Five Players Who Could Still Be Traded Ahead of the 2026 NFL Season

The NFL’s cutdown day is just around the corner. By 6:00 p.m. ET Sunday night, all 32 teams must trim their rosters from 90 to 53 players ahead of the 2026 season.

What this means, unfortunately, is that over 1,000 players will be released, waived or shelved with an injury designation over the coming days.

Or, they could be traded, giving them a new chance at life in the NFL with a different squad.

As teams continue to evaluate who will and won’t make their final roster, they may also look at players on other clubs as better fits. We’ve already seen a handful of notable trades happen around the league over the past several weeks. The Giants sent guard Daniel Faalele to the Jaguars as Patrick Mekari insurance, the 49ers and Saints swapped veterans Zamir White and Deion Jones, and the Texans traded for Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte after losing Jayden Higgins for the season to a torn ACL.

Here are five more players who could be traded prior to Sunday’s roster deadline.

Gervon Dexter Sr., DT, Chicago Bears

Gervon Dexter Sr. started all 17 games in 2025 and was an integral part of the Bears’ defensive line, notching a career-high six sacks while helping the club to its first NFC North title since 2018. Yet, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, Chicago has been having trade discussions involving the 24-year-old.

“There are multiple scenarios where a deal could get done sending him to a new team,” he wrote on X.

While Dexter is an excellent pass rusher, he struggles against the run, as evidenced by his lowly career run defense grades of 36.2 (2023), 60.3 (’24) and 43.9 (’25) according to PFF.

Dexter is entering the final year of his rookie contract and could warrant a big-money deal next offseason. If the Bears—who also have Grady Jarrett, Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingbo along their defensive front—don’t plan on paying the pass-rush-happy tackle, then getting a return for him in a trade before he hits the open market would make sense.

Broderick Jones, OT, Pittsburgh Steelers

Broderick Jones has been a boomerang on the Steelers’ offensive line since the team drafted him in the first round in 2023. After making his first career start at left tackle as a rookie, Jones finished the year on the right side before making 16 starts there in 2024.

To begin the 2025 season, however, Pittsburgh moved Jones back to the left side, with Troy Fautanu taking over at right tackle. Jones started 11 games before a neck injury prematurely ended his season.

This summer, Jones has done both. He’s currently listed as the team’s backup left tackle behind Fautanu (who also switched sides) and played 49 offensive snaps there in the team’s preseason opener against the Packers. Last weekend against the Jets, however, Jones moved back to right tackle, where he played 54 snaps—and allowed five quarterback pressures and two sacks.

“First game, it was solid I would say,” Jones said earlier this week about his performance this preseason. “Second game needs a lot of improvement. Just me being back on the right side, I’ve just got to get back to the feel of things, getting the repetition. Because all offseason I really was working on left [tackle], but we’ve got to do what we can for our team. So I’ve just got to be prepared to play right.”

The problem there? Third-year pro Dylan Cook is currently listed as the team’s starting right tackle, with 2026 first-round pick Max Iheanachor sitting behind him on the depth chart.

Needless to say, the writing is on the wall for Jones’s time as a starting tackle for the Steelers. While he seems to be open to a role as a backup, a change of scenery may be what’s best for the 25-year-old.

J.J. McCarthy, QB, Minnesota Vikings

Kyler Murray winning the Vikings’ starting quarterback job means J.J. McCarthy will be the team’s backup in 2026.

Or does it?

According to reports out of Minnesota this week, the 2024 first-round pick split reps with veteran Carson Wentz as the team’s No. 2 signal-caller at Tuesday’s practice. Then, McCarthy was given what coach Kevin O’Connell called a “rest day” on Wednesday as he deals with an ankle injury he sustained in the team’s exhibition loss to the Ravens on Saturday.

If healthy, McCarthy is in line to start the Vikings’ preseason finale against the Broncos on Friday night. A solid performance could do one of two things: win the 23-year-old the team’s backup quarterback role or entice another club to call Minnesota’s front office about a potential trade, which ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler recently suggested the team could field.

Anthony Richardson, QB, Indianapolis Colts

The Colts granted Anthony Richardson Sr. permission to seek a trade this offseason amid his “uncertain future” with the team. Six months later, he remains in Indianapolis.

“I haven’t really talked to my agent about that recently,” Richardson said earlier this month about his trade request. “I haven’t really talked to anyone about that recently, so I’m not necessarily sure what’s going on with that.”

Richardson was drafted by the Colts with the No. 4 pick in the 2023 draft, but has struggled to find success since. He’s started just 15 games over three seasons, missing time because of injuries—including the bizarre orbital fracture that ended his 2025 season—and being benched due to poor play. He’s gone 8–7 in those starts while recording 21 total touchdowns and committing 17 turnovers.

Now, the 24-year-old is battling with 2025 sixth-round pick Riley Leonard for the team’s backup role behind Daniel Jones.

Indianapolis will start Richardson in its preseason finale against the Lions on Saturday afternoon, with the former first-round pick expected to play the first quarter before Leonard takes over in the second. It’s Richardson’s last chance to nail down the No. 2 spot on the Colts’ depth chart—and also serves as a final showcase for the trade market.

Kayvon Thibodeaux, edge, New York Giants

Kayvon Thibodeaux is part of a loaded edge defender room with the Giants, where he’s fighting for snaps alongside the likes of Brian Burns and Abdul Carter. As a result, his name has been subject to trade chatter throughout the offseason.

Coach John Harbaugh was asked about the team potentially moving Thibodeaux earlier this spring, acknowledging that “everybody’s tradeable,” while adding the 25-year-old is a “great player” who’s in “great shape.”

Thibodeaux was selected by New York with the No. 5 pick in the 2022 draft, and is now headed into the final year of his rookie contract, due $14.7 million on his fifth-year option. He’s tallied 23.5 sacks and six forced fumbles through his career, making him an intriguing option for teams looking to solidify their defensive edge heading into the season.

Add us as a preferred source on Google