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 in the deal. 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?

That’s a long way of saying I’m a big fan of trade grades, which document our reaction at the moment a deal is made. When grading trades, I evaluate them for each team based on on-field impact, cap implications, draft compensation and effects within the context of a team’s overall short- and long-term outlook. I like to think about decisions on two axes:

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.

Let’s dive in on in-season deals leading up to NFL trade deadline on Nov. 4, with veteran quarterback Joe Flacco, safety Alohi Gilman and edge rusher Odafe Oweh being the most recent.

Chargers get: Edge Odafe Oweh, 2027 seventh-round pick (originally from Rams)
Ravens get: S Alohi Gilman, 2026 fifth-round pick

Chargers grade: B
Ravens grade: B

We’ve got ourselves an intra-Harbaugh, player-for-player swap. And it’s an interesting cross-positional defensive deal.

Let’s start with the Chargers. Since (and perhaps even before) losing Khalil Mack to an elbow injury in Week 2, the Chargers looked like a team needing to add pass-rushing help. Without Mack for now, the Chargers were rolling with Bud Dupree and Tuli Tuipulotu at edge rusher. Both have been below average for the position so far in terms of pass rush win rate (Tuipulotu at 14.9% and Dupree at 11.7% — average for this season is 16.3%).

Despite zero sacks this season, Oweh is an improvement in this department. His pass rush win rate at edge is 20%, which would be a career high for him. Last season, Oweh recorded 10.0 sacks and a 16.5% pass rush win rate. He is playing on his fifth-year option, costing $13.25 million in salary this year. The Chargers will presumably pick up the prorated portion of his deal for this season.

The Chargers lose a starter in Gilman, but they have veterans Tony Jefferson and Elijah Molden still on the roster along with Derwin James Jr., though he mostly plays as a nickel. Gilman, like Oweh, is in the final year of his (much cheaper) contract.

Although Oweh hit double-digit sacks for the Ravens in 2024, he played only 45% of the defensive snaps this season. Baltimore has historically been more willing to part with edge rushers than most teams, and it has replacements already in place. Rookie second-rounder Mike Green and Tavius Robinson were already playing a higher percentage of snaps than Oweh, and Kyle Van Noy returned from a hamstring injury last week. However, Robinson and Green are sporting just 7.7% and 5.5% pass rush win rates at edge, respectively. Van Noy is at 17% in a limited sample, but this is an edge rushing group that is hardly overwhelming.

Gilman gives the Ravens a third safety (they also added C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the practice squad on Tuesday). That helps in the short term if Kyle Hamilton misses more time, but safety should be an asset for Baltimore once Hamilton returns. The Ravens like to play three safeties: Last season, they played a combination of Hamilton, Ar’Darius Washington and either Marcus Williams or Eddie Jackson for 290 snaps. With Washington injured, they haven’t had that type of three-safety flexibility this season. Perhaps they do now.

With both Oweh and Gilman impending free agents, compensatory picks are a factor worth considering. If the Chargers and/or Ravens don’t re-sign the players, they could each net a compensatory pick in return. That’s potentially more beneficial to the Chargers considering edge rushers get paid much more than safeties, though the Chargers have so much cap space next year they might be spenders in free agency (and thus not get any comp picks).

Ultimately, this is a rare player-for-player swap between two teams hoping to contend in 2025 (yes, the Ravens are still in that bucket) and opting to lightly subtract from one area of perhaps light surplus to fill a greater need. The Chargers added a player at a more impactful position but had to pay in both draft capital and cap space to do so. Baltimore is rolling the dice, losing Oweh to add some wrinkles to the back end of its defense while gaining some draft and cap flexibility while at it.

I can see how this works from both sides.

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Bengals get: QB Joe Flacco, 2026 sixth-round pick
Browns get: 2026 fifth-round pick

Browns grade: B+
Bengals grade: C

Jake Browning forced the Bengals’ hand. After his disastrous three-game stretch as the team’s starter in the wake of Joe Burrow‘s turf toe injury, Cincinnati chose to trade for Flacco to get another QB option.

The Bengals are correct to try to find an alternative at this point. As high as I was on Browning — I called him the second-best backup in the league just a few weeks ago — his 35.3 QBR this season has significantly altered what we should think of him going forward, even if those three games came against the Vikings, Broncos and Lions.

