NFL trade deadline 2023: Instant grades on every deal, including Chase Young to 49ers

Everybody loves grades.

Especially yelling about them.

With the NFL trade deadline closing in, it is time to start handing out some grades. What teams actually improved themselves, and what teams still have a lot of work to do if their Super Bowl dreams will be realized? What players are going to be producing in a new home, and what general managers might want to take a refresher course on the various value charts you can find floating around the internet?

As we saw last season, moves started early, kicking off with Kevin Byard to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Let’s dive in, and follow along over the next two days as the deadline approaches

Kevin Byard traded to the Philadelphia Eagles

Full deal: Philadelphia Eagles acquire safety Kevin Byard. Tennessee Titans receive safety Terrell Edmunds, a fifth-round pick in 2024, and a sixth-round pick in 2024.

Titans grade: C+

Eagles grade: A

This was a massive move for the Eagles. Byard is one of the NFL’s better safeties, and offseason departures coupled with injures over the first few weeks of the season made secondary a clear position of need for Philadelphia.

As for the Titans, they remain in a strange place. Are they sellers — as this move indicates — or are they going to try and make a run in an AFC South that is still within reach. If they decide to start preparing for a bit of a rebuild, adding a few later-round picks is at least something.

Leonard Williams traded to the Seattle Seahawks

Full deal: Seattle Seahawks acquire defensive tackle Leonard Williams. New York Giants receive a 2024 second round pick and a 2025 fifth round pick

Seahawks grade: B+

Giants grade: C+

This was a great trade for the Seahawks. They were lacking another interior presence next to Dre’Mont Jones, and Williams can absolutely fit that bill. He’s not an elite defensive tackle, but he has some formational versatility and upside on all three downs. As good as Seattle has been defensively, they can use more from that position. With this trade, the ceiling of the Seahawks defense gets raised higher.

The Giants are probably beginning to tear it down, and I just wonder if they could’ve gotten more for Williams. He wasn’t going to get a future first round pick, but for an impactful player like Williams, he could’ve netted more than a Day 2 and Day 3. This is the beginning of the rebuild for New York, and it’s off to a bit of a shaky start.

Kentavius Street traded to the Atlanta Falcons

Full deal: Atlanta Falcons acquire defensive tackle Kentavius Street and a 2025 seventh-round pick. Philadelphia Eagles acquire a conditional 2024 late-round pick (a sixth-round pick if he plays in six games).

Falcons grade: B

Eagles grade: B

With the injury to Grady Jarrett, the Falcons needed some help along the defensive line, and Street gives them a depth piece. This trade might not preclude Atlanta making an additional move to bolster their pass rush, according to Cameron Wolfe of the NFL Network.

As for the Eagles, they already have talent up front, and now can add a late-round pick to their draft capital for 2024. In all, a low-level win-win for both teams.

Mecole Hardman traded to the Kansas City Chiefs

Full deal: Kansas City Chiefs receive Mecole Hardman. New York Jets receive a 2025 sixth-round pick.

Chiefs grade: B+

Jets grade: B

The Kansas City Chiefs need a “Plan B” in the middle of the field beyond Travis Kelce. As our own JP Acosta argued on Monday’s installment of “Monday Football Monday,” there is the potential that the team misses JuJu Smith-Schuster, who filled that role for the team a year ago. Whether Hardman can provide that or not remains to be seen, but it at least gives them an option.

For the Jets, they move on from a free agent acquisition that did not work out, and free up reps for younger players such as Xavier Gipson and Jason Brownlee. Both players were undrafted free agents, but Gipson has seen more playing time in recent weeks, and Brownlee could be next.

J.C. Jackson traded to the New England Patriots

Full deal: New England Patriots receive cornerback J.C. Jackson and a 2025 seventh-round draft pick. Los Angeles Chargers receive a 2025 sixth-round draft pick.

Patriots grade: B-

Chargers grade: C+

With injuries mounting in the secondary, including to standout rookie Christian Gonzalez, the Patriots add a familiar face in Jackson, who thrived in New England before earning a big payday with the Chargers. This gives New England another body in the secondary and someone familiar with their system.

