Watkins wasn’t going to be re-signed. He was going to cost too much money in free agency.
This is the equivalent of a NBA team trading a star player to get something, rather than nothing(i.e Paul George traded to Oklahoma City). For all the people (and there are A LOT of you) that disliked Whaley because he traded up to get Watkins, this gets something back for Watkins. Beane turned a sunk cost, into an asset for the future.
You don’t have to like it, but the two trades today are the furthest thing from ‘tanking’ on the season. This isn’t the New York Jets presently, or the Browns from a year ago. For the long term the Bills added a 2nd and 3rd round pick in the 2018 draft, and additional cap room.
They didn’t just ship off two starters and tell the present roster ‘good luck’ though. They added 2 NFL starters who have the ability to come in day 1 and start for the Buffalo Bills. EJ Gaines comes from the Rams who have had one of the best defenses in the NFL the last two seasons. Say what you want about the Rams being bad, it is thru no fault of their defense. If he fits what Beane/McDermott look for in a DB, then he may be starting in Buffalo longer than Darby would have.
They also got WR Jordan Matthews from Philadelphia. Matthews like Watkins has 1 year left on his contract, and is in a ‘prove-it’ season. If he does well, the Bills will probably have to pay up, but not nearly as much as they would have with Watkins. In the short-term, he is bringing a big body, and quality NFL production to Buffalo. Have you taken notice that the Bills have added some big body receivers this off-season? Maybe this is a trait that McDermott is looking for. In Carolina they also had some big WRs in Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess.
This is a long winded way to say, don’t give up on the 2018 Buffalo Bills before the season begins. The Bills didn’t quite on the season, they got NFL caliber starters to replace two starters. Maybe Watkins is more talented than Jordan Matthews, but Matthews may be more durable and can play more snaps.
Maybe Darby is better than Gaines? Or maybe Darby is more like his sophomore season where he struggled consistently?
I am excited that thee moves happened. There is a vision and a plan for the Buffalo Bills for all seasons under McDermott/Beane, not just 2018. A vision and a plan….something this franchise hasn’t shown a clear direction of in the previous regime.
Go Bills
Next: Buffalo Bills: Sammy Watkins trade means 3 big things
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