The Bengals have no time to waste. Burrow could potentially be back for the end of the regular season and the playoffs, but Cincinnati must win enough games in order to put that scenario in play. At 2-3 they aren’t out of it (especially in a wide-open AFC North), but the clock is ticking. ESPN’s Football Power Index gave the Bengals only a 9.2% chance to make the playoffs with Browning at quarterback.

So the Bengals needed to make a move, and they did. But is this the right quarterback? That’s where I take issue with the trade.

Flacco is coming off a failed stint as the Browns’ starter in which he recorded as disastrous 27.6 QBR, 4.6 yards per dropback and a 4.2% (!) turnover rate. And that came playing for Kevin Stefanski, with whom Flacco had some level of success with in 2023. At 40 years old, Flacco could simply be done at this point. And considering his play this season, are we sure he’s an upgrade?

In my opinion, Cincinnati’s first choice should have been Atlanta’s Kirk Cousins. If you’re asking someone to steward the team to a .500ish record until Burrow can return, Cousins can probably do that better than any quarterback who realistically could be available. I would have been willing to pay more for him, too, considering the leverage and importance here. But would the Falcons be willing to trade Cousins? For how much? And are they willing to trade him now — this far ahead of the deadline? The last question is important, because the Bengals had urgency.

But even if Cousins wasn’t available, there were other options — namely, one of the Giants’ backup quarterbacks. The Giants don’t need Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston now that they’ve turned to Jaxson Dart. If I were Cincinnati, I would rather have either Wilson or Winston than Flacco. And I suspect the Giants would have taken this deal for one of them.

This is found money for the Browns — even if it’s heavy pocket change. Cleveland is in full rebuild/evaluate-quarterback-play-for-the-future mode, so Flacco’s job as a bridge quarterback was done. They can play Dillon Gabriel and/or Shedeur Sanders the rest of the way. And there should be zero qualms about trading Flacco within the division. Whether the Bengals contend in 2025 doesn’t affect the Browns when it matters (2026 and beyond). If anything, it’s better to take draft capital from a rival than anyone else.

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Browns get: OT Cam Robinson, 2027 seventh-round pick
Texans get: 2027 sixth-round pick

Browns grade: A-
Texans grade: C

The Browns needed help at tackle and found an unlikely partner in the Texans — another team with offensive line woes. Houston signed Robinson to a one-year, $12 million deal this offseason to shore up their left tackle position after trading away Laremy Tunsil.

At the time, I was a fan of the deal. Though Robinson has long been overrated with below average win rates, he had experience (7½ seasons with the Jaguars and Vikings) and looked better than a replacement level tackle. It turned out he could barely crack the starting lineup. After starting as Houston’s left tackle in Week 1, the team shifted rookie Aireontae Ersery to the left side in Week 2 and kicked Tytus Howard out to right tackle.

It’s a bad sign that Robinson couldn’t start in Houston. The team ranks 28th in pass block win rate this season, though Ersery has been decent with an 89.0% pass block win rate (average for a tackle). That’s well above Robinson’s career 82.9% PBWR. Ersery is below average in run block win rate (72.6%), but that’s also better than Robinson’s career number (68.9%).

The Texans paid $8.75 million of Robinson’s $12 million 2025 contract via a signing bonus, so the Browns are only on the hook for the proration of his $2 million base salary and $1.25 million in per-game roster bonuses, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. He also has $500,000 in incentives.

Still, it’s remarkable the Texans are cutting bait on a $12 million free agency signing just four games into the season, particularly because a large chunk of it was the signing bonus. A further $1.25 million was in per game roster bonuses, meaning Houston will have already paid close to a quarter of that sum.

I’m all for ignoring sunk costs, but Robinson still offered some value as a backup at a key position of uncertainty. In exchange for losing him, the Texans only got a little cap relief and minimal draft pick compensation at a time when Houston hopes to contend. With Robinson gone, Blake Fisher is the team’s clear No. 3 tackle.

It’s easier to see why the Browns made this move. The team just lost left tackle Dawand Jones for the season to a knee injury. And outside of 16 snaps in Week 1, they have been without right tackle Jack Conklin due to an elbow injury. That has meant playing a combination of Cornelius Lucas and KT Leveston at each tackle spot. The duo rank 61st and 57th, respectively, in pass block win rate out of 66 qualifying tackles this season.

In Robinson, the Browns surely hope they have at least a slight upgrade at left tackle. And they didn’t have to give up much in either draft pick or salary compensation to get him. While Cleveland is clearly not a contender this season, they can benefit from at least decent pass protection once they turn to one or both of their rookie quarterbacks. That makes a move like this worth it.

