2016 second-round draft pick, Reggie Ragland, is coming off a knee injury in which he missed all of last season. Now, things are not going well.
Surprise! Did anyone expect this? I sure didn’t. It was unfair of the Buffalo Bills’ fanbase to expect him to be the same player he was before the injury immediately afterward. Each player is different, and these injuries can be tricky to deal with especially with younger players.
There was a ton of hype around Ragland to be a superstar rookie when he has not been progressing well.
Rotoworld.com reported the demotion:
"“Ragland had been competing with Preston Brown for the starting job at middle linebacker, but he now finds himself behind Gerald Hodges as well. Coming off a season-ending knee injury and not a particularly great fit in the new scheme, ESPN’s Mike Rodak thinks Ragland could be placed on the trade block.”"
I am unsure of the origin of this report. Could this mean that Ragland has been falling down the depth chart, or has Preston Brown and Gerald Hodges just been moving up? I would be more satisfied with the latter. Ragland has been losing ground for some time now though. It makes sense that the Buffalo Bills were giving him first-team snaps early on to see if he could handle it, but that only can last so long before a player has to be moved.
There have been many different reports the past few weeks on how the Alabama alum is performing, but the general consensus now is that he is struggling. Another report surfaced that he is watching his weight this offseason and that he will be fined 600 dollars for ever pound he weighs in at over 255.
The team will keep giving him chances the further he progresses with his ACL rehabilitation. A few more months, and I’m sure Ragland will be performing better than he is now. This is his first full offseason without the drama of the NFL Draft.
The Rex Ryan/Doug Whaley regime has not been doing well with its’ players recently. Reggia Ragland has been booted to the third team, and Andre Holmes may be released because of the Anquan Boldin signing.
New coaches and general managers come in and want their guys on the field, but this is different. These moves aren’t bias moves; they just make sense. I applaud Brandon Beane for how he has run the team thus far.
Next: Buffalo Bills: Anquan Boldin signing means 3 big things
Do you think Reggie Ragland will be ready soon? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!