NFL Trade Deadline: Trades That Should Happen but Probably Won't

With the NFL trade deadline fast approaching, the rumor mill is ripe with plenty of players being made available for trade. Teams that are sitting there without a win, or have just one victory so far, face a steep uphill battle, and might be tempted to part with a skilled veteran to acquire an extra draft pick to assist with their rebuilding efforts.

Many NFL free agents were signed for a one-year contract when the NFL labor lockout was lifted. The teams that signed those players don't know how many of the one-year deals they will be able to retain long term, so they might be willing to part with a percentage of them to gain valuable draft picks for the future.

We have recently seen Aaron Curry traded to the Oakland Raiders and Brandon Lloyd traded to the St. Louis Rams. Today, we will look at 19 players that could very well go on the trading block, but the reality suggests that they probably won't be traded.

Chad Ochocinco

Chad Ochocinco did not come up with a single catch in the Patriots' win over Dallas on Sunday and was limited to just seven snaps on offense. The week before, Ochocinco only had 23 yards in receptions. With talented players out there available for trade like Brandon Lloyd, why wouldn't the Patriots try to deal Ochocinco to free up a roster spot for Lloyd?

The Patriots signed Chad Ochocinco to a three-year contract this year. The deal calls for him to earn $11.5 million over the duration of the contract. The deal included a $4.75 million signing bonus. Annual $1.5 million "signing" bonuses are available in each season. 2011: $1 million, 2012-2013: $3 million (plus $100,000 workout bonuses),

As seldom as he is targeted, it is hard to justify his production for the amount of money that the Patriots are paying him. Right now, the two players who seem to be the biggest misfits on their teams in the NFL are Ochocinco and Donovan McNabb. We will see if either of them are still with their same team or still have their job by next Sunday.

Tashard Choice

Tashard Choice stock or value to the Dallas Cowboys continues to go down with each passing year. It appears that Jerry Jones will consider parting with him, but Felix Jones suffered a high ankle sprain injury last Sunday, and the Cowboys depth at running back just took a major hit.

With Jones now expected to miss anywhere from four to six weeks due to the ankle sprain, the Cowboys would be very thin at running back if they were to deal Choice away, which would leave rookie DeMarco Murray as the primary ball carrier.

What is interesting is that Jones actually said that he has fielded some phone calls from teams inquiring about Choice. My reaction to that is why? What has he done lately that warrants any consideration?

For the last two seasons, Choice is averaging only 3.37 yards per rush, which is below league standards.

Chris Harris

The Chicago Bears decided to make safety Chris Harris inactive for their game Sunday night. Then there was the follow-up news that Harris is formally requesting a trade.

Well, if you are trying to paint yourself into a corner for lowering the value of a player to a team, you decide not to dress him right before the trade deadline, demonstrating that he is not even one of your best 45 players.

Whether Harris is traded remains to be seen. He was burnt like toast last week against the Detroit Lions, so any team that has watched tape will know that Harris is a liability in pass coverage.

It is doubtful that any team will step up with an offer of any substance. Then again, it was not like the Bears gave him a chance to redeem himself.

Donovan McNabb

If the Minnesota Vikings go ahead and bench Donovan McNabb, it is up in the air if he will be willing or content to serve as a proper mentor to rookie quarterback Christian Ponder.

McNabb has always had an inflated ego, and it is his own belief in his self-worth that will make it difficult for him to accept the reality that his game is just not that good any longer, and it is time for him to help out the rookie.

McNabb has trouble evading the pass rush any longer, and when your legs start to go, the rest of your game can't be far behind.

Perhaps he could be more productive with a better offensive line, but if you can't be productive with a running attack led by Adrian Peterson, there really isn't much hope.

If he winds up becoming a source for negativity in the locker room, or causes distractions, the Vikings will wish they attempted to unload him before the trade deadline. Will it happen? We will all know soon enough.

Kyle Orton

Coming into this season, Kyle Orton's contract was set to pay him $7.379 million, which is a lot of money to be riding the bench, now that the Broncos are switching over to Tim Tebow.

It is not yet known who the Broncos will want to serve as the backup or the mentor to Tebow. It will either be Orton or Brady Quinn. Whoever the Broncos do not want to stay, they should do the right thing and trade him to a team that really has a need for a quarterback who can play; Miami and Oakland come to mind.

It is unfortunate that Denver wasn't able to work out a trade for Orton in the preseason, when they conceivably could have received stronger compensation for him. But now sitting there with a 1-4 record and going to the bench, Orton's trade stock may never be lower than it is right now.

