What the Cardale Jones trade means

Cardale Jones has been traded to the Los Angeles Chargers for a conditional draft pick.

Just a couple of years back the third string Ohio State quarterback was tossing bullets before winning the NCAA Championship in the first ever college playoffs.

Fast forward to July 26, 2017, and Cardale Jones was shipped off to Los Angeles for a conditional draft pick. The difference a few years can make.

Some Buffalo fans were still pulling for Cardale to have a chance; they didn’t believe that journeyman, TJ Yates, deserves a roster spot above him. That dream is long gone.

A majority of fans may look at this trade as a minor occurrence as training camp starts up, but that is not the case.

This could be a tell-tale sign that the team has more confidence in the fifth-round quarterback, Nathan Peterman, than Cardale Jones. The Buffalo Bills drafted Peterman in the 2017 NFL Draft and is likely a “draft and stash.” Some fans look at this as a wasted pick, but it is far from that. It will be interesting to see how quickly the fans start calling for Peterman once Tyrod Taylor makes one mistake. That situation has killed the confidence of quarterbacks in the past for multiple teams; I hope the Bills do not fall victim to it.

BuffaloBills.com commented on the trade:

"“Heading to training camp with four quarterbacks was understandably not seen as a viable option for the Bills. On Wednesday, on the eve of training camp, Buffalo traded quarterback Cardale Jones to the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for a conditional pick.Jones, a former fourth-round pick of the Bills in 2016, was in a difficult spot on Buffalo’s quarterback depth chart after the Bills signed veteran backup T.J. Yates in free agency and took QB Nathan Peterman in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL draft.Yates has a firm working knowledge of Rick Dennison’s offense having played in it for three years. Peterman is clearly a player the team is interested in developing. It left Jones on the outside looking in.”"

Another thing this trade means is that Sean McDermott does indeed want his guy. I am not sure what that means for Tyrod, or how long he will last. Coaches love picking a guy that they want, not the past coach, and having him at the helm. Sean McDermott is a professional, and he will make his decision based off of who is playing better, but I hope there is no bias involved in his decision.

There was a rumor floating around the league that Cardale Jones wouldn’t make it on the 53  man roster following training camp and the preseason games. So the fact that the Los Angeles Chargers would trade a draft pick for Jones is shocking. I love this move for the Buffalo Bills especially, since he was almost cut.

My curiosity peaks when I think of what the Chargers want with him. The NFL must think there is something there if a team is willing to give up a valuable asset like a draft pick.

An important item to remember is that former interim Bills’ coach, Anthony Lynn is the coach in L.A. and he will reunite with Cardale Jones. That could mean one of two things. One, Lynn actually liked Cardale and still thinks he is a formidable quarterback. Or two, the Bills weren’t going to release the former Buckeye, or I feel like Lynn would’ve known. Either way, this is a solid move on both parts.

Next: Buffalo Bills: Bacarri Rambo signing means 3 big things

Do you think trading Cardale Jones was a good idea? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!