Record-setting 2022 NFL trade deadline day

It’s fair to say that the 2022 NFL trade deadline day was the craziest in the history of the league.

There were 12 deals made on Tuesday ahead of the 4pm deadline, the most ever on a deadline day.

The Miami Dolphins were the busiest team on the day. They bolstered their defense by acquiring star edge rusher Bradley Chubb in the biggest deal of the day.

Chubb, taken fifth overall by the Denver Broncos in 2018, became the fifth player to be traded during the season for a first-round since 2014 and the first since the Los Angeles Rams sent a pair to the Jacksonville Jaguars for Jalen Ramsey in 2019.

Running back Chase Edmonds was also part of the exchange for Chubb.

Running back moves on Deadline Day

The Dolphins were not finished on deadline day and dealt a fifth-round pick to the San Francisco 49ers for running back Jeff Wilson Jr.

Wilson Jr, deemed surplus to requirements after the Niners signed Christian McCaffrey earlier in the window, will add even more electric speed to the explosive Miami offense.

Another running back on the move was Nyheim Hines, who is leaving the chaos at the Indianapolis Colts behind in return for the Super Bowl-chasing Buffalo Bills.

The Bills add some quality depth for their championship charge, having also acquired safety Dean Marlowe from the Atlanta Falcons for a 2023 seventh-rounder.

The Colts do get Zach Moss included in the package for Hines. But they have lost one of the better utility backs in the league. Hines is only 25 and can take his game to new heights in Buffalo.

Wideouts get a new start

The most surprising move of the day was undoubtedly the Jacksonville Jaguars signing wide receiver Calvin Ridley from the Falcons.

Ridley, currently serving a season-long suspension after being caught betting on NFL games, hasn’t played since Week Five of the 2021 season. So given Ridley’s uncertain status, the Jaguars are certainly taking a risk ahead of his return.

But given the maximum compensation for Ridley is a fifth-rounder and a second-round selection in 2014, the deal for the former second-team All-Pro could prove to be a masterstroke in the coming years.

Another surprising move saw Chase Claypool join the Chicago Bears, after a trade which saw a second-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft go to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Bears need help in the receiving core, and this move looks like a present to Justin Fields for some good play as of late. Chicago is well into its rebuilt which makes a mid-season move unexpected, but more talent on offensive can only be exicitng.

For the Steelers, the second-pick that they receive in this deal has a great chance to be in the top 40 next year, which presents great value.

Elsewhere, Pittsburgh continued to be productive on deadline day and signed cornerback William Jackson III for the Washington Commanders.

Jackson III, a competent corner who wanted out in Washington, was exchanged alongside a conditional 2025 seventh-round pick, for a 2025 conditional sixth-rounder.

The Detroit Lions actioned the first interdivision trade involving a player since 1998, after sending elite tight end T.J. Hockenson to the Minnesota Vikings.

The Lions sent the first-rounder to their NFC North rivals alongside a 2023 fourth-round pick and a conditional 2024 draft selection, inexchange for the Vikings’ 2023 second-round pick a 2024 third-round pick.

The Vikings add a much needed tight end to their team. Irv Smith Jr. was placed on injury reserve prior to the move for Hockenson.

Which moves fell short?

There were no moves for the likes of Kareem Hunt and Brandin Cooks. Two players who had looked certain to be traded this time last week.

Hunt, who requested a trade in the summer, had been given permission to find a new team. Trading Hunt felt like a given for the Cleveland Browns, but interest was deemed too low.

Cooks, who has a cap hit of more than $26 million in 2023, looked certain to be shipped on by the Houston Texans. He was visibly annoyed that a trade away never happened.

Alvin Kamara was rumoured to be on his way to the Philadelphia Eagles, before an incredible three-touchdown performance in Week Eight ensured the Saints kept him in New Orleans.

Brian Burns, defensive end for the Carolina Panthers, was another player who seemed on the cusp of a big trade. According to Albert Breer, the Rams had an offer which included two first-round picks rejected, possibly given that those selections were from 2024.

Elsewhere, fans of the Rams and the Green Bay Packers will be disappointed after little activity from their franchises on deadline day.

Both teams are slacking in the 2022 season and seemed certain to make improvements to their rosters.