The NFL trade deadline has come and gone, and it didn’t disappoint. The New York Jets stole all the headlines (including ours) by trading away two of their best players in cornerback Sauce Gardner and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, in exchange for a haul of draft capital and a couple of former top picks.

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It’s all about the future now for the Jets. The same, however, cannot be said for the Indianapolis Colts, who sent a pair of first-rounders to New York for Gardner. The Colts clearly believe the AFC is up for grabs, and they pushed their chips to the center. Of course, the Gardner and Williams deals weren’t the only ones of significance made in the past 24 hours. There have been plenty of moves that could change the course of the season, and we’ve broken them all down here, providing some brief thoughts, analysis and, of course, trade grades for every deal made ahead of the deadline.

Chargers acquire OL Trevor Penning

The New Orleans Saints traded offensive lineman Trevor Penning to the Los Angeles Chargers for a 2027 sixth-round pick, league sources told The Athletic.

Why they made the move

The Chargers have one of the best young tackle tandems in the NFL with Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt. Problematically, however, both are done for the season with injuries.

Penning, a first-round pick in 2022, is set to become a free agent after the season because the Saints declined to exercise his fifth-year option. Considering how desperately teams have sought offensive line solutions, that’s a fairly damning indication of how Penning’s time with the Saints has gone. He’s got good strength and physical ability, but it hasn’t materialized consistently enough on the field.

The Saints were sellers at the deadline, having already moved wideout Rashid Shaheed to the Seattle Seahawks. And though they weren’t as active as the New York Jets, the Penning trade was a continuation of their decision to move spare parts.

Chargers trade grade: OK

Penning didn’t pan out at either tackle spot or guard for the Saints. Perhaps things will go better with Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh. At minimum, Penning should be better than anyone the Chargers would be signing off another team’s practice squad at this point.

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Saints trade grade: Fine

The draft pick was a whiff. The trade compensation for a player on the outs was just fine, even if it’ll take some patience before they can attempt to capitalize on the return.

Cowboys acquire DT Quinnen Williams

The New York Jets traded defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2027 first-round pick, a 2026 second-round pick and defensive tackle Mazi Smith. The first-rounder will be the better of the Cowboys’ two picks, as they also own the rights to the Green Bay Packers’ top selection (Micah Parsons trade).

Why they made the move

The Jets are tearing it down to the studs.