NFL Trade Deadline — Our Grades of the Trades
The NFL trade deadline came and went–and there were serious moves made by several teams. In addition to the trades we graded below, the Chicago Bears acquired WR Dontrelle Inman. Also, the Jacksonville Jaguars traded for defensive lineman Marcell Dareus, and the Seattle Seahawks picked up offensive lineman Duane Brown. Let’s take a look at what teams got better and which GM may need to update their resume.
49ers Acquire Jimmy Garoppolo
Trade Details
The Niners acquired ‘Jimmy G’ for a second-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. The former Patriot backup is in the final season of his rookie deal. Well, there goes the rumors that the 49ers and head coach Kyle Shanahan intended on signing pending free-agent QB Kirk Cousins. The Niners got off easy. A backup QB with starter experience and five touchdowns only cost you a second-round pick. For that price, it was a must deal. But be careful Niners. Patriots’ HC Bill Belichick is rarely on the short end of deals. The evil empire to finally give up on Garoppolo makes us nervous. Plus, past history isn’t on the 49ers’ side. Jimmy Garoppolo could join the likes of Damon Huard, Matt Cassel, Bryan Hoyer, Ryan Mallet, and Jacoby Brissett. They are Tom Brady backups who went on to start for other teams. That’s not exactly a shortlist of future Hall of Famers.
The Dolphins Trade Jay Ajayi to the Eagles
Trade Details
Yahoo Sports reported the Dolphins acquired a 2018 fourth-round draft pick from the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for starting running back Jay Ajayi. This is a lopsided trade in favor of the Eagles. Right now, Philly is the class of the NFC conference thanks to QB Carson Wentz, WR Nelson Agholor, and HC Doug Peterson. A featured running back could be the addition that finally puts this team over the top. From the Dolphins’ end, what exactly were they thinking? The Dolphins have been starving for a running game to balance their offense, from as far back as the Jimmy Johnson years with Dan Marino. Okay, Jay Ajayi has been inconsistent and battled through injuries, but when he is right, he is a game-changer. If you decided to cut ties with your starting back, you needed to get back more than a fourth-round pick.
The Buffalo Bills Acquire Kelvin Benjamin from the Panthers
The most surprising move before the deadline, “the Bills [made] a big move in getting wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin from Carolina for draft picks in the third and seventh rounds. The Kelvin Benjamin trade makes very little sense. The Carolina offense has been slow to get on track and fully integrate Christian McCaffrey. So ownership decides to trade its #1 deep threat? Questionable to say the least. The NFC South is up for grabs, so why would you take a step back on offense. Cam Newton can’t throw the ball to himself and the team is already without TE Greg Olsen. SB Nation reported that the trade was all about speed. “When you have some vertical speed it gets (defenses) to back off a little bit,” Panthers coach Ron Rivera said. “We saw a lot of single safety with the other safety in the box. And we had to do something to help alleviate the pressure on the offense to run the ball.”
Well, Ron Rivera must know something about WR Devin Funchess that we don’t. For the Bills, it was a smart move. Team President Tom Coughlin loves big, physical receivers and Benjamin is a solid upgrade over Jordan Matthews. If any other deals cross the news wires after the NFL trade deadline passes, we will update this post.
