Barnwell pitches 10 trades before the NFL season kicks off: Where could Anthony Richardson land?

With the NFL preseason ending and 53-man rosters coming into focus, the league has entered its final flurry of trades before the start of the regular season. Players who might be potential cut candidates or whose roster spots have been unexpectedly challenged during training camp are available. Organizations battling injuries at key positions are furiously consulting their pro scouting reports to try to find players who might be on the market for a modest price.

And so, with days to go before the start of the campaign, quarterback Sam Howell, running back Brian Robinson Jr., defensive tackle Harrison Phillips and wide receiver Skyy Moore are among the players who have changed teams for late-round picks or swaps of late-round selections. The Commanders (with Robinson) and the Vikings (with Phillips) ate some money to facilitate a trade and land better draft pick compensation for players who otherwise might have been cut candidates.

Let's run through a handful of potential trades that might make sense across the league. Most of them are similar to other recent deals, with players on the back of one team's roster ending up in another place where there's a need to fill a spot vacated by injury or depth required in reserve. Most of those moves are going to be for relatively low-cost returns, with a swap of Day 3 picks as the starting point for a typical post-preseason swap. There aren't many teams with tens of millions of dollars laying around to acquire veteran stars and pay them what they want.

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With that in mind, some big names are missing here, in part because I don't see a realistic path toward a deal getting done over the next two weeks. I'm not buying the Micah Parsons-Jerry Jones staring contest in Dallas leading to anything besides a record-setting extension. The Commanders have communicated that they don't intend to trade Terry McLaurin, and I'm not sure there's the sort of trade market there that would make Washington general manager Adam Peters change his mind. Likewise, while the Patriots would love to get off the $10.5 million they owe unwanted safety Kyle Dugger, I'm not sure there's a fit there unless they are willing to eat the vast majority of what's owed the 29-year-old.

On the other hand, the Bengals have been willing to trade Trey Hendrickson since the spring, and he might be the one veteran of the bunch with a realistic shot of moving between now and the start of the season. And while there aren't many teams that would be willing to dip into their budget and commit what it would take to pay him this late in the offseason, there's one organization that typically seems to find a way when it wants to add a player. Just ask Joe Burrow!

Jump to a player who could be traded:
DE Trey Hendrickson | WR Quentin Johnston
OT Braxton Jones | OL Evan Neal
QB Anthony Richardson | DT Mazi Smith
WR Adam Thielen | QB Mike White

Bengals take what they can get for a disgruntled star

Bengals get: Edge Jalyx Hunt, 2026 third-round pick, 2027 conditional pick
Eagles get: Edge Trey Hendrickson

He can't keep getting away with this, can he? If there's anybody who might get creative to strike a deal for the most expensive player left on the market, it's Philadelphia general manager Howie Roseman, who has a Super Bowl-caliber roster, a team owner perpetually willing to spend more money and questions about what was recently the league's deepest defensive line.

The Eagles lost Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham on the edge and Milton Williams on the interior this offseason, and while I like the affordable additions of Azeez Ojulari and Joshua Uche as potential replacements, there's no question they have less up front than in previous seasons, even with their talented young holdovers on rookie deals.

As I mentioned earlier this offseason, the Eagles' spending has been one-sided. While they have the most expensive offense (in terms of cash outlay) in NFL history for the second consecutive year, they have committed only $69 million to their defense, the second-lowest total of any team. There's nothing wrong with that philosophy, and they have a bevy of young talent on rookie deals to keep that figure low. But they did move on from a handful of veterans with expensive contracts on that side of the ball this offseason, including Sweat, Bryce Huff, Darius Slay and C.J. Gardner-Johnson. The only significant deal they committed on defense was re-signing breakout linebacker Zack Baun.

Could they afford Hendrickson? If they want to get creative, sure. He might need to compromise a bit to get a deal done, but the Eagles could give him a contract with what amounts to two years and $70 million in guarantees with some void years and unguaranteed money tacked on to create cap flexibility. They have just under $30 million in cap space available, so while they'll want to roll some of that money over to next season, room under the cap isn't really an issue.