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Jets get: CB Jarvis Brownlee Jr., 2026 seventh-round pick
Titans get: 2026 sixth-round pick

Jets grade: A-
Titans grade: C

With free agent signing Brandon Stephens struggling and limited depth behind him, the Jets waded back into the trade market for a young cornerback with experience.

Stephens, who was signed to a surprisingly expensive three-year, $36 million deal this offseason despite having a poor season in Baltimore in 2024, has allowed 1.5 yards per coverage snap thus far this season, per NFL Next Gen Stats, well above the 1.1 average for outside cornerbacks. So the Jets brought in Brownlee, a 2024 fifth-round pick who has already started 16 games and who brings decent numbers.

Brownlee has allowed 1.0 yards per coverage snap in his young career, slightly better than average. His 15% target rate is roughly average, and his EPA allowed (+12.6) and completion percentage allowed over expectation (+2%) are positive, though those stats are unstable and unreliable indicators of future performance. Brownlee has also graded very favorably in run stopping, according to Pro Football Focus.

The second-year corner does get flagged quite a bit, as he has recorded a penalty on 1.1% of his defensive snaps since the beginning of last season, 17th most among defensive backs with at least 300 snaps. He has been penalized three times in two games this season. But it’s not completely untenable, as his penalty rate lags behind old teammate L’Jarius Sneed (1.9%) and is slightly behind new teammate Sauce Gardner (1.2%).

Brownlee has been a success story considering his draft position. With his experience and nearly three cheap years remaining on his rookie contract, I’m surprised the Jets got him for so little. At worst, he’s a good depth option (my colleague Rich Cimini indicated Brownlee could provide depth at nickel, as well) with both short- and long-term upside — especially if Stephens continues to struggle.

I don’t get why the Titans would want to deal Brownlee for so little right now. Rebuilding teams should acknowledge who they are and deal veterans for draft capital — but that’s not Brownlee! He is a young starting corner who netted very, very little in return.

Perhaps the Titans got tired of Brownlee’s penalties, or maybe there is another factor we aren’t seeing. Brownlee missed the Titans’ Week 3 game with an ankle injury, but that seems unlikely to be a major consideration.

Either way, this move leaves the Titans with — according to their new depth chart — Darrell Baker Jr. as the starting outside cornerback opposite Sneed. Baker has made 15 starts in his career and his nearest defender numbers are solid: a 1.1 yards per coverage snap and a much lower career penalty rate (0.05%). But even if Tennessee felt good about Baker, Brownlee’s youth and remaining cheap contract meant they let a lot walk out the door for almost nothing in exchange.

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Eagles get: RB Tank Bigsby
Jaguars get: 2026 fifth-round pick, 2026 sixth-round pick

Eagles grade: C-
Jaguars grade: A

Eagles general manager Howie Roseman wins more trades than anyone, but he doesn’t win ’em all.

In Bigsby, the Eagles acquire a very solid runner. The 2023 third-round pick accumulated an impressive 124 rush yards over expectation last season, per NFL Next Gen Stats, after a disappointing rookie campaign.

But that’s all he is, which is his downside. Bigsby offers almost nothing in the receiving game; he has only eight career receptions. He has pass blocked on only 33 snaps in his pro career. And he evidently didn’t win the starting job in Jacksonville this season despite not facing particularly stiff competition in Travis Etienne Jr. and fourth-round rookie Bhayshul Tuten.

This trade makes it clear that the Eagles felt they needed running back depth behind Saquon Barkley. They have Will Shipley, who figures to be more of a receiving complement and backup — very different from Bigsby. But my first reaction was, wow, that’s a lot for a backup at a nonpremium position who doesn’t catch passes, especially considering how much Philadelphia has already invested at running back with Barkley. Even with Bigsby under control for another rookie contract year in 2026, this is a bit much for my liking.

Bigsby could also partner with Shipley on kick returns after having returned 11 kicks in his career. It’s a more important role now than before given the precipitous drop in touchbacks, but it doesn’t change that the Eagles gave up a lot for Bigsby.

This is a nice result for Jacksonville, though. It seemed likely that one of Etienne or Bigsby would be dealt after the addition of Tuten in this year’s draft. That it happened now is an upset. But in exchange for their second- or third-string running back, the Jaguars are receiving a fifth- and sixth-round pick. That’s great value, and it hardly leaves Jacksonville short-handed considering Bigsby didn’t start.