Steve Smith

Steve Smith had demanded a trade from the Carolina Panthers before the season began. He was not granted his wish, and now that he is five weeks into the 2011 season, Smith is the leading receiver for the Panthers and the favorite target of rookie quarterback Cam Newton.

Smith was hoping to play for a contender. The Panthers are currently 1-5 and thoughts of the postseason are already all but eliminated. The Panthers have found their quarterback of the future in Newton, but for Smith, this is just one more year of being a Panthers player without going to the postseason.

At 32 years old, Smith is still signed under contract for the rest of this year and 2012. In an ideal world. Smith would be dealt to one of the contending teams that is in need of a No. 1 receiver, but that is just not going to happen. He is stuck where is he, for better or worse.

Yeremiah Bell

For the past three years, the Miami Dolphins' leading tackler has been safety Yeremiah Bell. He is leading the team once again.

At 33 years old, and under contract from now through the end of 2013, Bell still is a useful player for a contending team that needs help in their secondary.

It is a shame that Bell is toiling away for a team that is going nowhere. The Dolphins had to two weeks to prepare for the Jets and only came up with six points on national television? Like I said, they are going nowhere.

Bell isn't a big salary cap hit, (earning $3.7 million this year and $4.3 million in 2010) and could net the Dolphins some needed draft picks, because let's face it, they need to rebuild this team.

Vince Young

If you happened to see Vince Young throw one pass for an interception last Sunday, you realize that his one-year sabbatical at Philadelphia is not doing him much good.

He has basically been in the background, as the bulk of attention in Philadelphia goes to Michael Vick, his cast of characters and Andy Reid.

While Young is only signed for this year, he certainly would be a better fit for the Oakland Raiders to land an athletic quarterback than to bring in a guy like Trent Edwards.

What would Young cost the Raiders? Probably not that much. He hasn't proven anything in Philadelphia and his days of being able to predict a "Dream Team" appear to be far behind him now.

Jared Allen

If you look at the teams up and down the NFL standings with a 4-2 record or better, you will realize that quite a few of them would be overjoyed if they could land a sack artist like Jared Allen.

Allen leads the NFL in sacks this year, and he is another example of playing great football for a team that is going absolutely nowhere. The Vikings are 1-5 and are still debating the merits over starting Donovan McNabb or Christian Ponder at quarterback.

Allen is still under contract through the 2013 season, so trading him would allow the Vikings to land a big haul for the veteran. They are in need of a major upgrade of their talent as this team continues to fizzle out in one second half after another.

Reggie Wayne

At 32 years of age, it is debatable how much time that Reggie Wayne still has left to play at an elite level in the NFL. As it stands now, Wayne is playing on a last-place team that has no chance of going anywhere in the AFC South.

Wayne is playing on the final year of his contract, and is in position to walk away next year. Whether he leaves may very well be the result of what happens with the health of Peyton Manning. Perhaps he will stick around, but then again, the Colts are in need of help in a lot of different areas.

Owner Jim Irsay was tweeting that he doesn't plan to trade Wayne, which is a shame, because there are a few teams with winning records that have already lost some key receivers for the year already.

But, things are such a mess right now in Indianapolis right now, you can hardly blame Irsay for trying to keep the ship together, if Manning ever does return.

Robert Mathis

Staying with the Colts for one more slide, another veteran player who is also playing out the final year of his contract is veteran defensive end Robert Mathis. 

Just as we cited earlier with Jared Allen, top-drawer pass rushers are very hard to find, and the Colts could collect some significant value for Mathis if they were to make him available.

But, playing for a team that is 0-6, it seems that his talent is going to waste for the rest of the year. Mathis could be a difference maker for a team on the verge of trying to emerge out of the playoffs with a Super Bowl in mind.

Eddie Royal

With Brandon Lloyd now officially traded to the St. Louis Rams, football analysts are wondering if Eddie Royal will become an ex-Bronco as well.

The top three receivers in Denver right now appear to be Eric Decker, Demaryius Thomas and Royal. It remains to be seen if new starting quarterback Tim Tebow can accurately spread the ball around to all three of them, so it might make sense for the Broncos to explore what they can get for Royal before the deadline passes them by.

Royal has been hurt, but he is back and ready to practice again. At only 25 years of age, Royal has upside, but he needs to stay healthy and find a quarterback who can get him the ball.

Not sure if Tebow is the right guy to do that, but now that Lloyd is gone, the Broncos may opt to sit tight on who they have.

Tony Romo

Another fourth-quarter lead, another fourth-quarter loss. This is starting to become routine in Dallas.