Hendrickson would have cap hits under $20 million in each of the next two seasons before both sides probably would look at addressing the contract and his future with the team in 2027. While we often think about the timeline for a quarterback's rookie deal when considering a team's spending philosophy, the Eagles are in position to think about things from the perspective of their defense and how inexpensive their key contributors are for years to come. Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith aren't eligible for extensions until next offseason. Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean will be on rookie deals until 2027 at the earliest. Hendrickson would be a big bet on a player on the wrong side of 30, but it would be for someone at a premium position with a roster that can win now.

If the Bengals want a draft pick and a player in return, the Eagles might have to part with a prospect they like in Hunt, who has been ticketed for a larger role this season. While the 2024 third-round pick had only 1.5 sacks and three knockdowns on 241 snaps during the regular season, he repeated those figures across 103 playoff snaps during Philly's run to the Super Bowl. He would offer meaningful surplus value over the next few years, as he is set to make just under $4 million between now and 2027, all of which is unguaranteed. Hunt is a valuable player with real upside, but he's not Hendrickson.

Suggestions that the Bengals want a first-round pick for Hendrickson are more hopeful than realistic; the last time a team traded a first-rounder for a non-quarterback over 30 was in 1994, when the Falcons sent a first-rounder and two second-round picks to the Vikings for Chris Doleman. Hendrickson might net a second-rounder, but even that might be tough at this point of the offseason, especially if the Bengals want to land a player who can step into their starting lineup as part of the deal.

Hunt would be an affordable addition at a position of need for the next several years. Bengals fans wouldn't be excited about getting a Day 3 pick from a team that expects to compete for a title, but Cincinnati doesn't have a ton of negotiating leverage, especially if it doesn't want to eat any money as part of a trade. If the Bengals were going to trade Hendrickson, the time to do it would have been in March or April, not after most teams have spent their offseason budgets and filled out their rosters.

A fair compromise might be a third-round pick and a conditional selection the following season that could become another third-rounder if Hendrickson plays 1,200 snaps between 2025 and 2026 and the Eagles advance to another Super Bowl. At this point, if the Bengals think they're just going to trade him for the best possible offer, they might not have many better options. And if the Eagles want to give themselves the best possible chance of repeating as champs, adding the best edge rusher available would be a difficult opportunity to turn down.

Steelers send a Day 3 pick for a talented QB

Colts get: 2026 fourth-round pick
Steelers get: QB Anthony Richardson

Let's find a new home for Richardson, whose camp made noise about struggling to trust the Colts after they decided to make Daniel Jones their starter for Week 1. Jones will be on a short leash and has been prone to injury during his time in the NFL, which would lead me to believe the Colts will keep Richardson. But Indianapolis general manager Chris Ballard might just decide a fresh start would make sense for all parties involved. In this scenario, the Colts would land compensation in line with what the 49ers received in 2023 for Trey Lance, a similarly frustrating former top-five pick who was traded away after two pro seasons.

The Steelers would land Richardson with two usage cases.

One would be for the future, which might charitably be described as a big question mark in Pittsburgh. Aaron Rodgers will turn 42 in December, while backup Mason Rudolph wasn't able to convince the organization to make him the long-term starter in his first stint with the team. There's some early excitement around rookie sixth-round pick Will Howard, but he has missed the preseason with a broken pinky. Plus, it's always optimistic to believe a sixth-round pick is going to turn into a starting quarterback, even if there is just one very famous exception from the Big Ten.

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Graziano: Colts starting Jones over Richardson is a 'floor play'

Dan Graziano isn't truly sold on the Colts' decision to start Daniel Jones over Anthony Richardson.

Richardson simply hasn't been up to the task of playing quarterback at the professional level, but he also has thrown just 348 pro passes. The Steelers wouldn't be on the hook for an exorbitant deal, as he is owed $1 million in 2025 and $5.4 million in 2026, all of which is guaranteed. If the Steelers think there's a possibility of him turning into a viable starter next season, the 23-year-old would be worth the risk, especially given their current alternatives.

The other case revolves around Pittsburgh's offensive coordinator. Arthur Smith's predilection for the run game is well-known, and while he hasn't always had quarterbacks who could feature in the designed run game, he built in concepts for Marcus Mariota and Justin Fields to make an impact with their legs. Some coaches aren't comfortable bringing in a player off the bench for a package of plays, but Tomlin and Smith used Fields in spots during the second half of last season, including a zone-read play that sealed a 44-38 win over the Bengals late in the fourth quarter.

