Dan Sanford

Sports Editor

das6267@psu

With the 2021 NFL trade deadline set for Tuesday, Nov. 2, at 4 p.m. ET, it’s time for managers to start thinking about which players should be looked at as pieces to send to contending teams.

The struggling Philadelphia Eagles have already begun shipping out former stars. Fan favorite, three-time Pro Bowler and eight-year veteran tight end Zach Ertz was shipped to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for cornerback Tay Gowan on Oct. 15. Ertz was stellar in his first game in Arizona, collecting a career-long 47-yard touchdown pass along the way.

NFL insider Ian Rapoport has listed several names as trade candidates, but one name stands out more obvious than the rest. DeShaun Watson, the former starting quarterback for the Houston Texans, has not played in a single game this season amid legal controversy this offseason, and it is unlikely he will play another with the Texans even if it were to be resolved. However, pending the outcome, the talent of Watson is not something teams are likely to ignore. Seeing that Houston likely has no intention of using him on the field, a swap with a team in need of his services has long been speculated. Ultimately, he is in control of his destiny with his next team, as he has a no-trade clause in his current contract.

Longtime Los Angeles Chargers veteran Melvin Ingram landed in Pittsburgh this year via free agency and was expected to be a key part of the Steelers’ linebacking corps. He has not performed as well as the team had hoped, and his inconsistent play has resulted in less game time. Although the team had no intentions of shipping him out of Pittsburgh of their own accord, other teams have reportedly begun calling the Steelers about acquiring Ingram, and it does appear the Steelers have listened and engaged in offers. Due the balance of just $1.075 million in base salary (the team paid $2.925 million in a signing bonus), Ingram isn’t expensive. The Kansas City Chiefs have been among those on the hunt around the league for a pass rusher, and were hoping to sign Ingram last offseason before going to Pittsburgh instead.

Marlon Mack is displeased with the Indianapolis Colts. After being sat for the entirety of week 3’s game against their division rivals, the Tennessee Titans, Mack revealed he had requested a trade on Oct. 1 and that the organization had agreed to attempt to comply with the request. So far, Indianapolis has received calls, but nothing of enough interest to pull the trigger. If the Colts don’t end up trading Mack, he will likely continue to feature in a smaller role in the team’s offense. Mack has seen limited action since the request, including a 9-yard per average rush performance against Baltimore.

Finally, Rapoport interestingly also listed Denver Broncos’ cornerback Will Fuller as a candidate for a team swap. The Broncos received trade calls for Fuller in their most recent offseason, but ultimately held onto Fuller as added depth. With the return of Ronald Darby from injury, however, Fuller has been replaced. A team desperate for a cornerback could perhaps snag him for the right price. He did not see any game action in the Broncos’ most recent bout against the Cleveland Browns on Thursday.