ESPN NFL

Posted by ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson

There have been reports in recent days about potential NFL trades (the deadline is Tuesday) that could include players from the AFC West.

NFL.com mentioned San Diego linebacker Shawne Merriman and Kansas City defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey as players who could possibility be dealt. Fox Sports has reported that the Raiders are calling around and shopping all but their best young players.

My thoughts? I don’t expect much. NFL deadline trades are fairly rare and complicated, so there likely won’t be a flurry of activity, even though the Chargers would like to add some help.

I wouldn’t be shocked if the Chargers would listen to offers for Merriman. He hasn’t fully returned from a knee injury last year and he could be a free agent next year. But the same reasons San Diego would want to trade him would likely make teams reluctant to deal for him.

I talked to some folks in the know Wednesday about Dorsey and nothing seems to be brewing. Dorsey has improved in his second NFL season so the Chiefs may want to have patience with him. Plus, he would cost a lot for any team interested, which would make a deal unlikely.

This is the time of year where there will be a lot of talk about a lot of players. But until a deal is made, I’m going to remain skeptical simply because of the obstacles involved.