NFL Trade Deadline 2016: Recapping Top News and Rumors

The 2016 NFL trade deadline has come and gone. The open market came to a close at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, but it didn't close before a few intriguing moves were made.

While the trade deadline didn't bring about a flood of activity, we did see a few trades made before the deadline—and even more rumors emerge in the final hours. We'll examine the top moves and rumors here and give our opinion on what each could mean moving forward.

We will also examine some of the latest roster moves from around the league, some of which may have come about because of trades that weren't made before the deadline.

Patriots Trade Jamie Collins to Cleveland

We don't usually see headline-grabbing moves right before the trade deadline, but we did get one on Monday. In a move that essentially no one saw coming, the New England Patriots dealt linebacker Jamie Collins to the Cleveland Browns. 

According to Pat McManamon of ESPN.com, the Patriots will receive a compensatory third-round pick in exchange for Collins if the Browns are awarded one. If they are not, the pick becomes a fourth-rounder. Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald reports that the fourth-rounder won't come until 2018:

Now, there are a couple of reasons why the Patriots may have decided to deal Collins for what appears to be a bargain. One reason is that his contract is up after the season.

Another reason is that New England may not believe that Collins really fits the team's style. Former Patriots executive Mike Lombardi believes, though, that the Patriots were ready to move on because Collins simply isn't worth keeping.

“Watch the tape. Jamie has not played particularly well,” Lombardi told WEEI's The Kirk & Callahan Show. “Sometimes freelancing is a problem, and I think sometimes effort is a problem.”

Browns head coach Hue Jackson doesn't seem to have an issue with Collins' style of play.

"Hey, the way he freelances is OK with me,'' Jackson said, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.

The Browns' next move will likely be to try signing Collins to a long-term deal. If they can, then this move looks like a good one for Cleveland. Collins is currently rated first overall among all 3-4 outside linebackers by Pro Football Focus.

Saints Tried to Trade for Joe Haden

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The Browns acquired one player right before the deadline, and it appears the team nearly dealt one, too. According to ESPN's Ed Werder, the New Orleans Saints tried to acquire cornerback Joe Haden but couldn't get a deal done:

Adding Haden would make sense for the Saints, who are rated just 30th in pass coverage by Pro Football Focus. While the former Florida standout has dealt with groin issues this season, he is still a quality pass defender when healthy enough to take the field.

At 3-4, the Saints are still very much alive in the NFC South race, and the team may build some momentum off last week's win over the Seattle Seahawks. Haden would have been a nice new asset for the Saints defense down the stretch.

He is currently rated 28th overall among all cornerbacks by Pro Football Focus.

Lions Acquire Johnthan Banks from Tampa Bay

One deal that did get done right before the trade deadline was the Detroit Lions' acquisition of cornerback Johnthan Banks from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

According to NFL Media's Conor Orr, the Lions gave up a conditional seventh-round pick in exchange for Banks. Per Orr, the Buccaneers had made it known that they were planning on cutting Banks, which in the end netted the team a late pick.

Orr went on to write the following:

"

It's surprising we don't see more of these deals around the deadline. It would be quite easy for a team to announce or leak an impending cut just to stoke whatever minor interest there might be in a handful of teams out there. While a seventh-round draft pick isn't changing the game for anyone, it's one more lottery ticket for the Bucs this April.

"

Banks hasn't started a game this year, but he appeared in 14 games with seven starts and logged 25 tackles in 2015. We should see over the next few weeks what kind of role, if any, the Lions are able to find for him.

Bills Add Wideout Percy Harvin

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The Buffalo Bills didn't trade for a wide receiver before the deadline—and we have no idea if they were trying to—but they did add to their receiving corps on Tuesday. Receiver Percy Harvin ended his retirement and re-signed with Buffalo, according to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport:

The move to add Harvin should help a Bills receiving corps that has been without injured receiver Sammie Watkins. Harvin made it clear that his time away from the game was beneficial.

"It was about me taking time off to heal," Harvin said, per NFL Media's Marc Sessler. "Knew the level I wanted to play at and couldn't then. I'm refreshed and I'm ready to go."

If Harvin really is refreshed and healthy, he should be able to add some punch to the Bills passing game. At the very least, he should be able to bring a bit of experience and leadership to the proverbial table.

Seahawks Add Damontre Moore

Buffalo's upcoming opponent, the Seattle Seahawks, also made a roster move on Tuesday. According to NFL Media's Chris Wesseling, the Seahawks added former New York Giants defensive end Damontre Moore.

The move was likely made to increase depth at the position while pass-rusher Michael Bennett recovers from knee surgery.

Moore spent three seasons with the Giants and appeared in three games for the Miami Dolphins this year. He has 9.5 career sacks.