It is the end of October, and while baseball has concluded, other professional and collegiate sports are now in full swing. The National Football League started its 2018 season at the beginning of September, and on Tuesday, the teams’ rosters will be sealed for the season. Each of the 32 teams needs to evaluate the state of the team, decide what is and what is not working for them and find solutions to fix the situation. One primary outlet for teams is to trade players, and the deadline to do so is approaching fast. Time is running out, and few transactions have already been completed.

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The Oakland Raiders appear to be moving a rebuilding direction. Following a contract holdout lasting the entire preseason, they traded star linebacker Khalil Mack and a second round pick to the Chicago Bears for a first round pick in the 2019 and 2020 drafts, and future third and sixth-round selections. Thus far, this move has worked out more for the Bears than the Raiders, as Chicago in a firm playoff position at the top of the NFC North, while the Raiders are among the basement teams in the league.

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On Monday, Oakland made more noise, trading Amari Cooper to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for another first-round pick. Oakland now has three first-round picks in the 2019 NFL Draft. Dallas’ receiving core has been struggling so far this season, with one of their receivers, that being Cole Beasley, eclipsing the 250-yard mark through seven games. Most of their offensive legwork has been done by Ezekiel Elliott, who has nearly 800 yards from scrimmage on the year. Cooper has logged 280 receiving yards thus far this season, but the Cowboys will have to wait a little longer before they can use Cooper, as he was recovering from a concussion at the time he was traded.

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Two days later, the New York Giants sent cornerback Eli Apple to the New Orleans Saints for fourth and seventh-round picks in the 2019 and 2020 NFL Drafts, respectively. It was previously reported that in addition to the Giants’ disappointing performance, Apple had been having problems with the team off the field. The team gave him one last chance with, essentially, a clean slate to start the season. Apple’s game improved, but was not strong enough for the team to keep him, and he was sent to the Saints, who are looking like a very good team, as they lead the NFC South and are adding depth throughout their roster.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers remain interested in trading Le’Veon Bell, their star running back. Bell has thus far held out the entire season after rejecting the Steelers’ franchise tag offer in pursuit of a long term deal. In his absence, James Conner has emerged as a capable, competent running back who consistently puts up solid numbers.

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While team owner Art Rooney II commented to media last week that he "expects" Bell to be on their roster, but that did not reflect a change in the running back’s trade availability. Much of the Pittsburgh media has speculated that he may return after the deadline to avoid getting traded altogether.

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Will we see more swapping around the league? That remains to be seen, and it will only happen at a more rapid pace as Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline approaches.