Sauce Gardner is the biggest winner from the NFL's trade deadline

The Colts went all-in. The Eagles were aggressive. The Jets looked to the future.

NFL teams were active in the weeks, days and minutes leading up to the trade deadline on Tuesday with the wildest moves coming from the Big Apple.

Two-time All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner went from New York to Indianapolis for two first-round picks. The Jets also sent three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to Dallas in another blockbuster deal for a second-round pick in 2026 and a first-round pick in 2027.

Here are some winners and losers:

Gardner. He goes from the worst team in the AFC East to the first-place team in the AFC South. Gardner has never been part of a team that won more than seven games in a season. He joins one that won seven before November. The Colts are 7-2 and aiming for a No. 1 seed.

Philadelphia Eagles. The defending Super Bowl champions didn’t make a move Tuesday but have been active since training camp, making nine trades. They made three over the past six days.

The Eagles (6-2) got edge rusher Jaelan Phillips from Miami on Monday. He reunites with defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and fills a big need. Phillips has as many sacks (three) in his last five games as all of Philadelphia’s edge rushers have combined this season.

The Eagles acquired slot cornerback Michael Carter II from the Jets last week and two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander from the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday. Carter should step into the lineup right away. Alexander provides depth and could play a bigger role if he returns to his old form.

Breece Hall. The Jets didn’t trade the running back to the Chiefs or another team. He’s stuck on a losing team in New York instead of heading to a contender.

New York Jets. Until they use the draft capital they acquired for Gardner and Williams to get star players, it’s hard to say the Jets made the right move. Breaking up a 1-7 team is understandable.

“I wouldn’t call it a teardown,” general manager Darren Mougey said.

The Jets didn’t win with Gardner or Williams. But both are young guys and the type of cornerstone players that franchises build around. The defense is significantly worse without them and now the goal will be to find players as talented with the picks they received.

The Cowboys (3-5-1) improved the league’s second-worst defense by getting Williams and linebacker Logan Wilson. But they’re not going anywhere this season and they surrendered valuable picks along with defensive tackle Mazi Smith, a first-round pick in 2023 who didn’t pan out.

The first-round pick sent to the Jets will be the better of the two the Cowboys own. They got a pair of firsts from Green Bay for Micah Parsons.

So, the haul for Parsons now is Williams, Kenny Clark and a 2026 first plus salary cap space. Williams was an All-Pro in 2022, is under contract through 2027 and teams with Clark to give Dallas a formidable interior line.

Jerry Jones had to do something to boost the defense now and for the future. The Cowboys are better now. That could impact their draft positioning but that’s another story.

The Patriots (7-2), Broncos (7-2), Buccaneers (6-2) and Chiefs (5-4) were among the teams that didn’t make any moves. New England, Denver and Kansas City could’ve used another playmaker on offense. Tampa Bay is thin at several positions. The Bucs are counting on injured players returning as additions.

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AP Pro Football Writer Dennis Waszak Jr. contributed to this report.

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