NFL Trade Deadline: Nine Players Who Should Have Been Traded

The NFL trade deadline has come and passed, bringing with it some of the biggest moves of the season.

Carson Palmer finally worked his way out of Cincinnati and on to Oakland, while Brandon Lloyd moved from Denver to St. Louis. A trade between Detroit and Philadelphia broke off when doctors found that running back Jerome Harrison had a brain tumor.

It was one of the busiest trade deadlines in recent memory—but even so, there were a ton of players who should have been moved that weren't.

Lets take a look at ten players who were not traded but should have been.

Asante Samuel

The Eagles problem really isn't Asante Samuel. He's played decently enough this season and the Eagle's secondary is improving as the season goes on.

But before the deadline the Eagles let slip that Samuel was available for trade. And of the Eagles' secondary, his departure makes the most sense.

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is playing off the bench and is younger (and cheaper) than Samuels. If Philadelphia could have shipped out Samuels for some run defense, it wouldn't have been a huge loss to their secondary and probably could have helped them win some more.

And for any teams that need some secondary help but didn't take advantage should regret passing up on Samuel, who could really help many teams out.

The Eagles didn't need to trade Samuel, but the second they announced they were shopping him, it made him the odd man out.

Keep the man or stop trying to trade him.

Brandon Marshall

Here is what Brandon Marshall told The Miami Herald before last Monday's contest against New York:

"

I don’t care if I have penalties. It doesn’t matter; I’m going to let it all out. I don’t care what you guys write or what the commentators say. I’m just going to play football. That’s what I’m best at. I’m best when I play emotional. I’m best when I play with passion.

You guys are going to see that on Monday Night Football. I don’t know if it’s throwing a football 15 yards in the bleachers, or getting a 15-yarder [penalty], or punting the ball and getting thrown out of the game. But something is going to happen. I’ll probably get kicked out after the second quarter.

"

He then went on to tell ESPN, "I'm not joking....They're going to fine me. It's probably going to be like a $50,000 fine. But that quarter-and-a-half that I'm out there, I'm going to play like a monster."

Marshall didn't get kicked out of the game, but those quotes show enough. Any player who says he doesn't care about penalties or seeks to get kicked out of a game should be on the trading block in a heartbeat.

Marshall is definitely talented and would probably fetch a high price. But with a team as dysfunctional as Miami, keeping a player who threatens to get kicked out of a game makes no sense. And with the Dolphins rebuilding, any picks they could have gotten would be more valuable than Marshall.

Chad Ochocinco

Chad Ochocinco has been an utter disappointment since being signed in the offseason by New England. He has just nine receptions for a dismal 136 yards, and his snaps are becoming increasingly limited.

He's struggled to learn and fit into the Patriots offensive system, which continues to shine around him. The Pats are, even with his low production, the best offense in football.

New England gave Ochocino a $11.5 million three—year contract this offseason, but $4.75 million of it was a signing bonus, so it's not as if his contract would have been difficult to move.

While the price tag would have probably been relatively low—Brandon Lloyd, after all, netted the Broncos just a 6th round selection—keeping him and his poor play at any contract would make no sense for the Patriots.

It's hard to imagine there weren't some teams (Cleveland, Carolina, San Francisco all come to mind) out there who would have taken him for a 6th/7th rounder.

But New England apparently hasn't given up on Ochocinco just yet.

Chris Harris

Safety Chris Harris wasn't happy anymore in Chicago and asked for a trade. The team allowed his agent to explore trade options, but when it came down to it, Harris is still a Bear.

The Chicago Sun-Times's Sean Jensen reported that all the Bears could find for Harris was a 7th round pick, so it isn't really surprising that Chicago didn't trade him. But while he's only played in two games this season, it's odd that some contenders didn't try to offer up a little bit more than that.

Last season, Harris had five interceptions and 70 tackles, and while he hasn't played exceptionally well this year, teams like Green Bay and New England, who need all the help they can get in the secondary, should have offered up a sixth rounder or so for Harris.