Richardson can inherit the package of run concepts Fields ran a year ago, and if Rodgers gets hurt or struggles, Smith could try to build an entire game plan around those strengths, just as Titans predecessor Matt LaFleur did for Malik Willis in Green Bay last season. Could the same organization that once developed Kordell Stewart into a player who received MVP votes turn Richardson into its quarterback of the future?

Rams. Bears exchange young players

Bears get: CB Derion Kendrick, 2026 sixth-round pick
Rams get: OT Braxton Jones

The Bears trading away a left tackle? Well, they don't appear to be happy with the one they have. Jones entered this offseason as the presumptive starter on Caleb Williams's blindside after starting at left tackle each of the past three seasons, but the new Ben Johnson-led regime doesn't appear particularly fond of him. The coaching staff has repeatedly said it doesn't have a clear-cut favorite at left tackle based on what it has seen in camp, and the Bears have given reps to Jones, rookie second-round pick Ozzy Trapilo and 2024 undrafted free agent Theo Benedet, who has earned the most praise of any Chicago tackle throughout the summer.

If Jones isn't in the long-term plans for the Bears, they might want to move him now. He will be a free agent after the season, and while they theoretically could recoup a compensatory draft pick for him in free agency, general manager Ryan Poles typically has prioritized adding talent over maximizing comp picks during his time in charge. Landing a cornerback in Kendrick, who started 18 games over his first two years in Los Angeles before missing all of 2024 with a knee injury, would give a Chicago defense without much depth at the position a potentially useful contributor as it shifts toward more aggressive coverage looks under coordinator Dennis Allen.

The Rams, meanwhile, have questions about their left tackle situation. While it has flown under the radar during the ongoing Matthew Stafford crisis, incumbent tackle Alaric Jackson has missed most of the offseason with blood clots, the second time that has been an issue for him during his career. Coach Sean McVay is saying all the right things about Jackson's Week 1 availability, but there's no guarantee he will be ready or that the issue won't rear its head again during the regular season, as it did for New England's Christian Barmore last year.

While the Rams signed D.J. Humphries as a veteran option, the Chiefs weren't impressed with what they saw from him down the stretch last season, preferring Joe Thuney all the way through the Super Bowl. Jones would be one of the few young left tackles with significant experience available for a potential trade before the season. And while the Bears are typically focused on adding talent in free agency, the Rams are more conscious of the compensatory pick formula. With Dan Moore and Jaylon Moore earning surprisingly large deals in free agency, Jones might follow in their footsteps if he were to perform well in L.A.

Vikings bring back a familiar face

Vikings get: WR Adam Thielen
Panthers get: 2026 sixth-round pick, 2027 seventh-round pick

A reunion between Thielen and his former team seems too easy. The Vikings are struggling with injuries at wide receiver and a potential Jordan Addison suspension. The Panthers want to see what they have with their younger wideouts, and Hunter Renfrow's emergence in camp as a potential fourth or fifth option could squeeze a roster spot for Thielen, who doesn't play special teams.

The problem is Thielen's $6.25 million base salary. The Vikings obviously would prefer the Panthers cut the 34-year-old and pick him up for free, but Carolina already paid Thielen a $1.5 million roster bonus earlier in the offseason, suggesting it expected to have him. His salary isn't yet guaranteed, but it will become so if he's on the roster in Week 1, leaving the Panthers until then to make a decision. If he does get released, he isn't likely to get anything close to $6.25 million from another team, so he also is facing some uncertainty.

All sides involved probably would need to give a bit to make a mutually advantageous deal work. The Panthers would eat $1.5 million of Thielen's contract, getting two of the three picks the Vikings got from the Jets in the Harrison Phillips trade in return. Thielen would take a $1 million pay cut in return for having the remaining $3.8 million guaranteed. The Vikings cleared out almost exactly that much when they made the Phillips trade, allowing them to absorb what's left of Thielen's contract as part of the deal.

