Grading the biggest NFL trade deals
Le’Veon Bell wasn’t traded. Neither were Patrick Peterson or DeSean Jackson. The New York Giants kept Odell Beckham Jr., Eli Manning, Landon Collins, Janoris Jenkins and Olivier Vernon. The Jacksonville Jaguars didn’t trade for a quarterback to replace the beleaguered Blake Bortles.
Maybe it spoke to the raised expectations around the NFL’s trade deadline, but it was a bit of a disappointment that the biggest prospective deals weren’t made and the most prominent stars weren’t on the move by the deadline Tuesday.
Wouldn’t it have been intriguing for the Jaguars to add Manning to replace Bortles at quarterback, end- ing Manning’s misery this season with the 1-7 Giants and reuniting him with Tom Coughlin, the front office executive in Jacksonville who coached Manning to two Super Bowl triumphs?
Wouldn’t it have been interesting to see what Beckham, made the highestpaid wide receiver in the NFL by the Giants only to turn around and refuse to say in a television interview whether he’s happy in New York, could have done elsewhere?
What could Jackson, the speedy wide receiver for the Buccaneers, and Peterson, the superb cornerback for the Cardinals, have meant to contending teams if their reported trade requests had been granted?
What would Bell, absent all season from the Steelers while refusing to sign his franchise-player deal, have done to boost the Philadelphia Eagles’ chances of repeating as Super Bowl champions?
Alas, none of it happened. But the 2018 trade deadline day was far from
a bust. Prominent players such as wide receivers Demaryius Thomas and Golden Tate and safety Ha Ha ClintonDix were dealt. Former draft disappointment Dante Fowler Jr. was on the move. So was a player, Ty Montgomery, who was notable for the wrong reasons this past weekend.
Certain contenders got better, while some also-rans surrendered this season. All in all, it was a fairly eventful and compelling trade-deadline day, coming soon after recently completed trades of running back Carlos Hyde to the Jaguars, wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Cowboys, and the Giants sending cornerback Eli Apple to the Saints and defensive tackle Damon Harrison to the Lions.
Here’s a quick analysis of each of the trades that was completed, along with a letter grade teams involved:
Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas from the Broncos to the Texans for a fourth-round pick (plus a swap of seventh-rounders):
From the Texans’ perspective: They get a wideout to complement DeAndre Hopkins after losing Will Fuller V to a season-ending knee injury. Thomas is not the player he once was. But he remains productive, and he fills a major need that just arose for the surging Texans. Grade: B
From the Broncos’ perspective: Another season has come unraveled in Denver. Front office executive John Elway said he thinks the Broncos still have a chance to be competitive in the season’s second half, even with the trade. But players in Denver seemed to be interpreting it as the team’s management giving up on the season. The compensation that the Broncos received might not be worth that. Grade: C
Wide receiver Golden Tate from the Lions to the Eagles for a third-round pick:
From the Eagles’ perspective: They get help for quarterback Carson Wentz on offense as they chase the Redskins in the NFC East. Tate always has been an underappreciated player, and he could spark what has been an underperforming offense. Grade: B
From the Lions’ perspective: Detroit gets a third-rounder for a player who is a pending free agent. But after the Lions just added Harrison, were they a buyer or a seller at this deadline? Do they regard themselves as a contender or not? If so, how do you part with a player on his way to a third straight 1,000-yard receiving season? Grade: C
Safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix from the Packers to the Redskins for a fourth-round pick:
From the Redskins’ perspective: Being able to pair Clinton-Dix with D.J. Swearinger at safety makes a very good defense even better. Clinton-Dix is eligible for free agency after the season. But there is much to like about the Redskins taking a win-now approach, within reason, after their surprising success so far. Clinton-Dix is a good player who accentuates what the Redskins do well and he fits in very nicely. Grade: AFrom the Packers’ perspective: They get something for a player they were poised to lose in the offseason. But can they afford to give away good players as they try to make a playoff push? Aaron Rodgers isn’t getting any younger. Grade: C-
Running back Ty Montgomery from the Packers to the Ravens for a seventh-round pick in 2020:
From the Ravens’ perspective: They get a player, for next to nothing, who could help at running back or wide receiver. But it’s not as if Montgomery is a differencemaker at either spot. Grade: C+
From the Packers’ perspective: They simply couldn’t keep Montgomery after the controversy that followed his lost fumble on a kickoff return that kept Rodgers from having a late-game chance Sunday to pull off an upset of the Rams in L.A. Grade: B-
Pass rusher Dante Fowler Jr. from the Jaguars to the Rams for a third-round pick in 2019 and a fifth-rounder in 2020:
From the Rams’ perspective: That was quite a bit for the Rams to give up for player who hasn’t fulfilled the promise of being the third overall selection in the 2016 NFL draft. But he fills one of the Rams’ few significant needs — pass-rushing from the edge — and he could thrive on a defensive line where Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh command so much blocking attention on the interior. Grade: B
From the Jaguars’ perspective: This trade is sensible for both sides. Fowler wasn’t the player in Jacksonville that he was drafted to be. He wasn’t a starter. He has two sacks this season and 14 in 39 games throughout his career. The Jaguars, even while struggling now, have demonstrated an ability to play well on defense without major contributions from him. Grade: B