The NFL trade deadline usually isn't as action-packed as those of the other major sports leagues. But this year's version proved to be vastly different.

Long before Tuesday's 4 p.m. deadline, star receivers such as Davante Adams, Amari Cooper and DeAndre Hopkins found themselves on different rosters.

Tuesday's action began with a bang, as the Detroit Lions demonstrated they aren't content with just being the NFC's best squad. They went out and acquired a replacement for Aidan Hutchinson after the defensive centerpiece suffered a season-ending broken tibia and fibula.

Conversely, the Cleveland Browns seemingly understand they're in the midst of a lost season despite their lofty preseason expectations.

These types of choices had to be made across the board for all 32 organizations. They either elected to make a push for the playoffs over the second half of the season or started looking toward the offseason, specifically free agency and the NFL draft.

As Tuesday progressed, Bleacher Report provided analysis and graded each of the trades.

Detroit Lions Acquire Edge Za'Darius Smith from Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions Get: DE Za'Darius Smith, 2026 seventh-round pick
Cleveland Browns Get: 2025 fifth-round pick, 2026 sixth-round pick

Za'Darius Smith has to be the happiest man in the NFL right now. After enduring the dysfunction that the 2-7 Cleveland Browns became this season, he now gets to play for arguably the league's best and deepest team.

The Detroit Lions are loaded at nearly every level. But they understood the assignment after Aidan Hutchinson suffered a grotesque leg injury in Week 6 against the Dallas Cowboys.

As talented as the Lions are, their defense lacked a legitimate edge-rusher beyond Hutchinson. Prior to his injury, the 2022 No. 2 overall pick was tracking toward being an NFL Defensive Player of the Year candidate.

Thus, Detroit flipped 2025 fifth-round and 2026 sixth-round picks to the Browns for Smith and a 2026 seventh-rounder, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

The 32-year-old is an established veteran with plenty of gas still left in the tank. Smith registered 10.5 sacks in his season-plus as a member of the Browns. His five sacks this season already double the Lions' next-best (not including Hutchinson). Furthermore, Smith is signed through the 2025 season.

Cleveland isn't close to where it wanted to be and didn't get much in return for Smith. However, the organization can now start something of a youth movement. Both Alex Wright and Isaiah McGuire have flashed, so it's worth seeing whether either one could become a long-term bookend to Myles Garrett.

Lions Grade: A

Browns Grade: C

Baltimore Ravens Acquire CB Tre'Davious White From Los Angeles Rams

Ravens Get: CB Tre'Davious White, 2027 seventh-round pick
Rams Get: 2026 sixth-round draft pick

Tre'Davious White was once one of the NFL's best cornerbacks. For a short period, he was arguably the league's best pure cover corner.

While those days are long gone, the 29-year-old defensive back can still help a team. The Baltimore Ravens certainly think so.

The Los Angeles Rams sent White and a 2027 seventh-round draft pick to Baltimore in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

White won't be asked to be anything more than a rotational piece in the Ravens secondary. Baltimore already has Marlon Humphrey, Brandon Stephens and Nate Wiggins at cornerback. But the Ravens know exactly how debilitating injuries can be to the secondary.

White adds experienced depth for basically nothing. He shouldn't be viewed as anything more than another small piece of the puzzle in hopes of Baltimore making a Super Bowl run.

The Rams are in desperate need of cornerback upgrades, yet they traded White despite still being in the mix for the NFC West. That says it all when it comes to this particular deal.

Ravens Grade: C

Rams Grade: C

Washington Commanders Acquire CB Marshon Lattimore from New Orleans Saints

Commanders Get: CB Marshon Lattimore, 2025 fifth-round pick
Saints Get: 2025 third-, fourth- and sixth-round picks

The Washington Commanders don't want to be just another good story. They want to be a true contender.

With rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels jumping out as the front-runner for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, the Commanders are off to a 7-2 start. They're only a half-game behind the Detroit Lions for the NFC's best record.

But Washington had a glaring weakness heading into the trade deadline. Head coach Dan Quinn may be one of the NFL's best defensive minds, but even he can't help the talent deficiencies found in the Commanders' secondary.

To be fair, the unit drastically improved this season after finishing dead last in pass defense last year. However, Washington's decision to acquire star cornerback Marshon Lattimore speaks volumes about how it felt about its secondary.

The Commanders surrendered third-, fourth- and sixth-round picks to acquire Lattimore and a fifth-round selection, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Lattimore will immediately have a cascading effect throughout the lineup. The 28-year-old is now Washington's CB1, so Benjamin St-Juste won't have to take on as many tough matchups. Meanwhile, rookie Mike Sainristil can move to his more natural position of nickel instead of working as an outside corner.

