The 2023 NFL trade deadline is looming, and many star players are starting to appear in trade rumors. Ahead of the October 31 deadline, one of the players that finds himself in that category is Raiders wide receiver Hunter Renfrow. Here are five potential trade destinations for Renfrow.
The Chiefs need more wide receiver production if they plan on winning back-to-back Super Bowls. They may be 6-1, but there aren’t many reliable pass-catching options on the roster. Rashee Rice has been fine and Travis Kelce continues to put together a Hall of Fame career, but there isn’t much to get excited about past those two.
In recent years, the NFL has not only seen an uptick in trades, but also an uptick in inter-divisional trades (see: T.J. Hockenson). This could lead the Chiefs to slightly overpay for a slot presence like Renfrow in an effort to become a little more formidable ahead of the playoffs.
Carolina has expressed interest in trading for a receiver to help Bryce Young’s development, but most of the young and impressive would require a better draft pick than the Panthers can afford to give up (the Bears have their first rounder in 2024).
Renfrow could come at least sort of cheap as he’s being traded across conferences, but that comes with the caveat that he’s already 27. But Young has found success throwing to Adam Theilen, who is another veteran wide receiver with a similar skillset, so this could be a good match even if it’s not everything Carolina wanted.
Buffalo is on a roller coaster yet again this season, which is partially due to turnovers, but could also be attributed to the lack of a true slot threat. Gabe Davis is a good wide receiver, make no mistake, but he needs a running mate to make teams pay for doubling Stefon Diggs.
Renfrow is a reliable receiver, and could step into the Cole Beasley role to help give this team some solidarity in the short passing game. The tight ends have either been injured or mostly ineffective, and the trend of throwing to running backs out of passing formations isn’t really the Bills’ strong suit. Renfrow fits in easily here.
It’s no secret that the Patriots’ wide receivers have been ineffective for years. This team simply cannot draft and scout offensive skill position players well, even if they find mild-to-moderate success in the system due to coaching.
Renfrow is no game-changing receiver like Tyreek Hill or Diggs, but he is a known commodity, and that’s something the Patriots truly need. A pass-catcher that can reliably run routes and not suffer drops due to concentration issues seems like the perfect fit for Belichick.
True, New England’s season may be going nowhere fast, but Belichick is trying to eclipse Don Shula’s wins record while wearing his cutoff Patriots hoodie. A wrinkle like this at least puts them closer to that overall goal.
It’s true, the Cowboys want a burner on offense more than a safety valve like Renfrow. That’s why they employed Brandin Cooks in the offseason. However, Cooks has been a non-factor, and outside of an extremely flashy trade, there may be no real outside threats on the market for Jerry Jones.
At least Renfrow takes a bit of the pressure off of CeeDee Lamb. Plus, if they can get him going, Dallas could also make more concerted efforts on fixing the short game involving running backs. It’s not a huge momentum shifter, but this trade at least makes sense and wouldn’t cost a fortune.
Stay tuned for more breaking NFL content, including offseason moves, contract updates and more news from every team.
Featured image courtesy of NFL.com
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