NFL Trade Deadline 2024: Twitter Reacts to Trades, Fails, Surprises and Non-Deals
The NFL Trade Deadline has come and gone, leaving in its wake three division-leading squads stronger than they were entering it and one underperforming America's Team leaving its fans scratching their heads and raising their arms in disbelief.
The Detroit Lions, Washington Commanders, and Pittsburgh Steelers all proved to be buyers at the deadline, adding players at key positions and upgrading rosters that have them sitting pretty atop their division at the halfway point of the season.
The Dallas Cowboys?
Not so much.
Twitter sounded off on the good, the bad, and the awe-inspiring.
Za'Darius Smith to Detroit
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The rich got richer Tuesday as the NFC-leading Detroit Lions traded for Cleveland Browns defense end Za'Darius Smith.
The 32-year-old pass rusher is one of the best in the league and in 2024, has accumulated 5.0 sacks and 23 combined tackles for a Browns team that is 2-7 and going nowhere fast.
Now a member of the Lions and their tenacious, aggressive front seven, he will have an opportunity to make up for the void left by Aidan Hutchinson, who suffered a fractured left tibia and fibula in a Week 5 victory over Dallas.
Emmanuel Acho touted Smith's weight gain and his ability to rush against the guard and tackle as one of his strong suits.
Bet MGM suggested the arrival of Smith and his importance to a Super Bowl run is akin to another dominant force of nature, Thanos, receiving the final Infinity Stone.
The Get Up account posted Dominique Foxworth's take, which includes his belief that the Lions are more Super Bowl-ready with Smith's arrival than before.
One user expressed excitement over the team's acquisition of the veteran for essentially nothing.
The Lions have been the best team in the NFC this season, with a 7-1 record. They have outscored opponents by 110 points and the defense is improving with every passing week, even as it still struggles on the back end.
The secondary will benefit exponentially from the arrival of Smith in that the pass rush will hurry opposing quarterbacks up and force them to throw into traffic or make mistakes, opening cornerbacks and safeties up for interceptions and creating scoring opportunities on that side of the ball.
Hutchinson has not played since the beginning of October and he still ranks fourth in the league in sacks with 7.5. His absence has been felt and while Smith is not the in-his-prime monster rusher that the University of Michigan export is, he is a wily veteran who knows how to rush the passer and adversely affect the opposing quarterback even if he does not record a sack.
He is an upgrade for a team that was already scary good and even more driven than a year ago when they made the NFC Championship.
The best trade of the day.
Commanders Nab Marshon Lattimore
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The Washington Commanders are 7-2, lead the NFC East, and are one of the league's biggest surprises. They had a cornerback problem, though, and addressed that early Tuesday by trading for four-time Pro Bowler Marshon Lattimore.
Commanders minority owner Magic Johnson took to X to express the organization's excitement over acquiring one of the elite players at his position.
Assuming Lattimore returns from his hamstring injury and is the same, elite cornerback that he has been for most of his NFL career, the Commanders got a steal by trading away three Day 2 picks for a player that incrementally improves their secondary.
How great has Lattimore been? Pro Football Focus reminded everyone.
Of the players happiest to see Lattimore shipped out of New Orleans and away from the NFC South? Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans, who has a, well, tumultuous history with the cornerback.
One user applauded general manager Adam Peters for turning an underperforming wide receiver into a Pro Bowler.
The Commanders' defense was tied for fourth-worst in the league, giving up 14 passing touchdowns through eight games. The pass defense allowed 7.4 yards per attempt while collecting just three interceptions, tied for third-worst in the league with Carolina.
Lattimore helps solidify a weak spot on a thriving team, thanks largely to an organizational culture change under head coach Dan Quinn, new owner Josh Harris, and rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Trading for a proven commodity in Lattimore shows a commitment to winning that was not always prevalent under the previous regime.
Pittsburgh Steelers Busy at the Deadline
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The Pittsburgh Steelers have eyed the addition of a wide receiver dating back to the preseason and reports surrounding their interest in San Francisco's Brandon Aiyuk. While the team did not complete that deal, they did come through ahead of the deadline, trading for New York Jets wideout Mike Williams.
Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who notably blamed Williams for a late-game interception against Buffalo that sealed the team's loss, reacted to the deal during his appearance on the Pat McAfee Show.
A dynamic receiver whose best seasons came in San Diego/Los Angeles with the Chargers, Williams joins a 6-2 Pittsburgh squad leading the AFC North and a legitimate threat to division foes Baltimore.
Williams will be an asset to quarterback Russell Wilson against an aggressive Ravens defense, thanks especially to his success on contested targets, as PFF noted.
Despite those numbers, one Steelers fan among many met the trade with trepidation.
Benjamin Solak of ESPN focused on that jump-ball element as a major plus for the Steelers and their acquisition of the 30-year-old receiver.
Williams was not the only addition the Steelers made Tuesday.
The team added veteran edge rusher Preston Smith from Green Bay.
The 31-year-old has 2.5 sacks and 19 total tackles in 2024. Those numbers will not impress many but his addition to an already smothering Steelers defense makes that side of the ball even more formidable in an NFC North that is a hard-nosed, smash-mouth division often won by defense more than dazzling offense.
Perhaps the presence of TJ Watt opens up opportunities for Smith to add to his totals or the vice versa.
What is already the strongest area of the Steelers' roster got even stronger, for relatively nothing in the form of a seventh-round draft pick.
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Dallas Trades for...Jonathan Mingo?
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On the same day that Jerry Jones told 105.3 The Fan that Dak Prescott would likely land on the IR with a hamstring injury, the Dallas Cowboys built trust with their fan base by trading for wide receiver *checks notes* Jonathan Mingo of the Carolina Panthers.
The Cowboys needed a second receiver opposite CeeDee Lamb and made a deal for one. The decision went over well, especially when it was revealed what the organization gave up in return for the 2023 second-round receiver.
Ouch.
And again.
To be fair, the first season and a half of Mingo's NFL career was spent in Carolina, in an awful Panthers offense that has been at or near the bottom of the league during that span.
He caught 55 balls on 111 targets for 539 yards, hardly numbers that will make the passionate Dallas fans sit up and take notice.
And he has yet to score his first touchdown.
A clean slate, with a storied franchise and an offense that will give him opportunities that he may not have had in Carolina.
With that said, Mingo had just 12 touchdowns on 112 receptions and 1758 yards in four years, begging the question: what is there to be excited about if you are a Cowboys fan?
It will be up to the player to answer that question and silence the social media critics.
Jones may not have that opportunity.
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