From the Saints' perspective, they seemingly understand where they stand both on the field and financially. They aren't going anywhere after firing head coach Dennis Allen. General manager Mickey Loomis needs to clean up his own mess, as the team was expected to be nearly $70 million over next year's salary cap prior to this trade.

The Saints will be forced to eat a $31.7 million dead-cap hit for Lattimore next season, but his contract will officially be off their books after that, according to New Orleans Football's Mike Triplett.

Commanders Grade: B+

Saints Grade: B

Pittsburgh Steelers Acquire WR Mike Williams from New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers Get: WR Mike Williams
New York Jets Get: 2025 fifth-round pick

The Pittsburgh Steelers are piecing together a competent offense through what feels like sheer force of will.

The organization spent basically nothing on quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, both of whom are on one-year, prove-it contracts. General manager Omar Khan invested heavily in the offensive line, only to see multiple injuries play a big factor.

Khan seemingly looked under every rock to add another wide receiver to play alongside George Pickens. He found one prior to Tuesday's trade deadline, as the New York Jets shipped Mike Williams to Pittsburgh for a 2025 fifth-round pick, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Williams never established a rapport with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, as evidenced by his minuscule 12 receptions in nine games. New York's acquisition of Davante Adams was the writing on the wall for Williams, who now finds himself with a new team after signing in New York as a free agent this past offseason.

Pittsburgh lacked a true WR2 behind Pickens. Calvin Austin III and Van Jefferson have a combined for 28 receptions. Williams immediately provides the Steelers with a bigger target and downfield threat to play opposite Pickens.

Pittsburgh gets another weapon as it gears up for a playoff run, while the Jets get something in return for a player who provided very little. It's a win-win scenario.

Steelers Grade: B

Jets Grade: B

Pittsburgh Steelers Acquire Edge Preston Smith from Green Bay Packers

Steelers Get: Edge-rusher Preston Smith
Packers Get: 2025 seventh-round pick

The Pittsburgh Steelers are officially pushing their stack of chips into the middle of the table and going all-in this season. (The Dallas Cowboys could learn a thing or two from them.)

Earlier Tuesday, the Steelers traded for wide receiver Mike Williams to provide a complementary piece opposite George Pickens. They then set their sights on improving the defense by acquiring outside linebacker Preston Smith from the Green Bay Packers for a seventh-round pick, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Smith is 31, and his production has dipped a bit this season. However, the Steelers aren't looking for the veteran to be an every-down game-wrecker. Instead, Pittsburgh saw an opportunity to improve upon an existing strength and make sure that the defense can get after opposing quarterbacks even if T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith or Nate Herbig go down with an injury.

If all four of them stay healthy, Pittsburgh's pass rush has the chance to be hellacious. The Steelers know exactly what their identity is and remain true to that approach through thick and thin.

For the Packers, the deal is about moving on from a veteran and eventually getting a big contract off the books. Smith will still account for $21.8 million on dead-cap space over the next two seasons, according to Spotrac. His departure should also signal a bigger role for 2023 first-round pick Lukas Van Ness.

Steelers Grade: A

Packers Grade: C-

Dallas Cowboys Acquire WR Jonathan Mingo from Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys Get: WR Jonathan Mingo, 2025 seventh-round pick
Carolina Panthers Get: 2025 fourth-round pick

Don't accuse the Dallas Cowboys of not being all-in, at least not after they traded for a new wide receiver. Dallas sent a fourth-round pick to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for Jonathan Mingo and a seventh-round selection, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The move may be too little, too late, though.

With quarterback Dak Prescott out for multiple weeks due to a hamstring injury and star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb dealing with a sprained AC joint, the 3-5 Cowboys are swimming upstream against a strong current. This move does little for the Cowboys in the short term.

Mingo, whom the Panthers selected in the second round of the 2023 draft, still has significant potential that may be unlocked over time. However, the 23-year-old managed only 55 catches for 539 yards and zero touchdowns through his first 24 NFL games.

Plus, the question of value comes into play. DeAndre Hopkins commanded less on the trade market. The Las Vegas Raiders and Cleveland Browns didn't get much more for Davante Adams and Amari Cooper, respectively, than the Panthers did for Mingo.

The Panthers should be happy with their return, as long as they don't factor in that they just gave up on their 2023 second-round pick after already giving up on the first-round selection from the same class (Bryce Young) earlier this season.

Cowboys Grade: D+

Panthers Grade: C

Cincinnati Bengals Acquire RB Khalil Herbert from Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals Get: RB Khalil Herbert
Chicago Bears Get: 2025 seventh-round pick

The Cincinnati Bengals may be 4-5 overall, but they've won three of their last four games. Meanwhile, quarterback Joe Burrow is rounding back into Pro Bowl form.

