Proposing 5 win-win trades throughout 2025 NFL coaching camps

NFL groups nonetheless have an opportunity to make last-minute enhancements to their rosters earlier than the 2025 season kicks off on Sept. 4. Whereas the overwhelming majority of offseason decisions are within the rearview mirror, there are at all times a number of trades throughout training camps.

In that spirit, I am proposing a number of hypothetical trades that may make sense for each — or in a single case, all three — groups. Forecasting trades within the NFL is troublesome due to the sheer variety of prospects, however the mixture of positional wants, surpluses, participant analysis, contracts, cap area and contender standing can supply some clues.

Might the Giants discover a option to transfer on from Kayvon Thibodeaux after drafting Abdul Carter at No. 3 total in April? Might the Chargers add operating again depth as Najee Harris recovers from an eye injury? What concerning the Dolphins, who lack cornerback choices?

Let’s dive into 5 commerce proposals that would make sense over the following couple of weeks.

Extra: Which players are actually worth a first-round pick?

Packers enhance move rush with Thibodeaux

Packers obtain: Edge Kayvon Thibodeaux, 2026 fifth-round choose
Giants obtain: 2026 second-round choose

There may be nothing inherently incorrect with having three proficient gamers at edge rusher, as a result of it is a premium place and the Giants can rotate snaps. However it is smart for them to divest from Thibodeaux, as a result of they’re nonetheless in a rebuild and noncontenders in 2025; they’re extraordinarily invested on the place after spending top-five picks on Thibodeaux and Abdul Carter and after trading for and handing a giant contract to Brian Burns; they’ve loads of holes to fill in 2026, the earliest they might feasibly contend.

The Packers are pure commerce companions right here. This can be a staff in rivalry now, however with a serious want at edge. Their present grouping of Rashan Gary, Lukas Van Ness, Kingsley Enagbare and fourth-round choose Barryn Sorrell most likely is not chopping it — the staff ranked twenty sixth in move rush win fee final season. Thibodeaux would definitely assist the trigger.

Who, precisely, Inexperienced Bay can be getting stays a query. Thibodeaux hasn’t fairly lived as much as his predraft hype. He has 21.0 sacks in three seasons with the Giants, together with a 16% move rush win fee at edge that is primarily common for a starter on the place. However given his draft pedigree and younger age (24), he completely nonetheless provides star-level upside. Plus, he is been on a nasty staff the previous two years — it is undoubtedly more durable for move rushers to generate huge numbers when trailing.

When it comes to contract, Inexperienced Bay can be getting Thibodeaux at an excessive discount in 2025 ($1.1 million) and a lightweight discount in 2026 ($14.8 million).

Cardinals add WR depth with Wicks

Cardinals obtain: WR Dontayvion Wicks
Packers obtain: 2026 fourth-round choose

On this second commerce, the Packers may mitigate the price of the Thibodeaux transfer by dealing from their very own place of surplus. Even with Christian Watson presumably sidelined for the start of the season after tearing his ACL in January, the Packers’ depth chart nonetheless boasts Jayden Reed, first-round choose Matthew Golden, Romeo Doubs, rookie third-round choose Savion Williams and Wicks.

Thus, they will afford to half with Wicks, a 2023 fifth-round choose who hasn’t put all of it collectively regardless of exhibiting potential. Over his first two seasons in Inexperienced Bay, he has recorded 996 receiving yards (1.8 yards per route run). That places him behind Reed (2.3 yards per route run in the identical span) and Watson (2.0) however forward of Doubs (1.6).

Arizona is within the reverse scenario. After Marvin Harrison Jr., the Cardinals’ broad receiver room options Zay Jones, Michael Wilson and Greg Dortch — a reasonably lackluster group. Trey McBride emerged as one other high possibility final season, however one other broad receiver may complement (and hopefully assist unlock) Harrison, who had a mediocre first season within the league relative to his predraft hopes.

Wicks’ uncooked numbers undersell his upside for my part, and Arizona can be betting to that impact. In ESPN’s receiver scores final yr, Wicks recorded an 84 open rating however a 0 catch rating — the bottom one can have — after an astounding 10 drops on 76 targets.

If I am betting on a type of two numbers to maintain into the long run, it is the open rating over the drops (openness is extra secure from year-to-year than catch rating). There are not any ensures, nonetheless, so Inexperienced Bay would go for a future asset as an alternative of letting Wicks’ improvement play out on their roster. In the meantime, Arizona would wager that Wicks can hit a better gear and enhance the offense over the following couple of seasons.

Raiders take swing on CB Newsome

Raiders obtain: CB Greg Newsome II, 2027 seventh-round choose
Browns obtain: 2026 seventh-round choose

Newsome is due a completely assured $13.4 million in 2025 on his fifth-year possibility, and I might argue it is an open query whether or not that makes him a optimistic or unfavourable asset — therefore the near-zero compensation listed right here.

Newsome posted career-worst numbers final season when it comes to yards per protection snap (1.4), EPA allowed (plus-10) and goal fee (15%, although this was solely a minor uptick). However there was a cause Cleveland picked up his possibility in April 2024, as he recorded better-than-average yards per protection snap numbers in each 2022 (0.7) and 2023 (0.9).

