The NFL trade deadline was at 3:00 p.m. Central Time on Tuesday. While some argue that it might come too early in the season, that's a decision teams have to make if they want to swing for the fences and try to make a run, stand pat, or even sell off some pieces if they know that they're cooked.
For the Kansas City Chiefs, who are 6-2 after their first eight games, two of those three options were on the table. The Chiefs needed help at a few different positions, but fans knew that addressing all of those issues probably wasn't going to be possible. Standing pat could have been an option for them as well.
The Broncos are leading the division at 7-2 but are nowhere close to being a perfect team. They've struggled offensively and haven't been as stout defensively as they were a season ago.
The Raiders are 4-5 after their surprising 3-0 start and appear to be fading into the background a little more. That's okay for them, though, as this was never supposed to be the Raiders' year.
And then there are the Chargers, who are arguably the most surprising team in the league this year for all of the wrong reasons. Los Angeles has failed to secure a win through eight games and is going nowhere in 2026.
So, what did all of these teams ultimately decide to do ahead of the trade deadline? Let's recap the trade action in the AFC West.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs needed to make at least one move ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline, if not a few. Brett Veach heard the pleas for another weapon for Patrick Mahomes and acted accordingly, acquiring Josh Downs from the Colts for fourth- and fifth-round picks in the 2027 draft.
Downs will join a starting wide receiver room of Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy, with the rest of the depth consisting of Cyrus Allen, Andrew Armstrong, and Jalen Royals. There's also Travis Kelce, Kenneth Walker, Noah Gray, and Emmett Johnson on offense for Mahomes to throw to as well.
While the Chiefs certainly could have made more moves toward improving their roster, adding Downs at least scratches the itch of needing a wide receiver. The 354 yards that Downs compiled with Indy this year would be the highest total of any receiver on Kansas City's roster. He also did that with an ineffective Daniel Jones throwing to him, so just imagine what he can do with Mahomes slinging the ball to him instead.
This was a move that the Chiefs needed to make and hopefully, it works out for them.
Los Angeles Chargers
Despite sitting at 0-8, the Chargers had reportedly decided that they weren't going to be sellers for whatever reason. They had plenty of pending free agents nearing the end of their contracts but still wanted to hold on to them and keep them in L.A.
The Chargers did make one trade, though, and one within the division at that. They agreed to send linebacker Daiyan Henley to the Broncos in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2027 and a fifth-round pick in 2028.
Henley has been good but not great after his breakout year in 2024, when he notched 147 tackles. We'll discuss him and what he can do for his new team more in the Broncos' section.
As for the Chargers, this has been a super weird season for them. They haven't won a game, their offense looks bad, their defense just got demolished by the under-.500 Texans, and yet their front office didn't want to sell the farm and try to stockpile picks. Chargers gonna Charger, as they say.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders started the year off with a surprising 3-0 record, and people might have wondered if they were ahead of schedule on the whole contending thing. Well, life came at the Raiders fast, as they dropped their next four games to sit at 3-4 in the blink of an eye.
At 4-5, the Raiders knew that this wasn't going to be their year. It never was going to be their year. They spent the No. 1 overall pick on Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, and he had barely played up until this point.
That won't be the case now, as Las Vegas shipped off Kirk Cousins to the Vikings, paving the way for the Mendoza era to begin in Sin City. All it took for Minnesota to pry Cousins away from the Raiders was a third-round pick, but that's still solid draft capital that Vegas can use in 2027.
Cousins was never going to be the future in Las Vegas, and now the Raiders can officially see what they have in Mendoza. It's worth noting that the Chiefs will face the Raiders in the final game of the 2026 regular season.
Denver Broncos
The only other AFC West team to buy ahead of the deadline was the Broncos, who, at 7-2, lead the division and needed some more help to ensure they stay ahead of the pack. Denver might be leading the division, but this isn't the same dominant team from a year ago. They've struggled on offense, and their defense has regressed.
The Broncos ended up making one trade before Tuesday's deadline, adding Daiyan Henley from the Chargers to their defense. It was an interesting move for both sides to make since they reside in the same division, but Henley gives the Broncos help in the linebacker room.
Henley broke onto the scene in 2024 with 147 tackles but has struggled in coverage this year. In fact, out of 79 qualifying linebackers, Henley sits as No. 75 in coverage, per PFF. The Broncos clearly weren't concerned by that blemish and hope that Vance Joseph can fix him.
It was a bit surprising not to see the Broncos make more than just this move, but sometimes it's easier said than done. We'll have to see how Henley fits in with the Denver defense and if this ends up being a win for the Broncos or not.
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