2021 NFL Trade Deadline Winners and Losers

The 2021 NFL trade deadline has officially passed, and while the event wasn't as full of activity as some might have expected, a few notable names were moved.

The Denver Broncos sent eight-time Pro Bowler Von Miller to the Los Angeles Rams on Monday. And on Tuesday before the 4 p.m. ET deadline, the Pittsburgh Steelers sent pass-rusher Melvin Ingram to the Kansas City Chiefs, while the New York Jets acquired guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif from Kansas City.

Of course, some of the biggest buzz to come out of the deadline involved deals that weren't made. Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson and Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. remain with their teams despite plenty of pre-deadline speculation.

Here, we'll dive into some of the noteworthy deals and non-deals and sort out the biggest winners and losers of the 2021 NFL trade deadline.

Did the Rams need to send 2022 second- and third-round picks to Denver to acquire Miller? Not exactly. Los Angeles sits at 7-1 and leads the NFL with 25 sacks. No one, including head coach Sean McVay, would have batted an eye if the Rams went through the deadline without making a deal—though McVay did leave the door open for a splash trade.

"I would never say never, as you know," he said, per ESPN's Lindsey Thiry.

The Rams are getting a luxury, though, that could help them win this year's Super Bowl. Miller is still playing at a high level—he has 4.5 sacks and 16 quarterback pressures this season—and he can help improve a Rams defense that ranks just 21st in yards allowed.

Putting Miller in the same front seven as Aaron Donald and Leonard Floyd will help L.A. maintain one of the best pass rushes in the league.

Of course, it's not good news for other teams looking to emerge from the NFC.

The Dallas Cowboys have been rolling since narrowly losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1. However, they have not been particularly great at pressuring opposing quarterbacks. Dallas' defense has produced just 12 sacks, tied for fourth-fewest in the league.

According to NFL Network's Peter Schrager, the Cowboys were interested in acquiring Miller.

"The Buffalo Bills called about Von Miller. The Dallas Cowboys called about Von Miller," Schrager said on Good Morning Football (h/t K.D. Drummond of Cowboys Wire).

You could add the Buffalo Bills here, though they've been a little more effective at getting to opposing quarterbacks—Buffalo has 16 sacks on the season. The Bills also won't have to face Los Angeles in the postseason unless the two teams meet in Super Bowl LVI.

Obviously, the 6-1 Cowboys are still a significant threat in the NFC, but failing to add to the pass rush while watching Miller go to a potential conference playoff opponent has to sting just a little.

The Broncos are 4-4 and technically still in the playoff mix. However, it's becoming increasingly clear that their quarterback of the future is not on the roster.

Denver acquired Teddy Bridgewater from the Carolina Panthers during the offseason. He beat out Drew Lock for the starting job and has been serviceable at times. However, Bridgewater has not lifted the Broncos offense to a championship-caliber level.

Bridgewater has posted a respectable passer rating of 100.6 while throwing 13 touchdowns and just five interceptions. However, the Broncos also rank 22nd in net yards per pass attempt, 21st in total offense and 23rd in scoring.

Time could be running out on head coach Vic Fangio, as the Broncos have yet to post a winning record under his guidance. This means that another rebuild could be on the immediate horizon. Getting something of value for Miller—who is in the final year of his contract—was a smart move with the future in mind.

Denver also moved rookie cornerback Kary Vincent Jr. just before the deadline, netting a 2022 sixth-round pick from the Philadelphia Eagles in the process.

Beckham simply has not been a factor in the Browns offense this season, as evidenced by his 34 targets and 17 receptions in six games.

While Beckham has not publicly criticized the Browns or quarterback Baker Mayfield for his lack of usage, his father, Odell Beckham Sr., did exactly that on Tuesday. Beckham Sr. (h/t Jake Trotter of ESPN) posted a lengthy video to Instagram of Mayfield either not throwing to Beckham when he's open or throwing uncatchable passes intended for him. 

Behind the scenes, the receiver may be unhappy with Cleveland.

"Odell Beckham wants out," Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweeted. "His relationship with Baker Mayfield is beyond repair."

If Beckham was hoping to reestablish his value elsewhere, it's going to have to wait until at least the offseason. 

Beckham is under contract through the 2023 season but has no dead money remaining on his deal. The Browns could release him in the offseason with no financial repercussions. Beckham isn't likely to command a high market value based on what he's put on film in Cleveland.