Say what you want about Tony Romo, but I am thinking he could really use a change of scenery. Romo has had a long run in Dallas, but without much to show for it, the natives are getting restless. Jerry Jones is second-guessing the play calling, and the fans are getting tired of all the losses.

Romo is now 31 years old. He is signed through the 2013 season. It is not out of the question that the Cowboys can still rally to have an opportunity to win the NFC East division, and for that simple reason, the Cowboys will not trade Romo.

But is it a trade that I would like to see happen? You bet.

Peyton Hillis

My how times have changed in just one short year. In 2010, Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis was leading the Browns turnaround by running for over 1,100 yards and earning the Madden cover.

But now here we are six weeks into the 2011 season, and Browns coach Pat Shurmur has to insist to the media that Hillis is not actually on the trade block. Which probably is all the more reason why he should be. Then there was the bad strep throat and fever, and the "Madden curse" appears to be working as usual.

Hillis is now dealing with a hamstring injury that is probably only going to make the situation worse. He is in the last year of his deal with the Browns, so it would make sense to explore the trade market to see what they could get for him, because they have not been able to come up with any kind of agreement for a contract extension.

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie

It must be tough to go from All-Pro to sitting on the bench. Sure, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie sees action and gets some snaps every game in the Philadelphia Eagles secondary, but he is just not being used like the top corner that he has been accustomed to.

With so much talent already there in Philadelphia, Rodgers-Cromartie would greatly enhance the secondaries of a number of playoff-caliber teams, because there are some teams with very good records that have very suspect pass defenses.

But the Eagles are hoping that they can string some wins together and turn their season around, so they will more than likely sit tight on Rodgers-Cromartie and try to see how far they can go this year.

Brandon Marshall

For teams that are looking for receiving help, Brandon Marshall showed on Monday Night Football against the New York Jets, that he can talk like a crazy man, but he can still battle for the football and help out a team.

As pitiful as the Miami Dolphins offense is, Marshall is the guy that is their main weapon. Some teams will naturally pass on him because of character issues or concerns. But some coaches are willing to look past that and focus on the talents that he brings to the team.

Marshall may be a little crazy, but he can still catch the football, and he is a physical force to contend with. There are a few teams that could use him, but I just can't see the Dolphins parting with their main weapon.

C.J. Spiller

Buffalo Bills running back C.J. Spiller is doing whatever head coach Chan Gailey asks him to do. He will return kicks, return punts, run the ball and line up as a receiver. He will try to pass block, but that really is not his main forte.

Spiller appears to be learning how to be a better back this year, as he is averaging 7.1 yards per carry, picking up 107 yards on 15 carries.

Spiller is currently stuck behind Fred Jackson, who is having an MVP-like kind of season, as he is only 10 yards away from overtaking Darren McFadden of the Oakland Raiders as the leading rusher in the NFL.

As long as Jackson continues to serve as the Bills go-to guy, Spiller is seeing far fewer touches this year than Coach Gailey envisioned during the preseason.

Due to current injuries to the wide receivers, Spiller actually lined up more as a wide receiver last Sunday against the New York Giants than he did as a running back, to show his versatility, but also to highlight that as long as he is behind Fred Jackson, we will never know for sure how good of a running back he will be.

Chris Johnson

As far as another player who should be traded but probably won't, is Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson. For the tidy sum of $55 million over a six-year period ($30 million of which is guaranteed), Johnson so far has generated 250 yards on 83 carries for a paltry average of 3.0 yards per rush.

Breaking it down further, Johnson is averaging 50 yards rushing per game. Based on the current stats and his contract, that means he is being paid roughly $572,000 per game (before taxes), which comes out to roughly $11,440 per yard. Nice work if you can get it.

What should also be of concern to the Titans is that here are the running average yards per rush this year for Johnson: 2.7, 2.2, 1.6, 4.4 and 3.6.

After all of the drama, hold-out distractions and bitter contract talks, maybe the Titans would be better off trading him away and getting a bunch of draft picks, since the Titans already know what the players will be slated to earn under the new CBA deal. It's a thought.

Lance Briggs

Lance Briggs is another example of a player who should be traded, but his current team will not part with him.

Briggs was upset over his lack of contract talks, so he requested a trade. The Bears GM Jerry Angelo basically said whatever he needed to in order to appease Briggs, but they never had any interest in trading him away. He is too important to their defense.

Briggs is a difference maker, and the Bears no doubt would get a healthy offer from teams in need of help at linebacker. We will see how things go after the season is over, and if Briggs takes his talent, and his pride, to some other team in 2012.