7 NFL trade deadline buyers and sellers in 2024 including Eagles, 49ers, Browns, Lions

The NFL's annual trade deadline is just around the corner.

Tuesday is the last day teams can make trades until March, and after Tuesday's deadline, teams will only be able to add players via waivers or free agency until the next trade window.

That means Tuesday could shape the rest of the 2024 NFL season as well as seasons to come.

Which teams should sell and which should buy at the start of the deadline?

Teams that should be buyers

Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions are sitting on baseball's NFL version of a 3-0 count. The bases are loaded, their bat is at the plate, and they're sitting on a fastball in the heart of the plate.

It's time to take a big step.

The obvious move would be a trade for a pass rusher. With Aidan Hutchinson out for the season, Detroit should look to increase its presence on offense. Myles Garrett and Maxx Crosby are the two big names floating around out there, but recent reports suggest that Brad Holmes is focusing on Za'Darius Smith.

But regardless of the player, Holmes has to make that big swing.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

I'm sitting at 4:4 in the frontcourt Monday Night Football Away against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are clearly off to a 4-5 start. If Baker Mayfield and Co. lose tonight, they would be two games behind the Atlanta Falcons in the division, with two losses to Atlanta already under their belt.

But if you zoom out a bit, the Buccaneers remain near the top of the overall playoff mix, even if a loss tonight makes the NFC South a little tougher. With injuries on the rise at the wide receiver position – Chris Godwin is out for the season with an ankle injury and Mike Evans will be out for some time with a hamstring injury – bringing in a WR would be a wise investment.

Philadelphia Eagles

With Howie Roseman still around, the Eagles will look to go big at the deadline. The Eagles are firmly in the “good” category of teams, but they are missing a few things that could set them apart from a truly elite team. Even if they can't get a new coach midway through the season, I think the Eagles could really use another pass-rush threat on the edge. Since adding freshman CB Cooper DeJean to the lineup, the secondary has strengthened, but the defensive line still has odd stretches of weak play. Bryce Huff wasn't who they wanted and Nolan Smith is still trying to find his footing. Another EDGE could be the key to their quest for another Super Bowl appearance.

San Francisco 49ers

It's absolutely crazy that the Niners have stayed quiet while rivals in the NFL poached receivers at bargain prices to further their playoff push. Sure, it's been a down year in San Francisco, with injuries to Christian McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk severely impacting their offense, but the NFC West remains open to whoever can win – and the 49ers are still in the hunt.

We don't know who (if anyone) at WR will be on the market to help alleviate this team's woes at receiver, but at this point any help at any position would be appreciated just to give the coaching staff some options. When you combine all of that with the simple fact that the 49ers have the most cap space in the NFL, it stands to reason that they should be included in any and every deal.

Teams that should be salespeople

Cleveland Browns

Jameis Winston's Week 8 performance against the Baltimore Ravens – in which the veteran backup completed 27 of 41 passes for 334 yards in a win – gave the Cleveland Browns fan base a bit of hope.

Winston and that hope came back down to earth in Sunday's 27-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, a game in which Winston threw three interceptions.

It's time for Cleveland to swallow the bitter truth, make some deals at the deadline and try to turn things around in the offseason. As mentioned above, Za'Darius Smith is a name that has already been mentioned in trade talks, along with fellow pass rusher Myles Garrett. Whatever the Browns can do to perhaps free up some cap space and obtain additional draft capital, they should do it.

Las Vegas Raiders

Have you seen the Raiders? Really, we could end it here.

However, the decision to hire Antonio Brown as head coach was somewhat questionable be The decision to hire Luke Getsy as his offensive coordinator doomed this team. With no quarterback, no offensive weapons, and with Davante Adams already traded away, there's no reason not to just blow up the entire team and start over.

This team needs draft capital. A lot of it. That might mean making a heartbreaking decision to trade away Maxx Crosby, but this team's problems are so deep that Crosby alone can't improve them. Time to get some tips and rebuild this mess.

New Orleans Saints

The saints need to take a long look in the mirror and see who they are. Their loss on Sunday to the Panthers was the turning point as head coach Dennis Allen was fired and fell to 2-7, effectively ending a year that began so promisingly.

The Saints have so many competitive commitments over the next year or two that they should look to use other teams' desperation as a mechanism to improve their bottom line. Anyone and everyone should be on the block outside of Chris Olave. Sure, it would hurt to remove the Band-Aid, but if New Orleans wants to compete and rebuild in the future, they should answer every single call and make every deal possible.