Lions make a trade for depth on defense

Patriots get: 2026 sixth-round pick
Lions get: Edge Anfernee Jennings, 2026 seventh-round pick

There was a time when New England once looted the Lions for a talented, two-way linebacker who didn't fit their system and landed an underrated player in Kyle Van Noy. The Lions are here to get their revenge. A former third-round pick by previous Patriots coach Bill Belichick, Jennings is a stout run defender on the edge who had nine quarterback knockdowns last season across 831 defensive snaps. He isn't a great pass rusher, but he can still be a valuable part of a roster as an early-down edge defender.

Jennings is owed $2.5 million in 2025, about half of which is guaranteed. He doesn't appear to be in new coach Mike Vrabel's plans, but I like him as a fit in Detroit, where the Lions could stand to add a little more edge depth. Josh Paschal is expected to miss the first month of the season, and they can't be sure of what they'll get from Marcus Davenport, who has been limited to just six games over the past two seasons because of injuries. Jennings would be a reasonable backup end for the Lions with the potential to play more if needed. The cost -- a swap of late-round picks -- wouldn't be prohibitive.

Dallas departs with a disappointing former first-rounder

Cowboys get: 2026 fifth-round pick
Seahawks get: DT Mazi Smith, 2026 sixth-round pick

The Cowboys used a Round 1 pick on Smith in 2023 in the hopes the nose tackle would be a valuable player in their run defense, but he has been a major disappointment. Dallas has played him regularly in the preseason, which hasn't been the case for its other prominent defensive tackles. There's not really a direct replacement for Smith on the active roster, but if the Cowboys don't think he will be used regularly, they might prefer to save the $4.5 million remaining on his deal and move on.

There's no timeline for veteran Seahawks tackle Johnathan Hankins to return from a back injury, creating a need for help on the interior. Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald worked with Smith when the two were at Michigan in 2021. The Cowboys might have to kick in some money to get a deal done, but they could feel like they can bury the news about giving up on a first-round pick once they inevitably announce they've come to an agreement with star edge rusher Micah Parsons.

Chiefs, Falcons swap players at positions of need

Chiefs get: CB Clark Phillips
Falcons get: OT Wanya Morris, 2027 sixth-round pick

Atlanta lost right tackle Kaleb McGary and swing tackle Storm Norton to injuries last week, and there's suddenly a major hole looming on the right side of the line. Norton is expected to miss more than a month, while McGary could hit the injured reserve list with no timetable for his return. Right tackle is an even more important position for the Falcons than it is for most teams, given that it represents the blindside of left-handed quarterback Michael Penix Jr.

There aren't many teams willing to give up right tackles with meaningful experience at this point of the offseason. One of the few exceptions might be Morris, who inherited Kansas City's left tackle job by default when Kingsley Suamataia was benched early last season and did not perform well. The Chiefs eventually benched Morris and moved Joe Thuney over from left guard, which eventually proved to be part of their undoing in the Super Bowl loss to the Eagles.

With that being said, Morris is a more valuable player than it might seem. He was better at right tackle than he was at left tackle, and the 2023 third-round pick will make $2.6 million over the next two seasons. In a market in which Dan Moore and current Chiefs lineman Jaylon Moore received $15 million or more per season in free agency, Morris would have meaningful value if he were on the open market.

If the Chiefs plan to play Suamataia at guard while using Moore as their swing tackle, they could justify trading Morris. Doing so would land them some needed cornerback depth in Phillips, who might be on the bubble to make the 53-man roster in Atlanta. The third-year pro has been solid as a reserve corner over his first two years, though he has some concerns as a tackler. Phillips is dealing with a rib injury, but he could settle in later this season as a fourth cornerback in Kansas City.

The Falcons would get a right tackle who can step right in and hopefully keep Penix afloat over the next two months. After the moves Atlanta made to trade away their first-round pick during the draft, I wouldn't want to trade away more draft capital if I were general manager Terry Fontenot, but I'm not sure they are thinking about 2027 right now.

Cardinals land WR help in a three-way trade

Giants get: 2027 seventh-round pick (from Chargers)
Chargers get: OL Evan Neal, 2026 fifth-round pick (from Cardinals)
Cardinals get: WR Quentin Johnston

A three-way trade involving two disappointing first-round picks? Sure, why not?

