Usually, when it comes to trade deadlines, NFL teams generally keep quiet. However, in recent years they have spiced up the number of moves.
This year there were many trades that speak a lot towards the teams that traded away players and the teams who got them.
Three of the trades involved wide receivers: Amari Cooper to the Dallas Cowboys from the Raiders, Golden Tate to the Philadelphia Eagles from the Lions, and Demaryius Thomas to the Houston Texans from the Broncos. The one team that unloaded were the 3-3-1 Green Bay Packers getting rid of safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Ty Montgomery.
Last Sunday, Montgomery was supposedly told to take a knee in the endzone before a late game kickoff. He took it out and fumbled the ball, essentially ending a 29-27 loss to the still undefeated L.A. Rams who, by the way, just traded for Dante Flower from Jacksonville.
This suddenly gives the best team in football an outside pass rushing presence to go along with last year’s defensive player of the year DT Aarron Donald, making them even better as a team.
Going back to the Packers, what are they doing? With a team that’s struggling in a surprisingly good division, they let go one of the best safeties in Dix and a vital part of their offense in Montgomery.
What did they get for them? A third and seventh round pick… If I was a Packer fan after Tuesday afternoon, I’d be losing my mind.
They now have to go play the New England Patriots in Foxborough without that help and are 5.5 point underdogs. Green Bay’s season just got a lot harder in a tight division.
If I’m a Packers fan, I’m pissed off with my front office, especially if they miss the playoffs which I believe will happen.
The Baltimore Ravens now have Montgomery who might be a quiet addition to an underperforming offense that’s starting to lose my confidence.
Dix is now a Washington Redskin who lead the NFC East and teams with a defense that ranks fourth in points allowed and eighth in yards allowed.
Going back to the wide receivers that were traded, they all interest me because all teams involved are treading around .500 football.
The Houston Texans, riding a five game winning streak, are getting Thomas, a receiver who is a little bit past his prime, but definitely adds a lot of size on the outside for the Texans who just lost receiver Will Fuller to a torn ACL. The Texans on the hot streak, will win their division and be a threat to all teams against the AFC in the playoffs.
The Dallas Cowboys, at 3-4, earlier last week traded for Amari Cooper from the tanking Oakland Raiders for an over-priced first round pick who, after his first two pro bowl years out of Alabama, has been a good route runner but has average, inconsistent hands.
However, with the Cowboys offense being rated 27th in points, they could use all the help they can get. So, this is a good, but desperate trade.
In that same division, the 4-4 Eagles just traded for a really good yards after the catch slot wide receiver in Golden Tate. The Eagles are trying to overcome a Super Bowl hangover with a disappointing first half of the season as both the offense and defense have slipped in every category for a disappointing start.
However, this is the best trade out of all the offensive players because the Eagles are getting a seasoned veteran and super bowl champion to help Carson Wentz and the Eagles. But with the Redskins getting Ha Ha Clinton Dix, I believe this team is primed and ready to win the division with either the Cowboys, or Eagles getting a wild card spot.
After this week, I digress that the Vikings are not who I thought they were, and the game that will define the NFC playoffs this year is this weekend, when the Rams go to play the Saints at New Orleans, due to the fact that these are right now the two best teams in the NFC. If the Rams win this game, the sky’s the limit for them this season.