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From the Bills to 49ers, 1 NFL trade deadline target for each division leader
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- From the Bills to 49ers, 1 NFL trade deadline target for each division leader
The 2026 NFL season is nearing its midpoint and the playoff race is shaping up to be one of the most exciting in recent memory.
Almost every division race remains competitive as the NFL turns its calendar to Week 9. The Jacksonville Jaguars have a three-game lead in the AFC South, but most are separated by just one or two games.
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With that in mind, division leaders aren't going to want to stand pat ahead of the league's Nov. 10 trade deadline. Many will need to stay aggressive to keep themselves on top of their power structures, especially in divisions like the AFC North and NFC North, where no teams are below .500 for the season.
What types of trades could these division leaders consider? Here's a look at one trade that each of the division leaders entering Week 9 should consider with the NFL trade deadline drawing nearer.
Buffalo Bills trade target
Arizona Cardinals edge Josh Sweat
Gregory Rousseau has been a revelation for the Bills this year, racking up seven sacks and 37 pressures – good for the fifth-most league-wide entering Week 9, per the NFL's Next Gen Stats – across just seven games.
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Despite that, the Bills rank just 24th league-wide in pressure rate, even after bolstering their numbers in a favorable Week 8 matchup against Baltimore Ravens third-string quarterback Joe Fagnano. That's largely because they have struggled to generate pressure across from Rousseau, with No. 2 pass rusher Bradley Chubb ranking second on the team with just 1.5 sacks and 19 pressures.
Sweat would go a long way toward improving those numbers. He has three sacks and 19 pressures while playing for a lowly Cardinals defense, and he would get a big-time boost playing across from Rousseau. Sweat had a career-best 12 sacks last season and won Super Bowl 58 with the Philadelphia Eagles , so the 29-year-old would be an ideal organizational fit for the win-now Bills.
Pittsburgh Steelers trade target
Indianapolis Colts WR Josh Downs
The Steelers have been better than expected on offense this season, but they could use extra depth at receiver. Both Michael Pittman Jr. and Roman Wilson are on IR, which has left the Steelers thin behind DK Metcalf and Germie Bernard .
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Downs would be a natural fit for the Steelers given his skills as a slot separator. He is averaging 3.2 yards of separation per route run, according to the NFL's Next Gen Stats , which ranks 19th among 73 qualified receivers this season. The 5-9, 171-pounder's ability to get open quickly should mesh well with Aaron Rodgers ' current playing style, which relies heavily on the short passing game to keep Pittsburgh's offense on schedule.
The Steelers and Colts already swung a trade involving Pittman during the offseason, so it might not be too difficult for them to agree on compensation to complete a Downs trade.
Jacksonville Jaguars trade target
Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker
The Jaguars have sported the NFL's best run defense during the 2026 season, but they have struggled to consistently contain opposing passing attacks. They enter Week 9 having allowed the fourth-most passing yards per game (253.9) and could stand to add some talent to their secondary for that reason.
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Baker would be a massive upgrade for Jacksonville's safety room. The perennial Pro Bowler is undersized at 5-10, 195 pounds, but he has long been a savvy playmaker with excellent instincts and versatility. This season, he has generated 51 tackles, a career-high 3.5 sacks and an interception despite playing for a leaky Cardinals stop unit.
The only question is about whether the Cardinals will trade Baker, who has been with the team for a decade. But given that Baker is 30 and the Cardinals don't appear to be close to contention, the franchise could part with him if they get a significant enough offer.
Denver Broncos trade target
Philadelphia Eagles TE Dallas Goedert
The Broncos have one of the NFL's deepest rosters, so they don't have many glaring needs. They could swing big for an upgrade at running back, like Jonathan Taylor , but if they can't get him, adding a higher-end tight end to their room would be a solid move.