For the Chargers, they move on from a big free agent signing that did not work out, and at least get something in return.

Montez Sweat traded to the Chicago Bears

Full deal: Washington Commanders trade Montez Sweat to the Chicago Bears for a 2024 second-round pick.

Bears grade: F … or maybe a B+

Commanders grade: B

It’s been no secret that the Bears have been looking for pass rush help, and they get a darn good player in Montez Sweat who immediately help them. The real question becomes “why now?” and it’s the heart of this grade.

If Chicago has framework in place to ink Sweat to a long-term deal then a second rounder for a 27-year-old productive pass rusher really isn’t bad. However, based on where the Bears will be picking this is likely to be a very high second round pick and it raises questions about the draft strategy of this organization. Do they simply not have faith in being able to find good players? Didn’t we just go through this with Chase Claypool? Sweat is certainly better than Claypool, but this has similar vibes.

This will be one of the worst trades in recent memory if the Bears can’t sign Sweat long term. If he walks to free agency after this season it will be a spectacular failure to rent a player like this when the team can’t effectively make the playoffs.

Joshua Dobbs traded to the Minnesota Vikings

Full deal: Arizona Cardinals trade Joshua Dobbs and a 2024 seventh-round pick to the Minnesota Vikings for a 2024 sixth-round pick.

Vikings grade: A

Cardinals grade: A

Dobbs is not particularly good. The hype surrounding the former Cardinals quarterback came about after a strong start to the season, but it feels like nobody has watched him since. Still, Dobbs is significantly better than anything else the Vikings had on their roster.

This is an almost non-existent cost for the Vikings to upgrade their QB for the rest of the year. They give up a 6th round pick and get Dobbs and a 7th. Minor stuff in the scheme of things. Arizona get props for turning their third string QB into something so they get a good grade here too.

Chase Young traded to the 49ers

Full deal: The Washington Commanders trade Chase Young to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for a 2024 third-round pick

49ers grade: A+

Commanders grade: D

This is the wildest trade of the deadline so far. The 49ers got a dynamic, 24-year-old pass rusher who is in the middle of his best season and all they had to give up is a mid-round pick.

This is an absolute steal, and it feels like an absolute panic move by Washington to get something, rather than trying to get something good. It punts on the season, gives up all their pass rush this season and makes it difficult to work out a path forward for the Commanders.

San Francisco is a much better team than they were before the deadline. We’re still in shock over this one.

Ezra Cleveland traded to the Jaguars

Full deal: The Minnesota Vikings trade OG Ezra Cleveland to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a 2024 sixth-round pick.

Jaguars grade: B

Vikings grade: B-

For the Jaguars, this is all about protecting Trevor Lawrence. Both Walker Little and Brandon Scherff have dealt with injuries, so if nothing else Jacksonville adds depth along the offensive line. Cleveland also has played tackle, most notably in college, so he could be used there, although it is more likely that Little would kick outside if needed. Getting their best five options in front of Lawrence from week-to-week — or even drive-to-drive — is paramount and this gives the Jaguars another option.

For Minnesota, Cleveland had lost his starting spot to Dalton Risner in recent weeks, so at least they did get something in return for a player who was out of the starting lineup.

Donovan Peoples-Jones traded to the Detroit Lions

Full deal: The Cleveland Browns trade WR Donovan Peoples-Jones to the Detroit Lions in exchange for a 2025 sixth-round pick

Lions grade: B

Browns grade: B

The Lions are among the top teams in the NFC, but this deal says that they can also add more when it comes to the offense. As good as WR Amon-Ra St. Brown is, he’s at his best in the slot, and the Lions don’t have that many good options on the outside. Jameson Williams hasn’t been consistent, and Josh Reynolds has low upside. Peoples-Jones has shown that with competent QB play he can be a solid second wide receiver who can stretch the field from the outside. It’s a low risk play for a receiver who can have starting WR upside.

For the Browns, they have a lot of mouths to feed at the WR spot. Drafting WR Cedric Tillman in the third round also signaled that DPJ’s time in Cleveland could be on the rocks, and this trade finally sees that come to an end. It’s good to get a return value on him, and it doesn’t really impact the Browns too heavily.