One Trade That Would Shape Each Division Race at the 2020 NFL Trade Deadline

With the season nearly halfway over, the power structures of the NFL divisions are well on their way to being established.

The chasm in some divisions is fairly wide. For instance, it's hard to see any team in the AFC West catching the 6-1 Kansas City Chiefs. However, there are far more divisions in which an arms race at the deadline could go a long way in determining who ultimately comes out on top.

Last season, the San Francisco 49ers acquired Emmanuel Sanders from the Denver Broncos in a late October deal. Sanders put up 502 yards and three touchdowns for the Niners to help them win the NFC West and go on to a Super Bowl appearance. The Houston Texans made a similar move for cornerback Gareon Conley en route to winning the AFC South.

Some of the deals that have already been made will impact the races for their respective divisions. The Ravens adding Yannick Ngakoue in a trade with the Minnesota Vikings ups the ante in the AFC North, while the Seahawks addressing their pass-rush needs with Carlos Dunlap makes the NFC West more interesting.

With a few days left until the November 3 deadline, there are still deals out there that could shape each division's race. Here's one move for each division that would alter the current landscape.

AFC North: Pittsburgh Steelers Acquire LB Avery Williamson

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

The Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers are engaged in a tight battle for division supremacy at the moment. The Cleveland Browns are technically lurking in the backdrop, but both teams hold dominant wins over Kevin Stefanski's squad.

The race between the top two is as tight as you'll find in the league, and their Week 8 clash figures to be the game of the week. So any move either team makes at the deadline will make a big impact, and the Ravens already made a significant one with the aforementioned Ngakoue acquisition.

The Steelers could counter with a big acquisition on their own defensive side of the ball.

Linebacker Devin Bush has been lost for the season after tearing his ACL, and the Steelers don't appear to have any experienced options to fill the void. Looking across the league at teams who may be willing to deal a linebacker, the New York Jets' Avery Williamson makes the most sense, and his presence would go a long way in ensuring the Steelers continue to be the No. 1 defense in football.

Haason Reddick could be available in Arizona, but he's most effective as a pass-rusher on the edge rather than as the kind of off-ball linebacker Pittsburgh needs. The Jacksonville Jaguars' Myles Jack is a better athlete and would make a bigger splash, but his $12.2 million cap hit in 2021 could be prohibitive.

Williamson is an athletic presence on the inside who offers some blitzing ability. He's had three sacks in each of his last two seasons, and while he hasn't registered one yet this season, a move to the Steelers' blitz-happy scheme would give him the opportunity to change that.

The Jets are in complete disarray right now and in a prime position to sell. The Steelers making a move for the linebacker makes up for losing Bush and allows the Steelers a better chance to stave off the Ravens in the back half of the season.

NFC North: Green Bay Packers Acquire WR Will Fuller V

Sam Craft/Associated Press

It seems like every transactional period on the NFL calendar, everyone but Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst wants the team to add another weapon for quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

From the draft to free agency, the Packers have had the opportunity to add another option in the wide receiver room to take some heat off Davante Adams. Perhaps now that they're sitting a half-game ahead of the Chicago Bears, they'll pull the trigger on a move that could bring some help for Rodgers.

The Packers might be the favorite in the division, but the Bears have one of the best defenses in the league. Even with their awful Monday Night Football showing against the Rams, Chicago is still the No. 3 pass defense in the league, per Football Outsiders' DVOA metric.

If (and this is a major "if") the Bears can figure out some of their woes on offense and improve the offensive line, the Packers might have more of a challenge in the division than they think.

They could stay ahead of the curve by bringing in Will Fuller V from the Houston Texans, though. Aaron Reiss of The Athletic reported the Packers are among the teams who have inquired about the 26-year-old.

Fuller would unlock Rodgers' ability to throw the deep ball to its maximum potential. He averages 12.6 yards before the catch, which is higher than anyone else on the Packers roster. Only Allen Lazard (12.2) and Marquez Valdes-Scantling (11.4) are close, and neither has done it with the volume that Fuller has as the Texans' No. 1 receiver.

The Packers making a move for Fuller would effectively end their battle with the Bears for NFC North supremacy and give them a bump as Super Bowl contenders.

