NFL trade deadline winners, latest Week 9 buzz, fantasy tips

And I say Titans rookie quarterback Will Levis is a winner because the team didn't trade receiver DeAndre Hopkins or running back Derrick Henry, both of whom will help Levis' chances of being successful as he gets his career as a starter off the ground.

Fowler: Douglas to Buffalo is a schematic fit, which begs the question of what the Bills now do with 2022 first-round pick Kaiir Elam, who was inactive last week. And yeah, Tennessee was in a similar place to a lot of teams, close to .500 with a playoff spot still attainable. Trading Henry or Hopkins would have crushed Levis' chances. On that note, the fact that Minnesota didn't do a full reset and trade edge rusher Danielle Hunter can be commended. The Vikings are 4-4 and still in it.

Graziano: Joshua Dobbs' season is one for the books. With Kyler Murray coming back soon from injury, Dobbs wasn't going to keep being the starting quarterback for the Cardinals. Now he'll have a chance to win the starter's job in Minnesota with Kirk Cousins (torn Achilles) out for the season. The Vikings have won three in a row, while the Cardinals currently occupy the No. 1 spot in next year's draft. Let's call the Vikings winners for being able to land a viable starting QB option in a league that's short on them just a couple of days after losing Cousins. Minnesota also traded away a player, and I low-key love the Ezra Cleveland move for Jacksonville, which addresses maybe its one weakness.

Fowler: Adding Dobbs at a low cost is on brand for Minnesota's new regime -- a true value pickup. I was surprised by the lack of skill-position moves on offense, though. Donovan Peoples-Jones (Lions) was the only receiver, tight end or running back dealt on Tuesday.

Who are the biggest losers of the trade deadline?

Fowler: No colossal losers here, but I'll point to a pair of teams in the NFC South. Atlanta had its sights set on Sweat, but Washington went with Chicago's offer. That left the Falcons without much-needed pass-rush help. And my understanding is Atlanta was willing to extend Sweat's contract as part of the deal and that Sweat wanted to go to Atlanta, where he has family. All of that fell through. Coming out of this with former Eagle Kentavius Street for a late-round pick swap is anticlimactic.

And at 1-6, Carolina made several players available, but nothing happened. That feels like a slight letdown, but the offers must not have been compelling enough. Receiver Terrace Marshall Jr. wanted out, and Carolina couldn't find a new home for him. All that said, our biggest discussion centers around Washington. Where do you sit with what the Commanders did, Dan?

Graziano: Coach Ron Rivera and the Commanders' front office are the biggest losers of the deadline. Trading either Sweat or Young made sense. They weren't going to be able to sign both, and you're not allowed to franchise more than one player per year. So at least one of them was going to leave in free agency. But dealing both sends a very different message.

This is new ownership deciding future-focused assets (i.e., draft picks) are more important than win-now personnel, even if the "now" includes 2024. Josh Harris, whose previous sports ownership forays included the famous "Process" with the Philadelphia 76ers, is thinking about the future, and that spells bad news for a coaching staff and a front office that he didn't hire. It's going to be even tougher for Rivera to win games the rest of this season, and I would think we can expect big changes in Washington this offseason as well.

Fowler: My sense is Monday was a very difficult day at Washington headquarters. The front office was tasked with moving two pivotal players while essentially knowing it might not be able to use the picks it acquired, due to uncertain futures. To your point, it seemed that Washington would deal one pass-rusher, most likely Sweat, who had more value. Young made sense to keep since he was the No. 2 overall pick of the current regime in 2020 and his play is perking up after two injury-riddled seasons. Dealing Young was mildly surprising but not shocking.

The Commanders wanted to keep quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who's valuable as a sounding board to Sam Howell, and safety Kamren Curl, whom they want to extend eventually. Had Washington beat Philadelphia to go 4-4, it sounds like the Commanders might have just kept Young and Sweat. That begs the question: Why does one week determine whether to make franchise-altering moves? I'll ding them a bit for that. The playoffs are not completely out of reach yet, and not getting a second-rounder for Chase is somewhat of a disappointment.

Graziano: I was thinking of putting Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson in this category, since (as you reported in the middle of the night) he requested a trade and didn't get one. But I'm not sure the day was a total loss for Johnson. The Bears acquiring Sweat means it's less likely Johnson has to deal with a franchise tag, since I would imagine they'd be more likely to use it on Sweat if they can't sign him long-term. If they struggle to sign Sweat, that could make them more motivated to do a deal with Johnson, either during or after the season. So while he didn't get what he wanted in the form of a contract or a trade, he might have actually benefited from the move the Bears did make.

Fowler: The whole Johnson situation was frenzied, since the Bears did not plan to trade him a few weeks ago. But once they got deep into negotiations, it became clear the Bears would not pay him what he wanted (most likely fringe top-10 corner money). So Johnson applied pressure, and when he did, the Bears were willing to entertain trades -- but at a high price. According to several teams, Chicago wanted at least a Day 2 pick. Johnson will do well in free agency, so this isn't considered a loss. This Bears regime didn't draft him and has little loyalty to him.

Graziano: I'd mention Davante Adams, too, even though I never felt like the Raiders would trade him. He's a pro's pro, and it's actually pretty rare these days to see an athlete express this much frustration in such a civil and respectful way, but it's clear he's not happy there -- and who could blame him? I'm sure he would have been thrilled to be sent somewhere else, but at this point, it looks like that move will have to wait until the offseason. Maybe things turn around in Las Vegas, but count me as a skeptic.

Fowler: I know he wants the Vegas experiment to work. He's obviously not thrilled with the situation, but it's my understanding that he bought a primary residence there and wants to raise his family as a Raider. Getting traded there in 2022 wasn't a whimsical move on his part, and he has been willing to have a little patience with the Josh McDaniels era. But that patience appears to be waning.

The fact that Las Vegas couldn't swing a deal for receiver Hunter Renfrow after making him available for the better part of the past year is surprising, too. His contract was prohibitive at the deadline. He's still due around $4 million in guaranteed salary, and teams I talked to believe the Raiders didn't want to pay it.

Graziano: The Broncos probably could have stood to get something for receiver Jerry Jeudy or linebacker Josey Jewell, players who don't seem to be part of their future plans. And the Chiefs probably could have benefited from adding a veteran wideout, though I know they weren't out there looking to make any big spends. Carolina was also trying to get a receiver and couldn't do it, which has to be disappointing.