Leave it to the Buffalo Bills to see their AFC East rival, the New York Jets, committing the greatest tank job in NFL history and immediately turn around and say, “Here. Hold my Beef Weck Sandwich.”
Monday afternoon the Bills traded off another one of their actually good players, sending linebacker Reggie Ragland to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for a fourth round draft pick. Buffalo drafted Ragland high in the second round last season. Ragland missed his rookie year with a knee injury, but was an elite linebacker and three-year starter for the University of Alabama from 2013-2015. His senior season he recorded 102 tackles, 6.5 for a loss, 2.5 sacks, seven passes defended and two forced fumbles. That’s why the Bills took him in the second round.
Teams knew early on in the summer that #Bills LB Reggie Ragland would be available. Buffalo was patient, waiting for the right value.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 28, 2017
Granted, Ragland hasn’t fully recovered yet, but according to Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier just a couple of days ago, he’s made improving and has some of his “burst” back.
“He (Ragland) is getting more time at the linebacker spot,” Frazier told reporters two days ago. “You can see more of a burst, but still not quite where we need him to be… He’s had a good preseason, a good off-season in general. Reggie’s making progress, but we still need to see more and we’ll see what happens this week as he progresses even more.”
In fact, Frazier made it clear that the only thing keeping Ragland off the field with the starters was his knee rehab.
“He (Ragland) is smart enough, he’s athletic enough, everybody recovers from this injury a little bit different,” Frazier said. “Some guys, it takes a year and a half. Some guys, they can come back even sooner but as he works through some of the things that go along with rehab and getting accustomed to playing live football again, we have to be patient and let him just continue to improve. That’s the good thing, we’re seeing improvement. That encourages us and it’s just a matter of time before he can get that burst back that we like to see.”
Reggie Ragland tore his ACL on August 5 of last year and missed his entire rookie season. One of the top ILB's in last year's draft.
— Chiefs Reporter (@ChiefsReporter) August 28, 2017
Evidently, that patience has come to an end or head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane really coveted that fourth round pick. It seems ridiculous to give up on a player of Ragland’s talent and pedigree so soon, but not if you’re looking to tank. If that’s what you want, and it appears more and more that’s in the Bills’ plans, Ragland is an easy trade to make.
For the Chiefs, they get a guy with the potential to take over for the extremely underrated Derrick Johnson at left inside linebacker when he retires. Ragland, in fact, will join former teammate Dee Ford, who should start over Tamba Hali at outside linebacker this season.
Lynch has shoulder sprain
Paxton Lynch injured his shoulder in this weekend’s preseason game with the Denver Broncos, making any quarterback choice head coach Vance Joseph made completely irrelevent. Joseph had made the call for Trevor Siemian last week so nothing has changed those plans, but Lynch’s injury now takes all the intrigue out of it and keeps Siemian from looking over his shoulder. He’ll likely miss the first game at least while he recovers.
Paxton Lynch will miss this Thursday’s game and then a few weeks I’m told. Rest and recovery is really what is needed.
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) August 28, 2017
In the meantime, that’s probably good news for Kyle Sloter and rookie Chad Kelly who will both be on the roster to start the regular season. Sloter actually looked very solid in the Broncos’ preseason so far and he and Kelly will probably get all the snaps in this Thursday’s preseason finale.
Lynch was a first round pick for the Broncos last season. He started two games and played in three, going 1-1 as a starter, completing 59 percent of his passes for 497 yards, two touchdowns and one pick.
Bengals Burfict looking at a five game suspension
According to the NFL Network, Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict will be suspended for the first five games of the 2017 NFL season after an illegal hit on Kansas City Chiefs running back Anthony Sherman on Aug. 19. Sherman was not catching a pass and was just running his route when, reportedly, Burfict laid into him.
Vontaze Burfict facing 5-game suspension: https://t.co/KxQvP4Sbyf pic.twitter.com/RFoOC8r5xI
— NFL (@NFL) August 28, 2017
Burfict will appeal the ruling.
“I’m crossing my fingers and hoping for the best,” Burfict said. “I feel like I’ve let down my teammates, but I also feel like I’ve done a good job with this. I only had one personal foul last year. We feel like this was a legal hit. I hit him in the shoulder. I hit hard, so it may have looked like I hit him in the head, but it was the shoulder. I helped him up and he said he was good and I asked if he was good on the next series and he said, ‘Yeah, that was a legal hit.’ The rules say you can eliminate a receiver within five yards of the line of scrimmage as long as you don’t hit him in the head and I don’t think I hit him in the head.”
The Bengals are standing behind their oft-controversial linebacker.
“The Bengals are aware of the NFL’s letter to Vontaze regarding a play in last weekend’s game,” Cincinnati said in a statement. “The film shows that the hit was legal, that Vontaze engaged his opponent from the front, and that contact was shoulder-to-chest. The Club will support Vontaze in the appeal process.”
So why is the suspension so long? Burfict is considered a repeat offender who already has a reputation as a dirty player. It was a Burfict personal foul penalty that cost the Bengals a chance at their first playoff win two seasons ago in a Wild Card match up with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
McClellan tears his ACL
The rash of torn up knees continues this preseason. This time it was Baltimore Ravens linebacker Albert McClellan who will miss all of 2017 after tearing his ACL in in practice last week.
It’s been a nightmare off-season for the Ravens, who have lost Zach Orr and Dennis Pitta to career ending ailments, running back Kenneth Dixon, offensive linemen Tavon Young and Nico Siragusa and tight end Crockett Gilmore are all out with season ending injuries and Joe Flacco’s return is undetermined after an off-season back injury.
Last season McClellan started 11 games and played in 16, recording 52 tackles and one sack.
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