The NFL trade deadline is still a few weeks off, but Adam Schefter is already pointing to four teams that could start acting like sellers before Nov. 10.
On The Pat McAfee Show, Schefter named the Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Chargers, Tennessee Titans and Arizona Cardinals as clubs to watch if they decide the smarter move is to trim salary and add draft picks rather than keep pushing through rough starts. For all four, the record tells the story.
"The teams that you look at are the teams that aren't winning that can shed salaries and pickup draft picks..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 12, 2026
I would look at the Dolphins, Chargers, Titans, and Cardinals" ~ @AdamSchefter #PMSLive https://t.co/ZO6om2KZqP pic.twitter.com/5tqEnIZLx7
Tennessee and Los Angeles are in particularly ugly spots. The Titans are 0-5 after Sunday’s 26-3 loss to Houston, while the Chargers also sit at 0-5 after falling 23-17 to the Denver Broncos. The Chargers’ situation is even messier because of the injuries that have piled up and made it hard to get any real read on the roster.
Arizona, meanwhile, has already made a bold move of its own. The Cardinals traded wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. to the Houston Texans and got a 2027 second-round pick and a sixth-round pick in return, along with Harrison and a seventh-round selection going the other way.
Their season has been shaky since, with Arizona winning in Week 1 against the Chargers and then dropping four straight. The defense has also been hit hard, giving up 45 points to Detroit in Week 5.
Miami has been down this road too. The Dolphins began reshaping their roster during the offseason by dealing away major pieces like Jaylen Waddle, and they could keep looking for ways to build for later instead of chasing short-term fixes.
Schefter’s point was simple: when losses keep stacking up, teams can start viewing the deadline as a chance to collect future assets and move veterans who no longer fit the plan. And right now, these four have given enough reasons to at least listen.
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C.J. Wards postgame response, though, sounded like a quarterback trying to draw a line between the record and the mindset inside the building. He finished 23 of 26 for 170 yards with an interception, then pushed back against the idea that this is becoming an identity, saying he is not a loser and stressing that the team has to keep building a winning foundation. For a club still stuck in the early stages of a long climb, that kind of message matters almost as much as the next result. [Read more 🡒]
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Cam Wards early work under Daboll has only added to the unease. After a rookie season that gave Tennessee reasons for optimism, Wards yards per attempt and passer rating have dipped, and the offense has produced few completions over 20 yards. For a team looking for any spark, the lack of downfield success is becoming its own kind of pressure point. [Read more 🡒]
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For the Titans, the bigger issue is no longer just the weekly box score. The teams record has already pushed the conversation beyond short-term fixes and toward what kind of move Tennessee might make if it starts thinking like a seller at the trade deadline. In that kind of scenario, Wards place in the organization becomes part of the larger evaluation, and the questions around his future are only getting louder. [Read more 🡒]