Trades To Be Considered By The Contenders.

 
  We expect trades from few teams by mid-season every year. Last year, it was the Philadephia Eagles who by mid-season made the trade for Miami Dolphins' running back, Jay Ajayi. That trade turned out to be really good for the Eagles, as Ajayi is one of the most established running backs in the league, and he along with LeGarrette Blount, created a nice 1-2 punch for the running combo. Another reason why Ajayi trade was so good for the Eagles was because the Eagles didn't have to give much to get him. In my opinion, they just stole him from the Dolphins for a fourth-round pick. Without Ajayi, it would have been really difficult for the Eagles to make a deep run in the playoffs and then win the Super Bowl. So, are we going to see a trade like Ajayi to Eagles this year by a contender? As every contender has one or two holes to fill, we are more than likely going to see a game-changing trade from one or two contenders. Let's go over some possible trades for the 2018 contenders.

David Johnson to Houston: Didn't he miss all of 2017 season? Yes, he did, but he is one of the best running backs in the game when healthy. The Texans finally found a star/franchise quarterback last year in the draft with Deshean Watson. Texans know that with weapons around Watson, he will certainly lead them deep into the playoffs. They have great pass catches, one of the best defenses in the NFL, and they have a young star quarterback. The Texans do have Lamar Miller, who is a good running back, but he can never be as good as David Johnson. Deshean Watson would certainly enjoy the luxury of having Johnson in his offense. The Texans should offer Lamar Miller and a fifth-round pick for David Johnson. With the addition of Johnson, the Texans will become a complete team and a tough team to deal with in the playoffs.

JJ Watt to New England: Why would the Houston Texans want to trade JJ Watt? Why would they wanna trade their best player? Why would they wanna trade a man who raised $40 million for the victims in Houston after the hurricane in 2017? Well, because JJ Watt just can't stay healthy and the Texans defense did really good without him late in 2016 and for the most of 2017 season. It will be a dream come true for the Patriots and their fans to acquire JJ Watt. He will instantly upgrade the pass rush of the Patriots, and Bill Belichick will get a leader with the potential of getting to the quarterback on every single play. JJ Watt acquisition will almost guarantee the Patriots a trip to the Super Bowl for the straight year. To get JJ, the Pats will have to clear some cap-room by convincing JJ to restructure his contract and take a pay cut. For JJ, the Patriots will have to give up at least two picks, and a player or two. If the Patriots can get JJ for a second-round pick or a third-round pick, and if JJ just stops getting hurt, the Patriots will basically get a superstar from the Texans for free.

Jurrell Casey to Green Bay: He might not be as big of a superstar as Johnson or Watt, but he is one of those players, who loves to dominate his competition on every snap. The Green Bay Packers' offense has been pretty good since they won the Super Bowl in 2010. It is the defense that has struggled a lot! Packers' defense does have some good players, but not enough. The addition of Casey can help open up space for the current Packers' defensive tackle, Mike Daniels, and the front-four will do a much better job against the run game. Casey will not only help with the run defense, but he will also provide a ton of pressure to opposing quarterbacks in crucial situations. If I'm the Packers, I'm willing to give up a third-round pick to acquire Jurrell Casey.

Golden Tate to Jacksonville: We all remember the 2013 Seattle Seahawks. That team featured one of the greatest defenses of all time and the team that completely destroyed the greatest offense of all time in the Super Bowl. Everyone knew it was mainly because of the defense why the Seahawks were able to dominate through the 2013-14 season. However, it had some playmakers on offense too. One of them was a wide receiver, Golden Tate. He was the Seahawks number one wide receiver on offense, and he made lots of big plays throughout the season. Jacksonville Jaguars now have a similar team like the 2013 Seahawks. Though they have a great defense, a solid running game, and an average quarterback, they are missing playmakers at the wide receiver position. They should call the Seahawks management and offer them two mid-round picks for Golden Tate. It is a decent price, but it will definitely pay off since Golden Tate knows, what kind of mindset it takes to win in big games.