The Chiefs acquired Melvin Ingram for a sixth-round pick, according to ESPN's Brooke Pryor. That's a small price to pay for a seasoned veteran who can bolster a defense that is merely average when it's at its best.

The Chiefs rank 29th in total defense, 25th in points allowed and have only produced 11 sacks through eight games. Defensive linemen Chris Jones and Michael Danna are the only members of Kansas City's defense with multiple sacks this season.

Ingram had only one sack with Pittsburgh this year, but he did tally 11 quarterback pressures.

Kansas City also got something in return for an interior offensive lineman who hasn't played since 2019. Duvernay-Tardif, who has a doctorate in medicine, opted out of the 2020 season to work at a long-term care facility during the COVID-19 pandemic. He then suffered a broken hand in training camp and has yet to see the field in 2021. While Duvernay-Tardif is a fine guard, the presence of Joe Thuney and rookie standout Trey Smith made him expendable.

The Chiefs acquired tight end Dan Brown from the Jets in the trade.

While these are not season-saving moves, they were smart, budget friendly deals for a Chiefs team looking to return to championship form.

Many Houston Texans fans were likely hoping to simply move on from quarterback Deshaun Watson at the deadline.

Watson requested a trade out of Houston early in the offseason. Since then, he has come to face 22 civil lawsuits and 10 criminal complaints from women who have accused him of sexual assault or misconduct. 

There was plenty of speculation about whether the Texans could move Watson at the deadline, but any potential deal appears to have been contingent on Watson settling his civil cases—which did not happen.

"Watson not settling his legal situation has resulted in him not getting traded, source said. Watson will stay put in Houston until the offseason," NFL Media's Ian Rapoport tweeted.

So fans must continue enduring speculation about Watson's future until at least the spring. Meanwhile, Houston didn't receive a single asset to improve the product on the field and actually parted with a couple of contributing players.

Running back Mark Ingram II was dealt to the New Orleans Saints last week. Pass-rusher Charles Omenihu was traded to the San Francisco 49ers on Tuesday. The one-win Texans, it seems, aren't likely to get significantly better at any point this season.

While we often focus on the teams involved in deadline deals, it's important to remember that the players involved can be big winners, too.

Miller, for example, leaves a middling Broncos team for an L.A. squad poised to win a championship. The same can be said for tight end Zach Ertz, who was traded from the Eagles to the Arizona Cardinals a couple of weeks before the deadline.

Ingram joins a 5-2 New Orleans Saints team that just knocked off the NFC South-leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers. New Orleans now sits a half-game behind the Buccaneers and owns the first head-to-head tiebreaker.

Miller, Ingram and Ertz have left teams that currently hold an 8-16 combined record. They've each joined teams poised to make a push for the postseason in 2021. The Rams and Cardinals appear to be legitimate Super Bowl contenders, and if the Saints can navigate Jameis Winston's season-ending ACL tear, they too could be in the conversation.

From strictly an on-field standpoint, Miller, Ertz and Ingram are all in better situations than they were a month ago.

The Green Bay Packers are 7-1 and among the NFC's top contenders. However, they suffered a big blow in Week 8 when tight end Robert Tonyan suffered an ACL tear.

While Ertz was traded well before Tonyan's injury, he would have been a logical target had he remained on Philadelphia's roster. At the deadline, Green Bay was reportedly looking at other tight ends, including Evan Engram of the New York Giants.

"The Packers have been 'asking around' about tight ends over the last few days, according to an NFL source, and have signaled an interest in all of the top names believed to be available," SNY's Ralph Vacchiano wrote. "That includes Engram, the Giants tight end who many around the league believe could be traded by 4 p.m. on Tuesday if the price is right."

The Packers failed to land Engram or another starting-caliber tight end, which leaves Aaron Rodgers in need of a new safety valve at the position. With Tonyan out, 37-year-old Marcedes Lewis becomes Rodgers' top option at tight end. He and fellow tight end Josiah Deguara have combined for only 13 receptions this season, while Tonyan leads the position group with 18 catches, 204 yards and two touchdowns.

The silver lining here is that Green Bay may have a crack at former Packers tight end Jace Sternberger. According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, Sternberger was waived by the Washington Football Team on Tuesday.

*Advanced statistics from Pro Football Reference.