a 27% target rate per NFL Next Gen Stats — higher than any outside corner with at least 100 coverage snaps by a hefty margin. Kelee Ringo, who took over for Jackson in Week 4, had more success, with 1.2 yards per coverage snap — just a shade over average. The team took a flier in trading for Jakorian Bennett earlier this year, but he has been on injured reserve over the past month (but has had his practice window to return opened).
Carter’s contract runs through 2027, and he is due $10.25 million in cash in each of the next two years. He has $1.4 million fully guaranteed next year, per OverTheCap.com. At that price, the Eagles might not keep Carter long term — it likely depends on how the rest of this season shakes out. But as far as this season is concerned, the Eagles are betting that Carter gets back to his former level of play while DeJean upgrades the other outside spot. That seems reasonable.
Moving on from Carter was logical for the Jets. Jarvis Brownlee Jr., who filled in during Carter’s absence, put up better numbers in a limited sample: 0.9 yards allowed per coverage snap when aligned in the slot. With the Jets long out of the running this season, it made sense to deal Carter, get off the hook for his light guarantee next year, and recoup whatever draft compensation they could.
That turned out to be a late-round pick swap, but the Jets also picked up Metchie. He is essentially a throw-in, but he also could feasibly start on a Jets team that has a barren wide receiver room. Behind Garrett Wilson — who has missed the last two weeks with a hyperextended knee — the Jets have Tyler Johnson, Arian Smith and Allen Lazard at wide receiver with Josh Reynolds on IR. The Eagles acquired Metchie from the Texans in an August trade, but he only played 14 snaps for them.
Metchie was a second-round pick by Houston in 2022 but missed his rookie season after being diagnosed with leukemia. He returned to the field in 2023 but has failed to meet his draft expectations, recording just 1.1 yards per route run over his career. But the Jets might give him an avenue to significant playing time.
Steelers safety DeShon Elliott suffered a leg injury in Sunday night’s loss to the Packers that could cost him the rest of the season. Evidently, Pittsburgh felt it needed to look outside of the building for his replacement.
Chuck Clark took Elliott’s snaps against Green Bay and was notably beaten by tight end Tucker Kraft on a 59-yard gain. Had Pittsburgh not made a move, it probably would have been Clark or another ex-Patriot, Jabrill Peppers, taking over Elliott’s box safety role, with Juan Thornhill as the deep safety. Dugger, who fell out of favor in New England a year after signing a four-year, $58 million contract, can fill that void.
Dugger has 69 career starts and was particularly well-regarded during a 2022 season that included two pick-sixes. But he has played only 101 defensive snaps for the Patriots this season. He was due the pro-rated remainder of the $9.75 million salary he was owed, but the Patriots are picking up some of that, which makes sense and was probably necessary to get a deal done.
Between that, Pittsburgh’s need and Dugger’s past high-level play, I think it’s worth it for the Steelers to make this move — especially since it didn’t cost them much draft capital. This is a secondary that has had a rough past two games (losses to the Bengals and Packers), so getting safety help can’t hurt.
The Patriots had phased out Dugger from the lineup, as he really played only when Jaylinn Hawkins sat out time. Currently, we don’t know exactly how much cap relief they are getting, but it seems as if they’re getting at least some for a player that coach Mike Vrabel doesn’t seem to want. That seems fine, particularly given the price of Dugger’s contract in 2026 meant that he was certainly going to be cut if he remained in New England.
The 49ers need pass-rushing help. Since Week 4, the first week after Nick Bosa’s season-ending ACL injury, the 49ers rank 26th in pass rush win rate. They got some help from Bryce Huff, who looks as if he’s back to the form he showed with the Jets, but Huff recently suffered a hamstring injury that is expected to keep him out this week.
The four players who have played at least 100 snaps along the 49ers’ interior defensive line are Alfred Collins, Jordan Elliott, Kalia Davis and Mykel Williams. None of them have a double-digit win rate. Enter White, who I think could be quite a useful addition.