Eddie Royal

Certainly it wouldn't help new quarterback Tim Tebow to lose both Brandon Lloyd AND Eddie Royal, but it was a move that should have been done.

SI.com first reported that Royal was on the market and wasn't happy in Denver. Royal hasn't exactly lit up the field this season, playing limited snaps and getting only four receptions all year. Royal is only 25, so his age probably increased his value in the eyes of the Broncos.

Now that he's staying in Denver, his playing time might increase. But he's constantly injured AND is unhappy.

Royal's contract expires at the end of the season, so you have a disgruntled young player with little reason to stay.

Kyle Orton

Remember in the preseason when Kyle Orton's trade value was pretty dang high?

Denver fans must be wishing they'd traded Orton when he had some value because he certainly doesn't have much anymore.

Orton is set to make $7.379 million this season and now, seven weeks in, he'll be making it off the bench. The Broncos faithful have finally gotten their wish, with Tim Tebow starting on Sunday against the Dolphins.

This could go one of two ways for Denver. One, Tebow could become the superstar his rabid fanbase believes he could be and Orton rots on the bench. Or two, Tebow bombs and Orton comes back out to start for a muddled, angry mess of a team.

Neither situation bodes well for Orton. Denver should have cut their losses at the trade deadline and shopped Orton for whatever or whomever they could have gotten. His value really couldn't get any lower after this, and either Tebow will be the Broncos QB for the foreseeable future, or they'll need one in the upcoming draft/free-agent market.

Peyton Hillis

First, there were problems with contract extension talks. Then, there was the strep throat, and whether or not he was actually sick. Now it's a hamstring injury.

Could Peyton Hillis be any more of a distraction for an already dysfunctional team?

If Cleveland really wants to keep him, they can just franchise tag him in the offseason and be done with it. But his value was sky high and there were plenty of teams (Green Bay immediately comes to mind) who are contending and would ship over picks for a strong running back.

But instead we have a franchise player who, for one reason or another, can't stay on the field and can't stop being a distraction.

Reggie Wayne

When rumors began that the Colts were shopping Reggie Wayne, the arguments against his departure where numerous.

Wayne, who has been among the NFL's top wide receivers for many seasons, remains with Indianapolis. And he really shouldn't have.

If Wayne was still young or even had a few years left in the tank, the argument could be made for keeping him. But he's 32 and his production is already faltering—only one touchdown this season and a surprisingly low 370 yards. He's lost his old first step and it looks like his age is catching up with him.

It's not a guaranteed thing that he'll be able to produce next season when Peyton Manning returns or when the Colts draft Manning's replacement (Andrew Luck, maybe).

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Colts could potentially have got a fourth-round pick for Wayne, which seems a fair price for a decent veteran on the decline who has an expiring contract.

Unless the Colts really think that Wayne will magically recover his youth when the next season rolls around, they should have just bit the bullet and gotten what they could have.

Robert Mathis

Here's the argument for keeping Robert Mathis: He's the best defensive player on the team, despite being 30 years old, and in trading him, the Colts would have basically admitted they were tanking away the season.

Here's the argument for trading him: His contract is expiring next season with no indication that he's excited about re-signing, and the Colts really do need to rebuild.

Unless Indianapolis thinks that they'd get a higher compensation pick should Mathis sign elsewhere, not dealing him seems a poor decision.

Understandably, the loss of a player like Peyton Manning is a huge for Indianapolis. But you can also make the argument that it shows just how much this team really needs to rebuild.

Without Manning, the Colts may not win a single game—that doesn't seem like a true contender at any point, even if Manning returned this very moment in full health.

The Colts could have gotten a nice pick or two for Mathis, who is still one of the better pass rushers in the game and has 3.5 sacks on the season.

Indianapolis needs to fully rebuild, not continually put Band-Aids on a gaping wound.