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USA Today Sports Media Group

Sport

Pat Yasinskas

In wake of Duke Johnson trade, 11 other NFL players who could be dealt

With the exhibition schedule underway, another season in the NFL cycle has begun. Call it the scrambling season, when urgency forces teams to make some moves that could have been made months ago, while other moves arise because of injuries or the sudden realization by teams that they have unexpected holes to fill.

That season officially opened Thursday morning when the Cleveland Browns traded running back Duke Johnson to the Houston Texans. Johnson had been calling for a trade for months and finally got his wish. More moves are likely to come before the start of the regular season, and here’s a look at 11 candidates to be traded.

11. Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Although Pierre-Paul was Tampa Bay’s top pass-rusher last season, it’s time for the Bucs to peddle him. Even though Pierre-Paul recovered nicely after injuring his hand in a 2015 fireworks accident, he’s become damaged goods once again. He suffered a broken neck in a car accident in early May and, even in a best-case scenario, he’s going to miss about half this season. The Bucs have several promising young defensive ends, and they can save more than $7 million of Pierre-Paul’s cap hit for this year if they unload him. They would also get off the hook for $12.5 million in 2020. Pierre-Paul is 30, and even if he comes back from the neck injury, age will catch up to him soon.

10. Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, Miami Dolphins

This is a long shot, but it could happen if things play out the right way in Miami. Suppose (and, again, this is a big hypothetical), second-year pro Josh Rosen wins the starting job and plays well early. That could convince the Dolphins that Rosen is their guy for the long term. If that plays out before the Oct. 29 trading deadline and another team has a major injury at quarterback, Fitzpatrick could have some sudden market value. He’s a dependable veteran, but not a long-term solution.

9. Josh Jones, S, Green Bay Packers

A second-round pick in 2017, Jones hasn’t panned out for the Packers. He apparently wants out of Green Bay, as ESPN reported in May that he wants to be traded. The team has said Jones is not being shopped, but that’s how the front office has to play it. If the rest of the league knows the Packers don’t want Jones, other teams can just wait for him to be released. But let’s face reality. The Packers addressed the safety position heavily in the offseason. They signed free agent Adrian Amos and drafted Darnell Savage Jr. in the first round. Jones is highly expendable.

8. Karl Joseph, S, Oakland Raiders

Once you get into the doghouse of coach Jon Gruden, it’s virtually impossible to get out. It became blatantly obvious that was the case with Joseph when the Raiders used a first-round pick on his apparent replacement, Johnathan Abram, this year. Joseph, who turns 26 in September, is still young and has talent. He could thrive elsewhere with a fresh start.

7. Trae Waynes, CB, Minnesota Vikings

A first-round pick in 2015, Waynes has been a solid, but not spectacular, player. He’s expendable because the Vikings are loaded at cornerback. They have Xavier Rhodes as their No. 1 corner and Mike Hughes, a first-round pick in 2018, showed plenty of promise as a rookie. Waynes is in the final year of his contract. It would be a wise move for the Vikings to get something in return for a player they’re unlikely to re-sign for 2020.

6. Cameron Brate, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Brate is a dependable receiving tight end. But the reality is O.J. Howard has potential for greatness and clearly is Tampa Bay’s future at this position. With Howard and wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin getting most of the passes, having Brate is a luxury. The Bucs could use Brate as trade bait to get help at a position where help is needed more.

5. Yannick Ngakoue, DE, Jacksonville Jaguars

Ngakoue recently ended his holdout without getting a new contract. He apparently was seeking a deal that averaged around $20 million a year. But it would have been ridiculous to pay him anything close to that after the Jaguars used the seventh overall pick in this year’s draft on Kentucky’s Josh Allen, who appears to be Ngakoue’s eventual replacement. The Jaguars might as well get something in return for Ngakoue while they still can.

4. Vernon Butler, DT, Carolina Panthers

A first-round pick in 2016, Butler has been a complete bust. He has two career sacks and hasn’t been able to claim a starting job. The Panthers brought in six-time Pro Bowler Gerald McCoy in the offseason, and they already had Kawann Short and Dontari Poe at defensive tackle. It’s unlikely the Panthers will get much in return for Butler. But even a late-round draft pick would get them something for their original investment on Butler.

3. Solomon Thomas, DT, San Francisco 49ers

The third overall pick in 2017, Solomon has been nothing but a disappointment in San Francisco. But most of the blame for that belongs to the coaching staff for not using Thomas the right way. He’s a natural three-technique tackle, but the 49ers have used him more on the outside, where he simply isn’t a great fit. He’s carrying a big contract, and that might scare off trade partners. But Solomon still has plenty of talent, and a team that wants to use him the right way could be tempted to make a deal.

2. Jadeveon Clowney, EDGE, Houston Texans

Clowney was hit with the franchise tag (just under $16 million), and the two sides were unable to agree to a long-term deal before the deadline in July. Clowney has been holding out, but it recently was reported he plans to join the team after the third preseason game. He’s one of the best defensive players in the league, and the Texans don’t want to lose him. But it may be difficult to get him signed to a long-term deal after this season. If the Texans think bringing him back for the long term will be cost prohibitive, they could look to deal him to a team that thinks Clowney could be its only missing piece.

1. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys

At 24, Elliott is already one of the best running backs in the league, and he’s just entering his prime. But he also has been a headache for Dallas. In addition to previous off-field issues, he currently is holding out for a contract to make him one of the league’s highest-paid backs (likely around $13 million to $14 million a year). That might be more than the Cowboys can afford, because they’re also talking about new deals with quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver Amari Cooper.

Pat Yasinskas has covered the NFL since 1993. He has worked for The Tampa Tribune, The Charlotte Observer and ESPN.com and writes for numerous national magazines and websites. He also has served as a voter for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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