By John Sarianides
The Buffalo Bills made two major trades on Friday afternoon. The Bills traded Sammy Watkins to the L.A. Rams and got wideout Jordan Matthews to replace him from the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Bills announced the trade of Watkins and a 2018 sixth-round pick for cornerback E.J. Gaines and a 2018 second rounder. Minutes later, the Bills made official the acquisition of Matthews and a 2018 third-rounder from the Eagles for cornerback Ronald Darby.
It was a bizarre sequence of events in a league where you never see trades of this maganitude.
For the Rams, they get a legit number one receiver in Watkins that they can pair up with Tavon Austin. With Jared Goff, Todd Gurley, Austin and now Watkins, head coach Sean McVay now has the pieces in place to make his offense work and score points.
As for the Eagles, they needed a young cornerback with upside that can step in and play right away. Darby can do that despite a disappointing sophomore season. He will line up opposite Jalen Mills to start the season.
It is a little surprising that the Eagles moved Jordan Matthews but with Alshon Jeffery, Torrey Smith, Nelson Agholar and a host of other young receivers on the roster, general manager Howie Roseman and head coach Doug Pedersen felt that Matthews was expendable.
As for the Bills, they add Matthews to go with rookie Zay Jones in their receiving corp. The two of them should give Tyrod Taylor two big targets to throw to. Buffalo added Gaines to step in and start in their secondary.
More importantly, Buffalo added three picks in the deal. A 2nd round pick, a 3rd pick and a 6th round pick in next year’s draft. Buffalo already has two first rounders next year.
General Manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott are slowly but surely reshaping the roster to their liking. The three picks they acquired yesterday will allow them to do that.
I don’t think there are winners and losers in these deals. All three teams benefit from the trades. Besides, you cannot really judge trades in the NFL until after the season.
If Watkins plays up to his potential and the Rams can extend him, then it is a win for them. If Darby plays up to his potential, the Eagles benefit from the deal. If the Bills add a couple of impact players in next year’s draft, they could benefit long term.
All three teams could be better now and in the future as a result of these trades.