AFC South: Tennessee Titans Acquire CB Brian Poole

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

After Week 6, the Tennessee Titans looked set in the AFC South. They were a perfect 5-0, while the second-place Indianapolis Colts were sitting at 4-2. The Jaguars and Texans didn't (and still don't) seem all that interested in winning the division.

But then came Week 7, and while the Colts had a bye week, the Titans had their eyes opened by the Pittsburgh Steelers in a battle of the unbeatens. Now they hold a one-game advantage over the Colts with two games left against them on the schedule.

In that matchup, the Titans gave up a combined 18 catches and 165 yards up to JuJu Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson. They managed to pick off Ben Roethlisberger three times, but a defense that has given up big days to Will Fuller V (11 catches, 123 yards), Stefon Diggs (10 catches, 106 yards) and Justin Jefferson (seven catches, 175 yards) was finally exposed in a loss.

The Colts don't have weapons on that level themselves, but the Titans will continue to see quality receivers throughout the season. Trading for the New York Jets' Brian Poole would go a long way to shoring up one of the few spots that could be considered a weakness. Playing mostly in the slot, Poole has held quarterbacks to just a 65.5 passer rating when targeted.

He's also shown off a little pass rush ability when sent on a blitz. He has a sack and three pressures on the year as well.

The Jets are nowhere near competing, and Poole will be a free agent after this season. The Titans have eight picks in the 2021 draft as well as all of their 2022 picks to use to entice New York to ship him off.

It's already a two-horse race in the division. Adding Poole would make the Titans the most complete team in the AFC South by a comfortable margin.

NFC South: New Orleans Saints Acquire DE Ryan Kerrigan

Daniel Kucin Jr./Associated Press

The NFC South is another division that essentially comes down to two teams. The Carolina Panthers have been a nice story, and first-year head coach Matt Rhule has things trending in the right direction. But back-to-back-to-back losses to the Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons are perfect examples of how they aren't quite in the mix yet.

The Saints trail the Bucs by a half-game, but they hold a slight advantage in the fact they beat the Bucs head-to-head in Week 1.

When the two meet again in Week 9, there's a chance it ends up being for the division. Both teams continue to win football games, but close calls against the Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers and Panthers indicate the Saints would benefit from improving the roster one last time before the second half of the season commences.

Washington Football Team edge-rusher Ryan Kerrigan would be a perfect piece to their puzzle. In the Bucs' two losses this season, they gave up three sacks apiece to the Saints and Bears. In the team's five wins, they've kept the 43-year-old clean, only giving up two total sacks.

Kerrigan would offer an immediate boost to the Saints' pass rush. He's barely being used in Washington (36 percent of the defensive snaps) but has still generated six pressures and four sacks.

Even if Washington believes it can compete in the weak NFC East, losing Kerrigan doesn't prohibit that. Chase Young and Montez Sweat carry the bulk of the pass-rushing duties anyway. The Saints should be all-in with Drew Brees' rapidly closing contention window.

With all of the Buccaneers' buying over the past few months, the Saints could even the odds with a move of their own.

AFC East: New England Patriots Trade CB Stephon Gilmore

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

The Bills are the second-largest favorite (-455) to win their division behind only the Kansas City Chiefs (-2000), according to the odds from DraftKings Sportsbook. Sitting at 5-2, the Bills' biggest threats are the 3-3 Miami Dolphins and the 2-4 New England Patriots.

After years of the Patriots winning the division, it feels strange to consider them out of the hunt. They have the second-best odds (+550) of winning the AFC East, while the Dolphins are considered even longer shots (+700).

It's hard to believe those odds are based on anything the oddsmakers have seen on the field. The Patriots are 25th in both offensive and defensive DVOA and have shown few signs of life in a current three-game losing streak.

Albert Breer of The MMQB reported the team has discussed dealing cornerback Stephon Gilmore. They also reportedly had discussions with teams in August. Now that the season is off to a disastrous start, it might be time to pull the trigger.

If that move were to happen, consider it a white flag as far as the Patriots' fight to win the division goes. The Bills' competition could be narrowed down to the Miami Dolphins, who just opted to go with unproven quarterback Tua Tagovailoa over Ryan Fitzpatrick, which would indicate their eyes are beyond 2020.

