As I wrote yesterday, none of the teams involved in what amounts to a three team player and draft pick swap “lost” Friday. The Los Angeles Rams got the receiver they’ve needed desperately for a decade, the Philadelphia Eagles landed one of the better young corners in the league and the Buffalo Bills replaced both trades with solid starters and some nice extra draft picks with which to build. No team lost.
Players, though. Players sure as hell lost.
First, though, I’d really like to thank the NFL for piling up so much news while there are nationally televised NFL Preseason games. It was nice of them. It’s going to take days to catch up and comment on everything and I still have NFL Previews to do. So, high five everyone involved in the last few days. You’ve killed me.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagle shipped wide receiver Jordan Matthews and their third round pick to Buffalo in exchange for cornerback Ronald Darby.
.@realronalddarby of the .@Eagles has excellent press man coverage skills evidenced v @Edelman11 . He needs to improve his mitts. Dropped 4 pic.twitter.com/GkPm1B1Vl7
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) August 11, 2017
Matthews is a legit NFL starter who suddenly found himself expendable after the Eagles brought in free agents Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith. I like Matthews a lot better than Smith, but obviously so do they Bills. They could have just as easily pursued Smith as a free agent this off-season.
Matthews has yet to hit 1,000 yards, but has pushed right up against it in his three seasons since being drafted in the second round out of Vanderbilt. Last year Matthews caught 73 passes for 804 yards and three touchdowns. Those were career low numbers, but he was playing in a new offense and working with a rookie quarterback.
In Darby, the Eagles get a guy who made 69 tackles last season and defended 12 passes opposite Stephon Gilmore. He was even better as a rookie, notching 68 tackles with 21 passes defended, and two picks. Darby immediately becomes Philadelphia’s best corner and they definitely needed one. They’re going to face off against Dez Bryant twice a year, Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall twice a year. There was obviously a little panic in the building on what they were going to do about it. Darby, at least, shores up one side.
Welcome to Philly, Ronald Darby!! pic.twitter.com/XWJ754W2Jl
— Made For Philly (@MadeForPhilly) August 11, 2017
Losing the third round pick hurts, but this wasn’t an even trade. The good news for the Eagles’ receiving corps is, unlike the Rams, there were no losers here. In fact, former first round pick Nelson Agholor moves into the slot now and has a real chance to reach the potential that got him taken so high in the first place.
Jeffery, too, could cash in if he stays healthy. With Matthews gone, Philadelphia will definitely look at keeping Jeffery on the team long term after signing him to a one year “prove it” deal this off-season.
Buffalo Bills
These two trades make one thing abundantly clear for Buffalo, while they aren’t pulling a full fledged tank job like the New York Jets, they have officially written off the 2017 season. That’s not to say they’ve gotten bad players in the deal. Cornerback E.J. Gaines is a quality defensive back and Jordan Matthews is an NFL caliber wide receiver. It’s just that there’s no question these guys are downgrades from what they gave up.
Crazy part of this business. @jmattjmattjmatt you'll always be my boy both on & off the field. Couldn't ask for a better teammate & friend.
— Carson Wentz (@cj_wentz) August 11, 2017
But the Bills got two really important pieces in these trades. They landed the Rams’ second round pick and the Eagles’ third round pick. By trading down in April’s NFL Draft with the Kansas City Chiefs (who selected Patrick Mahomes III), Buffalo now has two picks in the first round, two in the second and two in the third. Considering that the Bills will likely hold a top five pick themselves, there’s plenty of opportunity for new head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane to load up on talent there.
Thanks for always being a pro, @jmattjmattjmatt.https://t.co/ieLsVS9s8S pic.twitter.com/2aKF9Sd8hW
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) August 11, 2017
For Matthews, he becomes an outside receiver in Buffalo and should start opposite rookie Zay Jones and free agent acquisition Anquan Boldin in the slot. Matthews was probably going to be the slot guy in Philly, so this is definitely an upgrade at a more marquee position for him.
Here’s the problem and what amounts to the biggest loser of this whole deal, Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor won’t be able to run an offense consistently with three good, but possession, receivers. Taylor’s best plays over the last couple of seasons have all been to Sammy Watkins, slinging up a deep ball for Watkins to go grab. With receivers like Matthews, Boldin and Jones, Taylor is going to have to read his progressions and make accurate throws consistently. He’s now set up to fail.
CRAZINESS: The #Bills traded for CB EJ Gaines & the #Rams 2nd round pick for Sammy Watkins & the #Bills 6th rounder.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 11, 2017
Ultimately, it’s for the best. The Bills were going to push Taylor out the door next season anyway and will almost certainly be picking a quarterback high. They could even package picks together and land the top pick if the Jets (who, let’s face it, have already locked it up), are willing to deal. They’ll definitely have the ammo.
At corner, Gaines gets out of the battle with Wade Phillips’ hand picked corners in Los Angeles and gets plugged in opposite rookie Tre’Davious White in the Bills’ defensive backfield. It’s a good spot for Gaines, who may have been the No. 3 or even No. 4 corner with the Rams. White, too, should benefit as teams would have definitely targeted him specifically with Darby on the other side.
Other NFL News
Former second round pick Robert Aguayo did not remain unemployed long. A day after getting cut by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (after missing two kicks in their preseason opener), Aguayo was picked up by the Chicago Bears. In a corresponding move, the Bears have placed wide receiver Rueben Randle on injured reserve. Aguayo was one of the most accurate kickers in NCAA history with Florida State, but has become a real head case since getting drafted last year. For the Bucs in 2016, Aguayo was 22-of-31 on field goals for 71 percent and 32-of-34 on extra points. To contrast, Aquayo did not miss a single extra point in college (though they are closer) and finished his career with an 88.5 percent field goal average. He missed a total of nine field goals for the Seminoles in three years and matched it in a single season with Tampa Bay.
To make a wager on any sport, go to the world famous Diamond Sportsbook by clicking here.
