Saturday, November 3, 2018

Deadline Deals

The NFL Trade Deadline passed on Tuesday. There were were five in-season deals before the final day:

1. The Cleveland Browns traded Josh Gordon and a 2019 seventh-round pick to the New England Patriots for a 2019 fifth-round pick.

2. Cleveland Browns traded running back Carlos Hyde to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a 2019 fifth-round pick.

3. Oakland Raiders traded receiver Amari Cooper to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2019 first-round pick.

4. New York Giants traded defensive tackle Damon Harrison to the Detroit Lions for a 2019 fifth-round pick.

5. New York Giants traded cornerback Eli Apple to the New Orleans Saints for a 2019 fourth-round pick and a 2020 seventh-round pick.

Those are old news. Five more deals were made on Tuesday prior to the 4 pm ET deadline. Seeing as that was four days ago those deals are old news as well but I've yet to deal with those deals here.

The five deadline deals:

1. The Denver Broncos traded Demaryius Thomas and a 2019 seventh-round pick to the Houston Texans for 2019 fourth- and seventh-round picks.

2. The Detroit Lions traded receiver Golden Tate to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2019 third-round pick.

3. The Green Bay Packers traded RB/WR/KR Ty Montgomery to the Baltimore Ravens for a 2020 seventh-round pick.

4. The Jacksonville Jaguars traded defensive end Dante Fowler to the Los Angeles Rams for a 2019 third-round pick and a 2020 fifth-round pick.

5. The Green Bay Packers traded safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix to the Washington Redskins for a 2019 fourth-round pick.

The Texans were in the market for a receiver as soon as emerging speedster Will Fuller was lost for the season with a knee injury last week. They needed a receiver to take some attention from DeAndre Hopkins. Thomas might be a bit past his prime but he can still attract some attention from a defense. And Hopkins doesn't need a lot of help.

The Packers and Lions trades were a little curious. The Packers traded away two young players that contributed. The Lions traded away a fairly young player that has made, and continues to make, a tremendous impact on their offense. Both teams had disappointing losses last week and have had some struggles but they are both very much in play for an NFC North title. Everyone in the NFC North is in play for the division title. Golden Tate is a dangerous playmaker. The Vikings, Packers, and Bears are probably thrilled that he's no longer in the division. For the Eagles, the addition of Tate is huge. In fact, his addition to that offense could have the greatest impact of any of the in-season deals (still waiting to see what comes of the Gordon-Patriots union). Obviously, the Packers didn't have Clinton-Dix in their plans beyond this season and they decided to get compensation for him now. It's still a puzzle as to why they'd get rid of a defensive starter with half a season still to play. The coaches must be thrilled to see the potential of Josh Jones on the field. Are the Packers and Lions conceding the division to the Vikings and Bears? Who knows? I sure don't.

Then there's Ty Montgomery. He showed that Stanford education of his on Sunday when he took that kickoff out of the endzone and promptly fumbled the ball and the game away to the Los Angeles Rams. Leave it to a Stanford player to do something stupid rather than let a Cal player try and win the game. I believe that the only football fans that didn't want to see Aaron Rodgers on the field with the game on the line were Rams fans. Two days later Montgomery was on his way to Baltimore for a throwaway 2020 seventh-round pick.

The one position that the Rams didn't pay to improve on their defense in the offseason was edge rusher. They found one at the trade deadline in Dante Fowler. The Rams are hoping that they are getting the player that the Jaguars thought that we were getting when they selected him third overall in the 2015 NFL Draft. Maybe the change in scenery will do Fowler some good. It does give the Rams a defensive front loaded with blue-chip talent.
Dante Fowler (3rd overall pick in 2015)
Aaron Donald (13th overall pick in 2014)
Ndamukong Suh (2nd overall pick in 2010)
Micahel Brockers (14th overall pick in 2012)

Five deadline deals, and 10 total trades, is damn near a trading flurry compared to past years. The 2012 move of the trade deadline from the Tuesday following Week 6 to the Tuesday following Week 8 probably triggered some deals. It gave GMs two more weeks to see if they needed to add a little something to their teams, whether due to injuries or play. The rise in trades and the corresponding rise in media and fan attention has to bring smiles to the faces of the suits running the league. It remains to be seen whether any of the teams that did deadline deals will be smiling at the end of the season. I'm thinking that the Eagles might be. Golden Tate should fit in nicely in Philadelphia.

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