Burrow can be helped by a manageable run game, though. On Monday, head coach Zac Taylor revealed that running back Zack Moss is out indefinitely because of a neck injury.

Chase Brown has improved greatly during his second season. He's coming off a career-high 120-yard performance against the Las Vegas Raiders, but the Bengals wanted to make sure they had depth in their backfield.

On Tuesday, Cincinnati traded a seventh-round pick to the Chicago Bears for running back Khalil Herbert, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

Herbert took a back seat to D'Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson this season and has been barely used. However, the fourth-year pro ran for 1,775 yards during his first three NFL seasons.

The 26-year-old tailback now gets to be part of a rotation again, while the Bengals add a proven runner with some juice to bolster their backfield depth chart in the wake of Moss' injury.

Bengals Grade: B

Bears Grade: C+

Arizona Cardinals Acquire Edge Baron Browning from Denver Broncos

Arizona Cardinals Get: Edge Baron Browning
Denver Broncos Get: 2025 sixth-round pick

A three-game winning streak completely changed the direction of the Arizona Cardinals' season. They became buyers at this year's trade deadline instead of potential sellers.

Arizona's five wins are already more than the back-to-back four-win campaigns that it had in 2022 and 2023. More importantly, the Cardinals currently sit atop the NFC West standings with a half-game lead over the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers.

But something needed to be done about Arizona's lackluster pass rush.

As a unit, the Cardinals have 21 sacks. No one on the roster has more than 3.5. That doesn't even crack the league's top 40 individual performances.

Browning found himself in a backup role for the Denver Broncos despite racking up 9.5 sacks over the past two seasons. He's also a pending free agent after this year. So, Arizona flipped a sixth-round pick to Denver for Browning, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The 25-year-old Browning has a lot of natural ability and the potential to win one-on-one matchups off the edge. According to Pro Football Focus, the fourth-year defender has 76 pressures with a 12.4 percent pass-rush win rate since the start of the 2022 campaign.

The Cardinals needed an injection of athleticism and explosiveness in their pass rush. They bought low on Browning while retaining significant upside for this season and possibly beyond. He's not a needle-mover, but he'll help Arizona.

As for the Broncos, they got something for nothing since Browning would have likely walked after this season, especially since Denver committed long-term to Jonathon Cooper.

Cardinals Grade: C+

Broncos Grade: C

San Francisco 49ers Acquire DT Khalil Davis from Houston Texans

San Francisco 49ers Get: DT Khalil Davis
Houston Texans Get: 2026 seventh-round pick

The San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans completed a lower-level deal right before the 4 p.m. trade deadline. The Texans sent defensive tackle Khalil Davis to San Francisco in exchange for a 2026 seventh-round pick, according to The Athletic's Dianna Russini.

Davis will give the Niners' defensive interior more veteran depth, particularly with Javon Hargrave on injured reserve and Kevin Givens still dealing with a groin injury. Davis played in every game for the Texans since Week 3 of last season. He'll immediately help the rotation.

Houston basically flipped the defensive lineman for next to nothing. The Texans kept their top three defensive tackles intact. Next week, Mario Edwards Jr. will be cleared to return after serving a four-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

The Niners got a little help now. The Texans took whatever they could get in return.

49ers Grade: C

Texans Grade: C

Previously Graded Trades

Carolina Panthers WR Diontae Johnson traded to Baltimore Ravens

• Ravens Grade: A-
• Panthers Grade: D-

Jacksonville Jaguars OT Cam Robinson traded to Minnesota Vikings

• Vikings Grade: B
• Jaguars Grade: B+

Tennessee Titans WR DeAndre Hopkins traded to Kansas City Chiefs

• Chiefs Grade: A
• Titans Grade: B

New England Patriots EDGE Joshua Uche traded to Kansas City Chiefs

• Chiefs Grade: A
• Patriots Grade: B-

Tennessee Titans LB Ernest Jones IV traded to Seattle Seahawks

Seattle Seahawks LB Jerome Baker traded to Tennessee Titans

• Seahawks Grade: B
• Titans Grade: A+

Las Vegas Raiders WR Davante Adams traded to New York Jets

• Raiders grade: B+
• Jets grade: C+

Cleveland Browns WR Amari Cooper traded to Buffalo Bills

• Bills grade: A
• Browns grade: D

Houston Texans RB Cam Akers Traded to Minnesota Vikings

• Vikings Grade: B
• Texans Grade: C

Full analysis of trades can be found here.