Tyler Eifert to Minnesota: Many of you might be wondering if he still plays in the NFL. Yes, he is not old, but he has never played a full season. In fact, out of five years, he has only played two seasons with more than ten games. In the last two seasons, he has played a total of ten games (eight in 2016 and two in 2017). So why should the Minnesota Vikings acquire a player who is never healthy? Well, the Vikings have a loaded roster that doesn't have that many holes, and since Eifert is never healthy, they could get him for a very cheap price. Vikings might only have to give up a sixth-round pick to acquire Eifert from Cincinnati. If Eifert comes to Minnesota, he is not going to be the Vikings' starting tight end. He's going to be a backup to Kyle Rudolph, who is also a very good tight end. However, Rudolph and Eifert together could make life easier for Kirk Cousins in the red zone area, and they will open up space for other pass-catchers on the Vikings' offense. The Vikings will just need to be careful with how they use Eifert on offense, as he is going to come in very handy in the playoffs.

Odell Beckham Jr. to New Orleans: The 2017 season ended in a heartbreak for the New Orleans Saints. Many believe that if it wasn't for one missed-tackle, the Saints would have gone all the way to the Super Bowl last year. This year, the expectations are very high for the Saints. They have a hall of fame quarterback in Drew Brees, they have two very good running backs, a rising defense, and playmakers at the wide receiver position. Their roster is pretty decent, but if they can add another playmaker on offense, then they might become the favorites to win it all this year. I think the Saints should call the New York Giants and ask them about Odell Beckham Jr. Price is going to be very high for Beckham, but if the Saints want Drew Brees to retire with another ring, acquisition of Beckham will make their goal easier to achieve. Giants are going to ask for high picks, but the Saints should offer them a second-round pick, a fourth-round pick, and Ted Ginn Jr. for Beckham. That's not as good as two first-round picks, but it is a very solid offer. An offer that the Giants just might accept.

Zach Brown to Pittsburgh: Last year during the week 13 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Pittsburgh Steelers suffered a huge blow. They lost their defensive leader in Ryan Shazier for the rest of the 2017 season to a brutal injury. There is a chance that he might not even play all of the upcoming 2018 season. Steelers' window of winning the Super Bowl doesn't have that much time left, as Ben Roethlisberger will be retiring in a year or two. In order to compete against New England Patriots in the AFC and other good teams in the NFC, the Steelers will need to find Shazier's replacement. The Steelers can get Zach Brown in a trade with Washington Redskins. He is not as good of a player as Shazier is, but he is definitely better than what the Steelers have on their roster right now. Plus, Brown is a very smart player, who has accumulated 120-plus tackles in each of the last two seasons with two different teams. For a third-round pick, the Steelers should be able to get Zach Brown from the Redskins.

  As you all can note, I didn't bring up the trade of Earl Thomas to Dallas Cowboys. The reason why I didn't discuss the possibility and effects of that trade, is because I don't see the Cowboys as contenders. In fact, I don't even see them as the second best team in their own division. Both the Philadephia Eagles and the New York Giants have a better roster and coaches than the Dallas Cowboys!

  I am not saying that all the trades I mentioned above, will certainly happen sometime between now and the midseason trade deadline. The Super Bowl contending teams might want to consider these trades a week or two before the October 30th trade deadline. By that date, most of the teams would be done with their first seven games of the season. I mentioned that if the New Orleans really want to be the favorites to win the Super Bowl, they should call the New York Giants and negotiate a trade for Odell Beckham Jr. However, if the Saints have a record of 7-0 or 6-1 and they look dominant, then there is no need for them to trade for Beckham. The same thing goes for the Giants. If they are looking good by week eight of the season and have a shot to make a run for the playoffs, they should not consider trading Beckham to the Saints or any other team. Trades like these should only be considered by the contenders when they feel they need to fill the holes on their roster, and when the non-contenders are mightly struggling to win games against the competition in the first six to eight weeks of the season.