Let's grade some trades, including the Chicago Bears trading All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith to the Baltimore Ravens for linebacker A.J. Klein and two 2023 draft picks. We'll continue to add deals until the NFL trade deadline at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 1.
I'm a big believer in judging decisions based on information available at the time. Saying, "Let's see how it plays out" isn't an option for general managers making deals for their teams, so why should it be for us evaluating those transactions? When I'm grading trades, I evaluate them for each team based on on-field impact, cap implications, draft compensation and effects within the context of a team's overall short- and long-term outlook.