With the NFL trade deadline approaching, several teams have made big moves in order to strengthen their chances of a postseason run. Here’s our take on the largest ones that have occurred in the past day. 

Eagles RB Ronnie Brown to Detroit

The Eagles decided to cut ties with Ronnie Brown after he contributed little to their offense.

In exchange, they have chosen to bring back RB Jerome Harrison, who is starting his second stint with Philadelphia.

This is a relatively low impact move for the Eagles, who have the NFL’s best running game behind 3rd-year running back LeSean McCoy. With former Pitt teammate Dion Lewis as McCoy’s backup, Philly shouldn’t see a drop off in production of the running game.Harrison is insurance in case those two are injured.

This trade has much more significance for Detroit, as starting RB Jahvid Best is currently questionable for next week’s game. Having a player like Ronnie Brown, who despite being ineffective in Philadelphia has proven to be a capable runner earlier in his career, will allow Lions’ fans to rest easy about the status of their running game. Brown will also bring a more physical running style to the Lions, given that he outweighs Best by a little over 30 pounds. 

Denver WR Brandon Lloyd to St. Louis

Little makes sense about this trade.

Brandon Lloyd is coming off of a Pro Bowl season in which he led the NFL in receiving yards.

While Lloyd (above right) has in fact struggled this season, that could be attributed to the poor play of quarterback Kyle Orton as much as anything Lloyd has done.

Trading Lloyd leaves the Broncos with one receiver who has been consistent this season: Eric Decker.

The Broncos needed as many weapons as possible in order to be competitive, and getting rid of one of their biggest playmakers from the previous season for a conditional draft pick does not help them in this regard.

For St. Louis, this move is excellent.

The Rams receiving corps is young and hasn’t always produced for QB Sam Bradford. Lloyd will be looked upon to provide leadership and set an example for the young receivers. It also helps that he is familiar with the Rams offense, as his former head coach Josh McDaniels is the offensive coordinator in St. Louis. 

Cincinnati QB Carson Palmer to Oakland

This story has been brewing since the summer, when Palmer announced his discontent with the Bengals and demanded a trade. The Bengals finally gave in and shipped him to Oakland in exchange for a 2012 first-round draft pick and a 2013 second-round pick.

For Cincinnati, this move was brilliant. Palmer (pictured above) had been prone to injury over the last few seasons, and even when he was healthy, he had been incredibly inconsistent. His declining play over the last few years was in direct contrast to what he felt was his value to the team.

The Bengals have to be pleased with the results of his rookie successor, Andy Dalton, who has led them to a 4-2 record at this point of the season. With Dalton’s success, Palmer became expendable.

The Raiders, on the other hand, seem to be coming into this trade with desperation.

Having lost starting QB Jason Campbell to a broken collarbone on Sunday, the Raiders jumped at a chance to get a quarterback that would hopefully keep them in the hunt for an elusive playoff spot.

However, this was not the way to go, as Palmer is clearly past his prime. Giving up such high draft picks also puts a major dent in the Raiders’ prospects for building through the draft in the future. While Palmer may be able to carry the Raiders in the short term, they have to be looking to get Campbell healthy as soon as possible, and in the long term, looking for a new quarterback.

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