As we get closer and closer to the NFL’s roster deadline — every team needs to get down to 53 players by Aug. 30 — it’s prime time for wheeling and dealing, as front offices hope to get something in return for players who might not fit into their plans for the upcoming season.
Some of those trade candidates, like New England Patriots receiver Kayshon Boutte, are known quantities without a ton to prove. Others, however, are hoping to make a good impression in the second week of preseason games in order to tempt a rival team to make an offer.
QB JJ McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings
Might as well start with the obvious. McCarthy has already lost the Minnesota Vikings QB battle to Kyler Murray, and he was so scattershot in the preseason opener against the Giants that it’s now an open question whether Carson Wentz is better suited to be the team’s No. 2.
At this point, it’s hard to see a path to real playing time for McCarthy in Minnesota, at least not in 2026. That said, he’s a former top-10 pick with just one season of starting experience under his belt, so it’s not inconceivable that some team would be motivated to send some real value to the Vikings in order to see what sort of upside he has left. In order to convince the rest of the league that’s worth the risk, though, he has to start taking real steps forward, starting this weekend against the Ravens.
QB Spencer Rattler, New Orleans Saints
Of course, McCarthy isn’t the only young passer looking to resuscitate his career with a change of scenery. It wasn’t too long ago that Rattler looked like he might be the future in New Orleans, but he was passed up by Tyler Shough last season, and he was soundly outplayed by Zach Wilson in the Saints’ preseason opener.
Rattler wasn’t drafted under the Kellen Moore regime, and he may well wind up as QB3 by the start of the season. Given the state of the position around the league, a strong performance in preseason Week 2 against the Rams should entice a front office to bring him on at least in a backup role.
CB Kristian Fulton, Kansas City Chiefs
Both 2026 first-round pick Mansoor Delane and 2025 third-round pick Nohl Williams have earned rave reviews in camp and sure seem like the future of this Kansas City cornerback room. Toss in the return of veteran L’Jarius Sneed, and it feels like Fulton — who missed a big chunk of last season due to injury and wasn’t particularly effective when he was on the field — is the odd man out on the boundary.
Teams always need corners this team of year, and Fulton is still just 28 years old with a history of real NFL production. It’s always possible that the rest of the league could play chicken with the Chiefs and wait for them to cut him, but if he can shine when on the field in the rest of the preseason, someone is going to want to jump the line.
RB Trey Benson, Arizona Cardinals
Jeremiyah Love’s ankle sprain admittedly complicates this a bit, but you could argue that Benson still isn’t higher than fourth on the depth chart. With a new coaching staff around, Arizona seems to be moving on at the position.
But teams are always willing to take a chance on young players with real pedigree, and Benson was a third-round pick in 2024 who’s flashed real upside when he’s managed to actually stay healthy. If he can pop an explosive run or two this weekend, that could be all an RB-needy squad needs to take a flier here and see if they can be the ones to keep Benson on the field consistently.
WR Cedric Tillman, Cleveland Browns
As both KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston make splash plays at Browns camp, Isaiah Bond starts to come on and GM Andrew Berry gives Jerry Jeudy a serious vote of confidence, where exactly does that leave Tillman? On the outs, most likely, which is a tough break for a former third-round pick still on a rookie deal who’s shown flashes of being a viable WR2 in the past.
Like with Benson, health has been one of the primary obstacles for Tillman so far in his career. If he can show that he’s healthy and ready to be effective, he’s too talented to potentially languish as the fifth option on a team’s depth chart.
EDGE Marist Liufau, Dallas Cowboys
It seemed like moving from off-ball linebacker out to the edge might give Liufau a path to making the Cowboys roster after the injury to Micah Parsons. Instead, Dallas loaded up at that spot over the offseason with both young (Malachi Lawrence, Jaishawn Barham) and veteran (Rashan Gary, Von Miller) talent.
Liufau is hardly a perfect player; he’s undersized on the edge and can be a liability in run defense. But he also has some real juice, and while the Cowboys have too many options ahead of him to keep him around, they’d no doubt love to find a trade partner for him rather than cutting him. A sack or two in the preseason could help toward that end, as teams are always looking for pass rush help.
DT Kris Jenkins, Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals had among the worst defensive interior situations in the league last season, an absolute sieve against the run. But after acquiring both Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen this spring, Cincy suddenly has more bodies than it knows what to do with — especially with BJ Hill making progress in his return from injury and TJ Slaton reportedly flashing in camp.
All of which could leave Jenkins as the odd man out. The 2024 second-round pick just hasn’t taken much of a step forward over his first two years in the league, and while it’s probably too soon to give up on him turning into an NFL starter, the Bengals are facing a roster crunch that needs to be resolved somehow. Again, teams love to bet on young guys with a pedigree, and if Jenkins can flash in his preseason reps, he might find himself in a more favorable depth chart situation somewhere else.
LB Malik Harrison, Pittsburgh Steelers
Harrison was a disappointment in his first year in Pittsburgh last season, and he hasn’t done much in camp to halt his slide down the depth chart — especially not with Elandon Roberts now back in the fold. The Steelers can save more than $4 million against the cap, which would seem to make him a pretty obvious cut candidate.
If he wants to avoid that fate, he’s going to have to make use of his preseason opportunities to show the rest of the league that he can recapture the third-round form he began to flash in 2024 with the Baltimore Ravens.
C Jordan Meredith, Las Vegas Raiders
Meredith struggled amid injury last season, but he’s just two years removed from PFF grading him as one of the better guards in football. He’s still just 28, and while offensive line depth is always paramount, enough teams are in need around the league that they might be willing to send real draft capital to Vegas in order to slot him into their lineups. With Tyler Linderbaum burying Meredith on the depth chart, getting something of value in return could be a better move for a still rebuilding Raiders team than keeping him as a backup.
OT Blake Fisher, Houston Texans
The Texans told you loud and clear what they thought of Fisher when they buried him on the depth chart by adding several offensive linemen this offseason. But he’s got two years remaining on his contract, and he’s still young enough that the “former second-round pick” tag will stick a little longer. If he can put together some solid tape in the preseason, he could entice a team or two that had a high grade on him in the draft.
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