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Evan Engram hasn't developed into the threat many expected he would when he signed with the Broncos before the 2025 season. He, Nate Adkins and Adam Trautman have combined for just 23 catches and 220 yards this season – albeit with four touchdowns – so adding a player like Goedert, who has 26 catches for 258 yards and two touchdowns in six games on his own, could go a long way toward giving Bo Nix another security blanket.
The Eagles have long been rumored to be considering trading Goedert, so offloading the 31-year-old in the midst of what looks like a lost season would be sensible. It would also give them a chance to see how second-round rookie Eli Stowers looks in an expanded role.
New York Giants trade target
Tennessee Titans RB Tony Pollard
The Giants are thin at the running back position after releasing Najee Harris and losing Tyrone Tracy Jr. to a hamstring injury. Backfield leader Cam Skattebo came out of the team's Week 7 game with a mild hamstring injury of his own, and John Harbaugh also benched the second-year back earlier in the season as he dealt with fumbling issues.
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All of that could lead the Giants to target a reliable veteran at running back. Could that be Jonathan Taylor? Surely, but if the team is confident in Skattebo being its longer-term starter, general manager Joe Schoen may pursue more of a short-term stopgap who can split the workload with the Arizona State product.
Pollard is on pace to log his fifth consecutive 1,000-yard season and has posted a combined 236 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns over his last two games. The 29-year-old will be a free agent after the season, so it wouldn't likely cost too much to pry him away from the 1-6 Titans.
Minnesota Vikings trade target
Indianapolis Colts RB Jonathan Taylor
Taylor will have many suitors on the open market, but no team could use him more than the Vikings.
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Minnesota's offense has sputtered this season despite the team's 6-1 record. Notably, the Vikings' Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason -led running game ranks 27th in rushing EPA per play this season, per the NFL's Next Gen Stats . Neither looked particularly sharp against the Detroit Lions in Week 8, and with Jones nursing a nagging knee injury, it would behoove the Vikings to add a high-caliber weapon to their backfield.
Taylor wouldn't just be an instant upgrade for the Vikings. He would also help give Kevin O'Connell's offense a much-needed identity. Minnesota could focus on becoming a ground-and-pound offense that would pair very well with the team's aggressive, attacking-style defense.
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Carolina Panthers trade target
Philadelphia Eagles CB Riq Woolen
The Panthers have unsurprisingly struggled to defend the pass since their top two cornerbacks, Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson , were placed on IR due to injuries. Carolina will need to shore up its depth at the position to have a chance to win the wide-open NFC South, so targeting Woolen would be sensible.
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Woolen's first season with the Eagles hasn't gone as either party would have hoped, as the 27-year-old has surrendered a career-worst 116.1 passer rating, per Pro Football Focus . Still, the 6-4, 205-pound cornerback is a freak athlete and spent four years as part of a productive Seattle Seahawks secondary, so there's hope a change of scenery could allow him to bounce back.
The Panthers could also look to target an offensive tackle on the trade market should a starting-caliber player end up on the block. However, that seems unlikely to happen given the dearth of high-end talent at the position league-wide.
San Francisco 49ers
Jacksonville Jaguars WR Brian Thomas Jr.
The 49ers have dealt with a plethora of injuries at receiver this season with players like Deebo Samuel , Ricky Pearsall and De'Zhaun Stribling all missing extended time. Mike Evans has largely been up to the task of carrying San Francisco's receiver room, but he was unable to play in the 49ers' lone loss of the season, and it showed in the passing game.
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The 49ers need to add healthy depth to their receiver room if only to ensure their offense isn't overly reliant on Evans to carry it. Targeting someone like Josh Downs could make sense, but if John Lynch wants to swing for the fences, Thomas Jr. could be worth chasing.
Thomas has seemingly fallen out of favor in Jacksonville and hasn't caught more than three passes in a game this season. Still, he's just two years removed from a rookie campaign where he posted 87 catches, 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns, so maybe a change of scenery would serve him well.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: From the Bills to 49ers, 1 NFL trade deadline target for each division leader
