The NFL trade deadline has passed, and numerous potential playoff teams made moves to make a late-season run.

While not every trade was as surprising as the Dallas Cowboys netting wide receiver Jonathan Mingo from the Carolina Panthers, other teams made moves that could provide surprises later. The Pittsburgh Steelers had double the surprise with two trades on Tuesday, which could lead to improvements on both sides of the ball.

Meanwhile, some teams gave up higher-round draft picks for immediate returns such as the Buffalo Bills with Amari Cooper and the New York Jets with Davante Adams. The coming weeks could decide if those moves were worth it.

Winners

The Steelers picked up two veteran players in trades on Tuesday with defensive end Preston Smith and wide receiver Mike Williams. Preston gives the Steelers more depth up front for just a seventh-round pick that went to the Green Bay Packers. Williams gives Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson another talented skill player, which Pittsburgh gave up a fifth-round pick for in a trade with the New York Jets.

Detroit Lions

The Lions helped fill the void left by injured defensive end Aidan Hutchinson with the acquisition of Za’Darius Smith. Detroit also managed to give up just two 2025 picks in the fifth and sixth rounds in the trade with the Cleveland Browns.

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Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore landing a two-time Pro Bowl cornerback in Tre’Davious White could aid the Ravens passing defense. In addition, the Ravens only gave up a 2026 seventh-round pick with the Los Angeles Rams for the move.

The Ravens adding wide receiver Diontae Johnson from the Carolina Panthers also gives quarterback Lamar Jackson another viable skill player to work with. Baltimore only had to part with a 2025-fifth round pick in exchange for Johnson and a 2025 sixth-round pick in the process.

San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers improved the defense with the acquisition of defensive tackle Khalil Davis from the Houston Texans for just a 2026 seventh-round pick. Davis could bolster the 49ers defensive front in a year where the team has been beset by injuries.

Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City adding wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins already looks like a boon after a trade with the Tennessee Titans for a 2025 conditional fifth-round pick. Hopkins had a 2-touchdown game in a tight overtime win during Week 9.

The Chiefs picking up linebacker Josh Uche from the New England Patriots for a 2026 sixth-round pick will also help. Uche had three sacks with the Patriots before he joined the Chiefs.

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings picking up running back Cam Akers from the Texans before the deadline could make a big difference down the stretch. Akers adds depth to the running back room where Aaron Jones has already been injured once this season.

Minnesota also acquired offensive tackle Cam Robinson from the Jacksonville Jaguars after Christian Darrisaw’s season-ending injury. That could dwarf giving up a 2026 conditional fifth-round pick in the long run.

Washington Commanders

The Commanders improved the defense with cornerback Marshon Lattimore in a trade with the New Orleans Saints. Lattimore has playoff experience, but he has dealt with injuries consistently for years. Washington also gave up a significant amount for him with 2025 picks in the third, fourth, and sixth round.

Buffalo Bills

Grabbing wide receiver Amari Cooper from the Cleveland Browns for a 2025 third-round pick and a 2026 seventh-round pick could easily pay off. Cooper adds receiver depth to a Bills offense that’s averaging 28.9 points per game, so he doesn’t need to be quarterback Josh Allen’s go-to guy. However, Cooper has shown that he can still play at a high level, and that could benefit the Bills late in the year and beyond.

Losers

Acquiring wide receiver Davante Adams might not produce optimal results, but the Jets got a spark so far with the trade. He has 14 catches for 175 yards and a touchdown in his short time with the team.

New York gave up significant draft capital, a conditional third-round pick, to the Las Vegas Raiders in the process. If the Jets don’t reach the heights imagined with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Adams sets the team back one future talent to go all-in for 2024 with a losing record.

Dallas Cowboys

Dallas trading with the Carolina Panthers for wide receiver Jonathan Mingo could help with receiving depth, but the Cowboys gave up a future talent in a fourth-round draft pick next year. Mingo doesn’t have eye-popping numbers amid just 55 receptions for 539 yards and no touchdowns in his first 24 career games.

Seattle Seahawks

Since the Seahawks picked up linebacker Ernest Jones, it hasn’t paid off yet in the win-loss column. Meanwhile, the Titans haven’t benefited from trading Jones as linebacker Jerome Baker hasn’t played yet.

Defensive end Roy Robertson-Harris coming over from the Jaguars for a 2026 sixth-round pick could help. His debut with the Seahawks consisted of five tackles off the bench.

Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals improved the defense with linebacker Baron Browning though he has a history of injuries. In addition, Arizona only gave up a 2025 sixth-round pick to the Denver Broncos in the process.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals needed a running back with Zach Moss out due to a neck injury, and the team found one in Khalil Herbert. However, he only has eight carries for 16 yards and a touchdown this season. Cincinnati fortunately only gave up a seventh-round pick to the Chicago Bears in the process.