There’s one game left in preseason and some teams are already hovering over the panic button when it comes to wide receiver. Injury and underperformance in the lead up to Week 1 has some teams spooked, and that’s opened up a market to really watch in the coming few weeks.
The first team desperately looking for WR help is the Vikings. Normally a staple position of strength for Minnesota, suddenly the team is struggling to see what it’s room will look like in Week 1. Jordan Addision is serving a three game suspension, Rondale Moore is lost for the season with injury, and now an injury to Justin Jefferson has reared its head, putting his availability in doubt.
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Next up is the New York Jets, which really speaks for itself. Outside of Garrett Wilson the WR group is a mess, with Josh Reynolds being the worst WR2 in the league by a large margin, and Allen Lazard as WR3 not being much better at this point in his career. Right now the passing game is bleak for this team, so they need help.
The third team linked to WR reports might be a bit of a surprise: The San Francisco 49ers. Brandon Aiyuk is on the verge of returning to practice, but it’s unclear how long it might take for him to be at game speed. Veteran Jauan Jennings has been battling a hamstring injury, leaving second year Ricky Pearsall as the most reliable player to take the field right now. The surprise here is that the Niners seemed confident in their WR room this offseason, which precipitated trading Deebo Samuel to the Commanders. Now they’re ready to concede they might have a problem.
The biggest issue for these three teams right now is that the market is extremely light. Getting a solid WR in a trade would likely require a higher-than-standard payout, and the potential veteran cuts are all really light. Here are some names who could be available.
Adam Thielen — Carolina Panthers
Arguably the best receiver who could be available, getting Thielen is a very iffy prospect. The latest I’ve heard about his availability is that the Panthers will take any and every trade call just to listen, but thus far they’ve been getting late round offers. As it stands the team values Thielen’s veteran leadership and on-field ability more than the 5th round pick they’ve been offered, seeing him as a crucial piece in the continued development of Bryce Young, as well as helping young receivers Tetairoa McMillan and Xavier Legette.
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This means that in order to pry him away a team will have to overpay quite a bit. A 34-year-old receiver, even an effective veteran, is normally something that could be had for a late round pick. If that price becomes a 4th, or even dare-say a 3rd, then it’s impossible to imagine it being worth it for the trading team in the long run.
Elijah Moore — Buffalo Bills
The Bills signed Moore this offseason to bolster their WR depth, but the room is looking very crowded right now. Moore is being earmarked as a potential cut, which would open the door for a trade before he hits the open market.
This would be the kind of low-cost veteran that normally gets dealt for a 7th round pick so the team gets something rather than cutting him, but in this environment it wouldn’t be unreasonable to think he could garner a 5th round pick, or even a potential 4th round pick swap to make it happen.
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Romeo Doubs — Green Bay Packers
This one is a bit of a shocker, mainly because Doubs is still so young. The 25-year-old receiver has decent athleticism, but inconsistent hands make him a bad fit in Matt LaFleur’s precision-demanding offense. That has led to Doubs being mentioned as a possible cut, with the Packers seemingly happy with their group of Jayden Reed, Matthew Golden, and Christian Watson as their starters.
Doubs is a mixture of good-enough performance and youth to make a trade here worth exploring. If he were to hit the open market there would be a feeding frenzy of teams with the “we can fix him” mindset.
David Moore — Carolina Panthers
Now here’s a veteran receiver who could be moved very easily. As it stands the crowded WR room in Carolina means someone is getting cut, and Moore is the most-likely candidate. He started five games for the Panthers in 2024 due to injuries, and finished the season with a modest 318 yards and 3 TDs.
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This isn’t the kind of guy who is really going to give an offense much of a pop, but he’s a steady hand who could be a decent Band-Aid while other players get healthy. The bonus here is that he would cost next-to-nothing in a trade.
Amari Cooper — Free Agent
Is Amari Cooper washed? It certainly looks like it from 2024. Once a player who seemed destined to assert himself among the NFL’s best receivers, Cooper fell off a cliff last season where he struggled for the hapless Browns, but more stunningly he failed to do anything when the Buffalo Bills added him to their roster.
There’s a reason Cooper is still unsigned, as NFL teams appear to think he’s effectively done. Desperation creates weird bedfellows, and that could lead to a team hoping he has something left in the tank.
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Gabe Davis — Free Agent
Another veteran someone is going to take a look at, Davis was on the verge of being a household name in Buffalo — then signed a $39M contract with the Jaguars before everything went wrong. Davis was ineffective for the Jags, then he was hurt, with the team thinking he couldn’t bounce back from a torn meniscus and be effective for them, resulting in his release.
Davis is currently visiting teams, and appeared to be destined for the Pittsburgh Steelers — but that is murky with teams now needing WR help that could feature him more.
Tyler Boyd — Free Agent
At one time he was one of the best 3rd receivers in the NFL as he balled out in Cincinnati, but a move to Tennessee wasn’t kind to him. Now at age 30 he finds himself without a team, but potentially in a position to garner interest.
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Boyd is an intriguing player to look at. History has shown he can be effective with a solid QB, which the Titans didn’t have last season. That’s more than enough for someone to kick the tires.
Nelson Agholor — Free Agent
The list of current available free agents more or less ends with Agholor before you get to players who are marginal return specialists, or truly washed guys like Allen Robinson. It’s difficult to see Agholor as much more than a Hail Mary attempt to get someone, anyone — because he didn’t show much in Baltimore last season with Lamar Jackson, despite having ample opportunity.
That’s more or less been Agholor’s career. He’s had a lot of chances and routinely underperformed. Even as a Band-Aid he’s an iffy prospect, and it’s unclear what he could bring to the table outside of being a body to put on the field.