All NFL Trades so far

The NFL free agency starts on March 14th and before that, there have already been multiple trades made by teams. Last year, no trade was made until March 9th, 2017. This year, we had the first trade made before Superbowl 52 happened. After the Superbowl, even more trades occurred than before the league year began. The Los Angeles Rams and Cleveland Browns were the most active during this time, in which they both made blockbuster trades to bolster their team. A team like the Browns, who went 0-16 last season, made trades that shocked the league. They made trades for players such as Miami Dolphins’ wide receiver Jarvis Landry and Buffalo Bills’ quarterback Tyrod Taylor. Here are all the trades that have happened so far.

Kansas City Chiefs v Dallas Cowboys

Kansas City Chiefs and Washington Redskins

The first blockbuster trade of the year happened before the Superbowl, in which the Kansas City Chiefs sent quarterback (QB) Alex Smith to the Washington Redskins for cornerback (CB) Kendall Fuller and a 2018 third-round pick. This trade immediately indicated two things: the first being that QB Kirk Cousins will not return to the Redskins and the second being that the Chiefs were happy to move forward with QB Patrick Mahomes, who was drafted in the first-round by the Chiefs in 2017. The Redskins then gave Smith a 4 year, $94 million contract that the organization would not give to Cousins. Through analysis of both players, it can be noted that both of them have a similar playing style except that Smith tends to be more successful at throwing the ball deep.

Kansas City Chiefs vs Oakland Raiders

Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams

In yet another trade, the Chiefs sent CB Marcus Peters and a 2018 sixth-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for a 2018 fourth-round pick and 2019 second-round pick. This trade had likely indicated that CB Trumaine Johnson will not be brought back. But that wasn't the only reason he was traded away; Peters had several on-field issues during the 2017 season, including cursing at a fan and being suspended one game for a confrontation with Chiefs head coach Andy Reid.

St Louis Rams v Arizona Cardinals

Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Rams

The Rams continue to be active in the market by trading defensive end (DE) Robert Quinn and a 2018 sixth-round pick to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a 2018 fourth and sixth-round pick. Quinn was traded away because of the $11 million in guaranteed money the Rams would have had to give him. However, Quinn did have somewhat of a bounce-back year last season, as he played in 15 games and tallied 8.5 sacks. In 2016, he played 9 games and tallied 4 sacks only due to a concussion.

Seattle Seahawks v Green Bay Packers

Seattle Seahawks and Philadelphia Eagles

The 2018 Superbowl champions continue to bolster their defense by trading for Seahawks DE Michael Bennett and a 2018 seventh-round pick for wide receiver (WR) Marcus Johnson and a 2018 fifth-round pick. This trade was somewhat surprising, as Bennett spent the majority of his career in Seattle. However, he is currently at the age of 32 and the Seahawks were likely looking to add a younger and cheaper defensive end. At the same time, the Seahawks are bracing for WR Paul Richardson Jr to leave the team, so Johnson adds some depth to the roster if that is the case. The Eagles must now figure out how to take on Bennett's cap hit, which will likely mean a couple players on the defensive side will be let go.

St Louis Rams v Houston Texans

Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants

The Rams have made four trades, in which the third one they traded linebacker (LB) Alec Ogletree and a 2019 seventh-round pick for Giants 2018 fourth and sixth-round pick. Ogletree is another player that was going to greatly effect the Rams cap space, in which they would have been hit with $10 million. It's possible that they could have restructured the contract, the Giants were in great need of a playmaking linebacker. Ogletree is that playmaking linebacker, who had the ability to rush the offense, causing chaos on the field. He is only 26 years old and has stayed healthy for the majority of his career, so this trade will definitely benefit them as they have had problems at that position.

Denver Broncos v Cleveland Browns

Los Angeles Rams and Denver Broncos

The latest trade made by the Rams, trading for Broncos CB Aqib Talib and sending a 2018 fifth-round pick to the Broncos in exchange. The Rams secondary will certainly be lethal in upcoming 2018 season (and beyond). The Broncos would have to give Talib $11 million, but now the Rams will do that. But that isn't the only reason he went to the Rams, a trade had been made to the 49ers before accepting the Rams trade, however, Talib stated he would not report to the team if he was traded there. This caused both the 49ers and Broncos to call off the trade. Talib had made it clear he wanted to return to the New England Patriots or play under Rams defensive coordinator Wade Philips, who was the defensive coordinator for the Broncos from 2015 to 2016. With the combination of CB Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib, the Rams have now become a lethal secondary.

San Francisco 49ers v Carolina Panthers

Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles

The Panthers sent CB Daryl Worley in exchange for WR Torrey Smith. The Panthers were (and still are) in need of a good wide receiver group and trading for Smith will benefit QB Cam Newton. Smith played one season with the Eagles and had a much bigger role with them, starting in 14 games. But he also had a cap hit of $5 million, which the Eagles could not afford to take. Worley, on the other hand, has done well in the 2 seasons he has played. He has 152 tackles total and plays well when targeted at. Not only that, he still has 2 years left on his rookie contract, which gives the Eagles some leeway in determining if he will perform well for the defense.

Miami Dolphins v Los Angeles Rams

Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins

The Browns had four stunning trades made within almost two days, the first trade being for Dolphins WR Jarvis Landry and in exchange, the Browns sent a 2018 fourth-round and 2019 seventh-round pick. Landry liked the trade because the Browns "had a quarterback" which got many thinking that the Browns will make a big move at that position. Landry was going to be a free agent, but the Dolphins placed the franchise tag on him and allowed him to be traded. But in order to do that, Landry had to sign the franchise tag (which he did). With the combination of QB Tyrod Taylor and Landry, the Browns could be onto something this season.

Baltimore Ravens v Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns and Green Bay Packers

This wasn't the quarterback trade that was expected, but Browns QB DeShone Kizer was traded alongside a 2018 fourth and fifth-round picks for Packers CB Damarious Randall and 2018 fourth and fifth-round picks (swapping positions). The Packers likely traded for Kizer to have a young, backup quarterback who could possibly be the heir to QB Aaron Rodgers (assuming he signs back with the team). It was also reported that the Packers were watching Kizer and possibly hoped to draft him, but that did not happen. By trading away Randall, the Browns can pick up his fifth-year option. It should also be noted that the team wants to move Randall to safety rather than play at corner.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers v Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills

This was the news that made WR Jarvis Landry go to the Browns, as they traded for Bills QB Tyrod Taylor and sent a 2018 third-round pick to the Bills. It was unclear if Taylor would stay in Buffalo or be traded off, as he was expected to get $16 million, which was part of his contract. The Browns will now have a veteran starting quarterback who can possibly change things around for the Browns, especially with some weapons around him. The Bills will now have to decide on their QB situation because Bills' Nathan Peterman is certainly not the answer to that.

Cleveland Browns v Baltimore Ravens

Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots

The "last" of the trade frenzy was made to the Patriots, in which they sent defensive tackle (DT) Danny Shelton and a 2018 fifth-round pick in exchange for a 2019 third-round pick. Shelton is a former first-round pick and the Patriots were in need of solidifying the defensive line, especially since they are releasing DT Alan Branch. He fills a big gap and was compared to Vince Wilfork in college. Unfortunately, he was not able to show his true capability with the Browns. Shelton has also mainly stayed healthy in the 3 seasons he has played, which must have been one of the factors for the Patriots to trade for him. The Browns and Patriots have a history of trading players with each other so I would not be surprised if more trades are done with each other.