Did the Oakland Raiders or Cincinnati Bengals make out better at the trade deadline?
What about teams like the Houston Texans, who added Derrick Mason last week, or the Detroit Lions who landed Ronnie Brown from Philadelphia moments before the 4 pm deadline on Tuesday?
Did the Rams make the right move by grabbing Brandon Lloyd?
There are a few ways you can "grade" how each team made out at the NFL trade deadline and decide which teams came out on top.
It all depends on how you look at each deal.
The Houston Texans received a stop-gap, veteran wideout that can fill part of the void left by Andre Johnson while he nurses his hamstring injury.
In their 29-14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Mason had three catches for 27 yards.
While it certainly wasn't a bad move for the Texans with their limited wide receiving corps minus Johnson, the move won't make or break their team.
I do like what the St. Louis Rams did by adding Brandon Lloyd, but only if they're willing to re-sign him next season.
At 0-5, the Rams are essentially out of playoff contention, barring a late season miracle run, so Lloyd's contributions will come next season in helping the maturation process of young quarterback Sam Bradford.
The Oakland Raiders gave up a lot for Carson Palmer, but got the quarterback they needed and he easily has the best resume of any quarterback they could have acquired.
They also added linebacker Aaron Curry to start instantly and play alongside Rolando McClain in the middle of their defense.
After taking nearly a day to let everything settle in, the Raiders made out better than I initially thought for those reasons.
They weren't the true winners in this deal, but they knew what they needed, are now ready to make a run at the playoffs and beyond and they weren't timid in their search.
While the Raiders didn't do terribly, they were not the team that made out the best.
Easily, the Cincinnati Bengals are the true trade deadline victors.
They have their franchise quarterback and wide receiver in place and got a first- and second-round pick for a guy who wasn't playing for them.
This move was ideal for a young, rebuilding team that has put themselves in contention this season; a total steal for Mike Brown and his Bengals.
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