Thoughts on all the NFL trades that went down on Tuesday.
What the hell happened on Tuesday? It was supposed to be the start of NFL Free Agency, but instead it turned into the NFL trade deadline. Trades are pretty rare in the NFL. The actual 2014 deadline produced a whopping two trades. Yesterday we had three big trades go down, two big trades become official, and something involving Matt Cassel. So let’s sort all this mess out.
Philadelphia Eagles acquire Kiko Alonso
Buffalo Bills acquire LeSean McCoy
McCoy slipped last season after a career year in 2013. And by slipped, he still had 1,300 yards. Running backs aren’t the prominent figures that they used to be, but McCoy can still be a very productive back, especially under Rex Ryan since he places a high value on the running game. The Bills philosophy seems pretty simple. Rex can turn any defense into a solid one, so they felt Alonso was expendable. Rex needs good players on offense though and he especially needs a good running back. Now he has one.
The Eagles also made out on this deal. They wanted to get rid of McCoy and likely would’ve done so for a mid-round draft pick. Instead they got the 2013 Defensive Rookie of the Year, a young linebacker with loads of potential. However, Alonso is coming off a torn ACL and it’s unseen how he’ll respond on the football field. ACL surgeries aren’t the career ending surgeries that they used to be, but it’s still a tough injury to come back from and could lead to future injuries.
This trade also spurned the whole “Chip Kelly is racist” theory, which is dumb. Chip isn’t racist. He might be a bit of a jerk and he might not want any of former Eagles coach Andy Reid’s players on his team, but that doesn’t make him racist. It makes him a NFL head coach.
Buffalo Bills acquire Matt Cassel
Minnesota Vikings acquire draft picks
Cassel hasn’t proven to be a very good starter unless he’s playing in New England, but I can’t fault the Bills for taking a chance on Cassel. E.J. Manuel isn’t the answer and they don’t have a first round pick. So get Cassel, a guy with NFL experience, and hope that McCoy takes pressure off of him in the backfield and Sammy Watkins makes him look good in the passing game.
Detroit Lions acquire Haloti Ngata
Baltimore Ravens acquire 2015 4th and 5th Round Draft Picks
The Lions just lost Ndamukong Suh and possibly Nick Fairly, so they needed some interior help on the defensive line. The Ravens couldn’t get a long-term deal done with Ngata, who is set to be a free agent after this season. So it’s pretty easy to see why these two teams collaborated to work out a deal. Ngata isn’t going to replace Suh and Fairly, but he’s a step in the right direction of rebuilding the defensive line. They also have the money to sign him to the long-term deal that he wants. The Ravens have proven that they can plug in guys on their defense and not miss too many steps, but sooner or later that line of thinking catches up to teams.
New York Jets acquire Brandon Marshall and 2015 7th Round Draft Pick
Chicago Bears acquire 2015 5th Round Draft Pick
It’s hard to believe that the Bears essentially got nothing for Brandon Marshall, one of the most productive receivers in the league. Obviously the Bears were ready to move on, but there had to be another team out there who was willing to give up just a little more of a #1 receiver. At least Marshall is going to a situation he’s familiar with. He’ll be playing alongside another good receiver as the quarterback struggles to get either of them the ball, constantly throwing to the wrong team.
Philadelphia Eagles acquire Sam Bradford and 2015 5th Round Draft Pick
St. Louis Rams acquire Nick Foles, 2015 4th Round Draft Pick, 2016 2nd Round Draft Pick
The Eagles are either all-in on Marcus Mariota or they don’t know what they’re doing. Not only is Bradford not an upgrade over Foles, but they gave up the better draft picks as well. I understand that the Eagles were ready to move on from Foles, but it seems like they could’ve used him in a deal to move up in the draft instead of trading him for a quarterback who can’t stay healthy. It’s possible that the Eagles deal Bradford in order to move up and any GM that trades for Bradford will be unemployed within two years as he watches his QB get hurt and the team crumble.
The Rams did really well in this trade. Their defense is already one of the better defenses in the league, but they never had the offense to match. Most of that problem centered around the fact that Bradford only played one or two games, got hurt, and then they had to turn to some guy named Shaun Hill. Foles is a proven starter, and while he regressed last year, part of that could be due to the fact that Chip never seemed to support him 100%.
Seattle Seahawks acquire Jimmy Graham and 2015 4th Round Draft Pick
New Orleans Saints acquire Max Unger and 2015 1st Round Draft Pick
This was the big trade of the day and one that genuinely excited me as a Panthers fan. NO MORE JIMMY GRAHAM!!! I get that he went to Seattle and the NFC basically runs through Seattle, but the Panthers weren’t beating them anyway. This at least made the Panthers path to their third straight NFC South crown easier.
The Seahawks won the Super Bowl two years ago and were one good playcall away from winning it again. Now they have a top three tight end to go along with the best defense, a top three running back, and a highly efficient quarterback. Seattle was already the best team in the NFC, now they’re even better. If they get off to a 3-0 start, expect everyone to wonder whether or not they can go 16-0 and win the Super Bowl. Graham regressed last season, but part of that was due to Drew Brees regressing as well and the Saints offense as a whole regressing. Graham will thrive in Seattle and the rest of the league can do nothing about it but watch. The only worry for the Seahawks is how soon Russell Wilson and his new center can click. Unger is pretty much the only center that Wilson has ever known, so taking snaps from someone else could be an issue early, but one that should be corrected fairly quick.
It’s weird that the Seahawks are taking on money given that they still have to pay Wilson and Bobby Wagner, but I’m assuming that they have some type of plan in place since they are one of the smarter teams in the league.
As for the Saints, I don’t know what they’re doing. I guess they’re trying to become a more balanced offensive team, but trading away Brees’ favorite target doesn’t send a very good message. The first round pick should help, but we all know it’s the 31st pick. If the Saints were shopping Graham, it seems like they should’ve shopped a little longer instead of taking the first decent deal that came along.
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