Let the trading begin.
As the NFL season makes the turn before the final stretch and as the playoff field begins to take shape, the remaining days of October will be the final time teams will be able to upgrade their roster through the trade market. The NFL trade deadline is only days away, and as a wise man once said, deadlines breed results.
Below, you’ll find everything you need to know about the 2018 NFL trade deadline — from the basics like the actual date and time, to the recent history of the deadline, to the latest on the Le’Veon Bell situation, which figures to be impacted by the deadline.
Let’s get to it.
When is the 2018 NFL trade deadline?
The trade deadline falls on Tuesday Oct. 30, which is one day after Week 8 wraps up with Patriots-Bills on “Monday Night Football.” It’s also one day before Halloween, so you should know by then if your Le’Veon Bell Steelers costume will still make sense.
By what time must trades be in?
Trades must be fully completed by 4 p.m. ET on Oct. 30. To reiterate, trade must be entirely completed. Just ask the Browns and Bengals, who agreed to a trade last year but didn’t notify the NFL before the deadline came and went, which negated their agreement.
What can we expect?
If last year is any indication, we should expect some action before the deadline.
By far, the biggest trade of last season was the deal that saw Jimmy Garoppolo move from New England to San Francisco, but that wasn’t the only significant transaction. The Dolphins sent Jay Ajayi to Philadelphia. The Seahawks finally addressed their offensive line problem by trading for Texans left tackle Duane Brown.The Bills made a deal for Panthers receiver Kelvin Benjamin at the last second. The Jaguars bolstered their defensive line by acquiring Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus.
And then there was the trade that was agreed to, but didn’t count. The Browns agreed to trade for Bengals backup quarterback AJ McCarron before the deadline, but they failed to notify the NFL on time, which rendered their agreement useless. McCarron went on to finish out his season with the Bengals before signing with the Bills in free agency, losing the starting quarterback competition, and getting traded to the Raiders before the season while the Browns drafted Baker Mayfield. Talk about dodging a bullet.
We can expect more drama as the NFL continually gets more and more trade happy. In the past couple months, we’ve already seen Khalil Mack, a 27-year-old generational pass rusher, and Teddy Bridgewater on the move. And then there was the trade that happened 11 days before the deadline.
Has anyone been traded yet?
Glad you asked. Eleven days before the deadline, the Browns and Jaguars agreed to a trade that sent running back Carlos Hyde — best known for his time in San Francisco — to Jacksonville and a fifth-round pick to Cleveland.
In Jacksonville, Hyde should replace injured running back Leonard Fournette in the short-term. Meanwhile, the Browns are now moving forward with rookie running back Nick Chubb and versatile playmaker Duke Johnson Jr. For a closer look at how that trade impacted the Fantasy aspect of the game, our Dave Richard has you covered.
Who’s the biggest name on the block?
As the trade deadline nears, all eyes will be on Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell.
Bell, who was hit with the franchise tag for a second straight offseason, has yet to sign his tender and report to the team. With James Conner flourishing in his place and with Bell all but certain to depart Pittsburgh as a free agent following the season, the Steelers are likely to pursue a trade so that they can get something in return for him before he walks away for free. But for that to happen, Bell needs to sign his tender. That hasn’t happened yet.
CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora recently reported that the Steelers still haven’t heard from Bell or his agent regarding his plans to sign the tag and report. According to La Canfora, “some in the organization believe that Bell is most likely to sign the tag a week from Tuesday — after the 4 p.m. trade deadline passes,” which would make it impossible for the team to trade him.
There’s no way to know how this will all shake out. But if Bell signs his tender before the deadline, a team like the Eagles, who lost Ajayi to a season-ending injury, could make sense as a trade partner. Heck, La Canfora already named them as a potential suitor before Ajayi went down.
Two more big-name players who could be on the move are Raiders receiver Amari Cooper and Bills running back LeSean McCoy. Both players have been named as potential trade chips in recent reports.