Gilmore is one of the best assets the Patriots have on their roster. He is allowing just a 53.3 percent completion rate when targeted this season and a 74.0 passer rating. If the Pats have any thoughts of trying to make a second-half surge, it would have to be with Gilmore on the roster.

NFC East: Washington Football Team Acquires WR Golden Tate

John Minchillo/Associated Press

Does anyone want to win the NFC East?

Through seven weeks of play, it's a fair question. The Eagles find themselves in first place at just 2-4-1. Both the Washington Football Team and the embattled Dallas Cowboys are a half-game off that pace at 2-5.

The Eagles and Cowboys got all the attention in the offseason, but given the state of the division, Washington might not be as far off as people think.

Since moving to Kyle Allen as the team's starter, they are 1-2. One of the losses was a 20-19 heartbreaker against the New York Giants. He's thrown for 548 yards, four touchdowns and just one interception as the starter. Those numbers aren't putting him in the MVP race, but they are certainly acceptable compared to any of his divisional counterparts at this point.

And he's doing that without a true No. 2 receiver on the team. Terry McLaurin has racked up 69 targets so far this season. The second-most targeted player is Logan Thomas at 40 (though he's only caught 21 of them). The next receiver is Dontrelle Inman, who has 27.

Ron Rivera's club is the highest-rated team in the division (21st) by Football Outsiders' DVOA. They boast a pass rush that generates the eighth-highest pressure percentage.

If the offense can see even a small uptick over the second half of the season, it could be a surprise division contender.

If Washington is interested in making that happen, it could contact the division rival Giants and see whether they would be interested in sending them Golden Tate. The 32-year-old is owed $10.9 million next season, but Washington is projected to be flush with cap space next season.

Tate has been one of the most efficient receivers on the Giants this season, catching 20 of his 26 targets, but Sterling Shepard's return from a toe injury makes him expendable.

Adding a veteran receiver like Tate could alleviate some of the pressure on McLaurin, stabilize the passing game and give Washington the tools to pressure the Eagles in the league's weakest division.

AFC West: Los Angeles Chargers Acquire OT Riley Reiff

Stephen Brashear/Associated Press

The Kansas City Chiefs are winning the AFC West. There's no trade that's going to elevate the Las Vegas Raiders, L.A. Chargers or Denver Broncos above the defending Super Bowl champions.

But the race for second place and possibly a wild-card spot could be interesting. The Raiders are in the driver's seat right now at 3-3 and with a win over the Chiefs to their credit.

The emergence of rookie quarterback Justin Herbert makes the Chargers a surprising contender over the latter half of the season, though. With Herbert starting, they have taken the Chiefs and Saints to overtime and picked up a 39-29 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

For that momentum to translate into more wins and taking over as the second-best team in the division, they have to provide him with better protection, though.

The offensive line is currently surrendering pressure on 27.1 percent of dropbacks. Offensive tackles Trey Pipkins and Sam Tevi are the 71st- and 62nd-ranked tackles, respectively, of the 71 tackles Pro Football Focus has graded this season.

The Vikings appear to be in sell mode after trading away Yannick Ngakoue, and 31-year-old Riley Reiff would make sense as another trade chip they would want to unload. The Chargers aren't necessarily in a position to go for broke, but at this point, the deal would be just as much about protecting their prize asset as it is competing this season.

NFC West: Arizona Cardinals Acquire DT Quinnen Williams

Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

Life is hard in the NFC West. The defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers are in fourth place and still have a winning record at 4-3.

That means all four teams are ostensibly in the hunt, and a player acquired at the trade deadline could end up being the difference. The Arizona Cardinals are the team best positioned to make a move. They have more effective cap space in the division than anyone but the Rams, and general manager Les Snead and Co. simply don't have the draft capital to make a move.

If the Cards see the strong start and current three-game win streak as an opportune time to go all-in, then 2019 third overall pick pick Quinnen Williams could make sense.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the New York Jets would consider offers, but it could take multiple draft picks to get it done. Arizona general manager Steve Keim was reportedly a fan of Williams when the Cardinals held the first overall pick in the 2019 draft.

The addition of Williams, who already has three sacks on the season, would help a run defense that ranks 25th in yards allowed and a pass rush that is missing Chandler Jones. In a division that has multiple teams in which physicality is embedded in their culture, the Cardinals getting Williams would be a big boost for their battles in the trenches.

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