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Week 7 was a brutal week for injuries in the NFL, putting a few teams at a crossroads as the Nov. 5 trade deadline rapidly approaches. There are a few playoff hopeful teams that have just been crushed by injuries up to this point in the season, putting them in a position where they may have to be active in the trade market.
There were a handful of notable players to catch the injury bug this week, giving the league a chance to look forward to potential movement. Here are a few high-profile players that were injured this week, and where it leaves their teams.
Deshaun Watson
Deshaun Watson going down for the season with a torn Achilles presents probably the most intriguing quarterback conundrum the league has had in some time. On one hand, he’s still one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the league with a fully guaranteed $230 million contract, but he was also the worst quarterback in the league that hadn’t been benched up to this point. There’s a very real chance that the Browns’ offense could get better simply from not having him in the starting lineup.
If the Browns weren’t 1-6, it would make a lot of sense for them to trade for a quarterback, but they are. They signed former Patriot Bailey Zappe off the Chiefs’ practice squad, but they might as well just start Jameis Winston for the rest of the season just to see what happens. They’ve already started offloading pieces with the Amari Cooper trade to the Bills. This isn’t going to get easier for Cleveland.
Mike Evans and Chris Godwin
The Buccaneers are a team that actually might make sense to make a trade at wide receiver.
Chris Godwin, who was having a career year, is going to be out for the rest of the season dealing with a dislocated ankle. Mike Evans is also going to undergo assessments and treatments for a hamstring injury that could put him out for some time. That puts the Buccaneers in a pretty tough spot as they battle with the Falcons for control of the NFC South.
Rookie Jalen McMillan will be relied upon, but they’re just going to need more firepower to survive the middle portion of the season with mediocre talent. Maybe it would make sense for a guy like DeAndre Hopkins or Cooper Kupp to land here, depending on how aggressive Tampa Bay is being. At 4-3, there’s no need to give up on the season and just fully handicap yourself — being aggressive does have some credence for the Bucs.
Jayden Daniels
Jayden Daniels left the Commanders’ blowout win over the hapless Panthers early with a rib injury that may cause him to miss a little bit of time. The Commanders should be set at quarterback for now — backup quarterback Marcus Mariota diced up the Panthers during his action, which should quiet the need for exploring reinforcements.
Playing Carolina undoubtedly helped Mariota lead the Commanders to 40 points, but executing the job as asked is the expectation of a backup quarterback. Mariota and the Commanders should feel fine as long as Daniels isn’t out for too long.
Brandon Aiyuk
Brandon Aiyuk is out for the rest of the season after tearing his ACL and MCL against the Chiefs on Sunday, causing the 49ers to lose another ace playmaker from their offense. On one hand, the 49ers were somewhat prepared for this scenario by spending a first-round pick on Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall. On the other hand, Pearsall just made his first appearance in an NFL game this weekend after recovering from a gunshot wound in late August.
As Deebo Samuel recovers from a bout with pneumonia, it’s safe to say that the 49ers’ depth at wide receiver is a bit thin. There aren’t too many wide receiver trade targets out there who’d be worth the asking price — plus the Rams trading Kupp in division seems unlikely — so they might just have to take this one on the chin for now.
DK Metcalf
DK Metcalf is considered week-to-week right now with an MCL Sprain, but if there’s any team that doesn’t need to trade for wide receiver talent, it’s Seattle. Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba along with quarterback Geno Smith are enough to keep this offense afloat while Metcalf recovers from his injury. No need for them to trade for a wide receiver.
If anything, they need to trade for someone to play linebacker for them — not an offensive player.