Wide receivers are already in action for the AFC teams feel as if they could (have) been a Super Bowl contender leading up to the NFL trade deadline. All of these deals are still fairly fresh and haven't had much time to get on the field yet, but it's still worth checking out what prospects they have to round out their offenses and give them the chances they need to To become a Super Bowl contender.

Diontae Johnson is a perfect depth player for the Ravens

Baltimore acquired Diontae Johnson from the Panthers this week in a Day 3 draft pick trade (which actually resulted in the Ravens getting Johnson for free). This was a smart move by a team prone to making them, giving arguably the NFL's best offense the deepest wide receiver room the Ravens have had in the Lamar Jackson era. With that spot solidified, the Ravens' offense is poised to aim for the ever-elusive Super Bowl appearance with Jackson at the helm.

Johnson is probably unlikely to become a monster target. Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman are entrenched as starters. Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely are established starters at tight end. There are already a handful of mouths to feed in this offense, so it's not like Johnson is going to Baltimore to be a big production leader in this offense. It's an added benefit that the Ravens essentially got for free.

Johnson comes in to improve some of the reps when Nelson Agholor was on the field, giving Baltimore a premier WR3 who poses a more credible threat to the defense. The reason the Ravens were able to acquire Johnson, who was a productive receiver throughout his career, is because he contracted a deadly case of pantheritis. Pantheritis has hurt many NFL players in North Carolina this year, but Johnson has been one of the biggest losers in that regard. He is having a career-low season, with expected added points per target, yards per route run, yards after catch per reception and reception percentage all at or second lowest of Johnson's career.

Still, there's reason to believe this is just a blip on the radar and Johnson will be a productive player again now that he's with the Ravens. Johnson had one of the most efficient years of his career last year with the Steelers under terrible circumstances with Kenny Pickett as his quarterback. If he can play well The On offense, becoming a good player for the Ravens is within reach.

There won't be as many targets for Johnson here, but as long as he can put together some productive moments and be a little more dynamic than Agholor has been, the Ravens should have all the depth they need (on offense). to make a deep run through the playoffs.

DeAndre Hopkins could be the extra security blanket the Chiefs need

DeAndre Hopkins was recently traded to the Chiefs after the Titans decided to look to the future and make him available for a trade, allowing Kansas City to secure a much-needed upgrade.

The Chiefs needed some strength for almost a year (a year in which they won the Super Bowl) and they're hoping that Hopkins can at least be a stabilizing force to help them overcome some of the hurdles people are worried about Make a team.

There are two areas where the Chiefs have been poor on offense this season: turnovers and in the red zone. According to TruMedia, the Chiefs rank 23rd in red zone touchdown percentage (51.9%) and 29th in percentage of drives that end in a turnover (15.7%). That being said, for the most part they still have one of the best offenses in the league, can rely on their running game and the simple fact that Patrick Mahomes is the focal point. So far, Hopkins has only played one game for the Chiefs, but it appears his presence will be beneficial for them.

Hopkins ran just 14 times against the Raiders, recording two catches for 29 yards on three targets. That's meager production in a vacuum, but it actually shows that the Chiefs and Mahomes are targeting him and will make him a valuable member of the offense in the future. Hopkins was one of two Chiefs players (along with Travis Kelce) to rush for more than two yards per route run and ranked third among all Chiefs players in targets per route run in their win over the Raiders at least ten routes were running. He also ranked first in EPA per target among those receivers, but again only had three targets.

That's a very small sample size against a truly terrible defense, but that sample size shows that Hopkins' presence is something the offense may have been sorely missing. Even at age 32, he will likely still provide the Chiefs with tremendous improvement and help stabilize some of the margins where they have struggled. He's probably not the No. 1 alpha receiver he was in the past, but he doesn't need to be to stabilize an offense that features the best quarterback in the league.

In other words, the best team in the NFL has gotten better. They still won't be the most explosive group in the world, but they don't have to be to ultimately achieve their goal. Good luck AFC!

Amari Cooper can still pay dividends for the Bills

Amari Cooper has been with the Bills for two weeks and has had mixed results in those two games, although that's actually not a bad thing for him or the Bills.

In his first game after being released from the Browns' depths, Cooper scored a touchdown and 66 yards on five targets in a stunning victory over the Titans. He had just one catch for three yards against the Seahawks this week, but the Bills didn't need him to steamroll Seattle on the road. This is sort of the perfect receiver for the Bills to add at this point – a veteran receiver who can get his receiver when needed, but isn't essential to the game plan.

Cooper suffered from the same affliction as the rest of the Browns receivers before he was traded: playing with the worst quarterback in the league. Cooper averaged 4.7 yards per target in the game with Deshaun Watson, a number that has already increased to 9.9 in Buffalo. In a much smaller sample, Cooper has shown that his skills haven't really diminished from last year, he's just in a better situation playing alongside Josh Allen, one of the league's best passers.

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This trade gave the Bills a reliable underdog attack target while younger receivers like Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman prepare for an offense and a team that has Super Bowl aspirations this year. It's not the most complicated idea in the world, it's just a stabilizing veteran presence that has a chance to shine when football gets tougher and experience counts against the league's best players in the postseason.

It's still unclear if these Bills have everything they need to win a title considering they were defeated by the Ravens earlier this season. Still, this is a helpful addition for them and they will have to lean on Cooper for certain points. This is an incredibly versatile offense led by a quarterback who is playing MVP-level football this season. Let's see where it stands in January, because that's when this trade will really be measured.

The Davante Adams trade was okay, but not enough

If the Jets fail to rattle off ten wins in a row, their season will definitely be over, but it won't be for lack of effort! They have poured an immense amount of resources into this roster, with one of their most recent additions being former Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams, who obviously has a long relationship with Aaron Rodgers dating back to their time together in Green Bay. For some reason, this has been a low-impact move so far, as Rodgers and Adams simply got along well – and ultimately didn't give the Jets the wins they need to save their season.

Over the last two weeks, the Rodgers-Adams connection has produced mediocre results. Among the seven Jets players who ran at least 10 routes in Weeks 7 and 8, Adams ranks second in targets (15) behind Garrett Wilson and is tied for first in routes run (68). Despite this amount of action, the actual results were not particularly good. Adams ranks fourth in yards per route run (1.24), last in expected points added per route run (-0.09), sixth in first downs and touchdowns per target (26.7%) and the fifth place in goal success rate (40%).

This is a complex topic. At 40, Rodgers is clearly past his prime due to an Achilles tendon injury, and Adams is not yet a dominant No. 1 wide receiver at this point in his career. Still, the point of this trade for the Jets was to provide them with a top QB. WR combination could take off to improve their season. At the time of the trade they were 2-4. Now they're 2-6 and an incredibly expensive season is upon us.

There's still a chance for this individual connection to change and have some beautiful moments in the final moments of their career, but as far as actually winning goes, this season is over. Maybe they still have a chance in 2025 if Rodgers decides to come back and play another season, but for now it's too little, too late.

At least they will always have Adams' tackle on the Beanie Bishop interception in the game against the Steelers. Nobody can take that away from them.