For the Browns, crucial a part of this deal can be shedding Newsome’s wage. The Browns at the moment have $17.5 million in 2025 cap area, however they’re already $35.4 million within the purple in 2026, per OverTheCap.com. In different phrases, they want the financial savings. Contemplating the staff is a noncontender in 2025 and Newsome has only one totally assured yr left on his contract, it is smart for Cleveland to need to transfer on.

The Raiders spent the offseason stabilizing the group, bringing in Geno Smith at quarterback and Pete Carroll at head coach. The protection has potential with a stout line of defense, however cornerback is the staff’s greatest weak spot. Las Vegas, with over $90 million in 2026 cap area (second most of any staff), can afford to guess on Newsome. If Carroll can get essentially the most out of the 25-year-old cornerback, he’ll elevate their 2025 outlook and will stick round for future seasons.

Bears, Chargers and Bucs make offers for RBs

Bears obtain: RB Rachaad White, 2027 seventh-round choose (from Chargers)
Chargers obtain: RB D’Andre Swift, 2026 sixth-round choose (from Bears)
Buccaneers obtain: 2026 fifth-round choose (from Bears)

Simply because we nearly by no means see three-team trades within the NFL does not imply they cannot occur. Plus, they’re simply enjoyable to challenge.

The key impetus for the deal right here is the idea that Bears head coach Ben Johnson will place the same emphasis on the running game as he did in Detroit, and that Swift merely is not adequate to hold that load.

Swift posted a remarkably poor negative-174 rush yards over expectation, per NFL Subsequent Gen Stats, which was the worst whole of any participant final season. It marked the third season out of the previous 4 by which Swift recorded unfavourable rush yards over expectation; he posted unfavourable first downs over expectation in all 4 of these seasons.

White, in distinction, added 48 rush yards over expectation on 144 carries final season in Tampa Bay. And he is elite within the move recreation, with the second-best total receiver rating over the previous three seasons mixed — behind solely Christian McCaffrey and one spot forward of Austin Ekeler. That sounds just like the sort of participant Johnson may make use of to nice impact — like he did with Jahmyr Gibbs in Detroit.

White is a helpful participant for Tampa Bay, however Bucky Irving took the beginning job from him and is a powerful receiver in his personal proper. With Sean Tucker additionally on the Bucs and White within the remaining yr of his deal, the latter turns into a logical commerce candidate.

The tough half about making this deal is that Swift is owed $7.9 million in money ($7.4 million of which is totally assured) this season, greater than he is price primarily based on his manufacturing historical past. Thus, the Bears would discover themselves on the incorrect finish of a sixth- and seventh-round choose swap to deal him to the Chargers.

For Los Angeles, Swift would offer veteran depth behind first-round rookie Omarion Hampton and another choice basically whereas Najee Harris recovers from an eye injury. Plus, it could permit the Chargers to choose up just a little draft capital in trade for a little bit of their cap area warfare chest. No staff has extra mixed cap area between this yr and subsequent than the Chargers, per OverTheCap.com.

I nearly scratched this deal when the Chargers signed Nyheim Hines, however his final NFL look was in 2022. Swift can be a extra logical veteran backup within the occasion Harris missed a while.

Dolphins get CB depth with Williams

Dolphins obtain: CB Joshua Williams
Chiefs obtain: 2027 sixth-round choose

Miami’s cornerback room is bleak. It is why the staff signed Jack Jones and Mike Hilton in latest days, however the cornerback group nonetheless leaves one thing to be desired. If Kader Kohou, who’s day-to-day with a leg damage, performs to his energy within the slot, that leaves the Dolphins with Cam Smith, Storm Duck, rookie fifth-round choose Jason Marshall Jr. and Ethan Bonner competing for the skin nook jobs (Hilton is a slot nook).

Jones began 16 video games for the Raiders final season, however the defining trait of the remainder of the group is inexperience. Smith was a 2023 second-round choose who has performed simply 112 protection snaps in his first two seasons, permitting a excessive 1.7 yards per protection snap in that point. Duck is a former undrafted free agent who began three video games for the Dolphins (and performed 42% of defensive snaps in his 14 video games performed) final season. Bonner, too, is a former UDFA who has appeared in seven video games for Miami over the previous two years.

Williams is a depth nook for the Chiefs, who have already got Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, Kristian Fulton (signed in March) and Nohl Williams (2025 third-round choose). Joshua Williams, who’s scheduled to make $3.2 million this yr, was even left off ESPN’s 53-man roster projection at first of coaching camp.

Williams does have some encouraging numbers over his first three seasons. Throughout 769 protection snaps, he has allowed 0.9 yards per snap — higher than common — and 0.6 over the previous two years, albeit in a small pattern.

Miami appears to be like extra like a staff in flux than a franchise wanting so as to add expertise earlier than the season. However given the state of the Dolphins’ cornerback group, a low-risk maneuver like this is able to make sense.