Neal has been wildly disappointing since the Giants drafted him at No. 7 in 2022. The 24-year-old lineman has struggled with injuries, has insulted local fans and hasn't played well enough when he is on the field. He spent the first half of 2024 on the active roster without playing snaps, and the Giants preferred street free agents and replacement-level options to him at left tackle after Andrew Thomas went down injured. They eventually gave Neal snaps on the right side to finish the season, and he has spent training camp at guard, where he hasn't been impressive.

The Giants declined Neal's fifth-year option this spring, and he's owed $1.1 million for the final year of his rookie deal. The Chargers lost a key lineman when Rashawn Slater went down for the season with a torn patella, and while they are able to move Joe Alt to the left side and insert swing tackle Trey Pipkins on the right side, what was a deep line is suddenly vulnerable. Jamaree Salyer can play left tackle, but he might need to stay at guard with Mekhi Becton missing most of training camp.

Johnston (concussion) also has been sidelined during the preseason. But even before the injury, there were indications the Chargers weren't guaranteeing the 2023 first-round pick a steady role in the lineup. General manager Joe Hortiz used a second-round pick on wide receiver Tre Harris and brought back veteran Keenan Allen on a one-year deal. Fellow wideout KeAndre Lambert-Smith, a fifth-round pick in April, impressed in camp. Johnston was solid last season, racking up 711 yards and eight touchdowns, but the drops that plagued him in 2023 were still a problem.

In Arizona, Johnston would have an opportunity to compete with Greg Dortch and work out of the slot more often than he would in Los Angeles, where Allen and Ladd McConkey would be prioritized. Johnston has signed for the next two years at a total of $4.2 million, which is perfectly reasonable for a third/fourth wideout.

Raiders add QB insurance

Bills get: 2026 sixth-round pick
Raiders get: QB Mike White, 2026 seventh-round pick

The Raiders suddenly need a backup quarterback after Aidan O'Connell fractured his wrist over the weekend, leaving them with rookie sixth-round pick Cam Miller as the only signal-caller on the roster behind starter Geno Smith. They can wait out training camp cuts to see whether someone they like shakes out, but teams aren't really desperate to get rid of any compelling QB options unless it's absolutely necessary.

With Josh Allen riding a league-high stretch of 105 consecutive starts into the regular season, the Bills are going as far as he will take them. They brought back Mitch Trubisky to serve as their No. 2 option, so while they could carry White as the No. 3, they might prefer two passers and use that roster spot elsewhere.

Without a sixth-round pick in the 2026 draft, the Bills would be convinced to go with that two-QB option and let White move to Las Vegas. The Raiders would land a quarterback with a 43.1 Total QBR over his four active NFL seasons, a perfectly reasonable figure for a backup making $1.2 million this season. Coach Pete Carroll obviously won't want to end up in a situation where he has to turn to White, but the journeyman would be a reasonable short-term rental for a scenario in which the Raiders need someone to fill in for Smith before O'Connell returns from his injury.

Broncos part ways with a CB on the roster bubble

Broncos get: 2026 seventh-round pick
Panthers get: CB Damarri Mathis

The Broncos have a rare problem among NFL teams: too many cornerbacks. ESPN's Jeff Legwold projects they could move on from Mathis, who was very good as a rookie in 2022 before losing his starting job after the defense's slow start in 2023. He played just 27 defensive snaps after Week 6 that season and 80 more across 10 games in 2024. With the Broncos using their 2025 first-round pick on cornerback Jahdae Barron, they could justify moving on from Mathis, who might not be active on game days even if he sticks around.

Mathis' best season came with defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero in Denver, and he hasn't been able to reach those same heights since Evero left for Carolina. The Panthers are set with Jaycee Horn, Mike Jackson and nickel corner Chau Smith-Wade as their three starting corners, but Mathis could push the 28-year-old Jackson and serve as Carolina's primary reserve on the outside. Mathis is owed $3.4 million in 2025, so Denver might essentially buy a draft pick by eating some of that cash, similar to what the Commanders did when they sent running back Brian Robinson Jr. to the 49ers.