THE TRADE DEADLINE

It is currently 10:59pm eastern time, which means there are exactly four hours left before trading concludes.

We've seen two deals go down in the final days before rosters settle:

TRADE 19:

PHOENIX ACQUIRES:
CB Patrick Peterson

MANITOBA ACQUIRES:
LB Danny Trevathan

On Wednesday the Uprising's LB depth swelled to five, while they had zero cornerbacks on the roster. Moving one of their linebackers for a CB was an obvious move. Patrick Peterson has not been the playmaker he was in 2012 when he picked of 7 passes and defended 17 more, nor the returner he was in 2011, when he took four punts back to the house. Once you cement yourself as a quality cover corner, you get tested less often, and less opportunities to tick the stat sheet. Still, Peterson retains the skills to make a play at any moment, and thus, week to week, is as capable of a lightning strike as anyone else at the position.

Trevathan is coming off an unreal 19 total tackles (13 assists) and has returned to an every down role in a monster defense. He was a titan in the middle in 2013, before missing most of 2014 due to injury- if he has come all the way back to form, he's a top 15 option at the position, a safe source of tackles and a spark plug for big plays.

TRADE 20:

SOUTH PARK ACQUIRES:
RB Jeremy Langford
LB Kevin Minter

PHOENIX ACQUIRES:
LB Bobby Wagner

South Park finally made their first trade in franchise history, addressing their depleted running back depth by nabbing upstart Langford off a 26 point debut for Phoenix. He immediately slots in as a starter, although his bell cow role is uncertain to last. Short term he addresses a need for a team in the thick of the playoff race, and they may only take a marginal downgrade at linebacker, where third year MLB Kevin Minter has begun to blossom as an every down player. Minter has yet to make any plays in coverage, but his eight tackles for a loss (among 47 total takedowns) show a propensity to put his nose on the ball against the run, making him a steady presence.

Wagner is among the best MLBs in the game but his stats have been somewhat laggard across the board in 2015. Phoenix defended the move thusly:

Trade deadline is tomorrow- Langford has minimal value for me after this week, and I feel like Wagner is a more than marginal upgrade over Minter. It also gives me a roster spot to complete my roster without having to drop anyone. Langford was only likely to start one more week for me- even if he retains some value, Forte's eventual return would keep me from wanting to start him. Only way I regret this deal is if Forte never returns.

The Uprising proceeded to add CB Richard Sherman, to bring their roster full again. The Uprising are 7-2 on the season, but are 5-0 with a full roster, 2-0 with one empty slot, 0-1 with two empty slots, and 0-1 with three empty slots.