There were several trades this past NFL offseason. Some of them have proved to be productive so far, while others have not worked out particularly well. Let’s take a look at how some of these trades have played out so far. We’ll start with the positive ones.
- Jets trade a 5th Round Pick for Brandon Marshall: So far, the Jets are looking brilliant for pulling off this trade. Marshall has already scored two touchdowns and is averaging over 80 yards a game. He’s a big target for Ryan Fitzpatrick and he’s a big part of the reason why the Jets are off to an excellent start this season. In Week 1, Fitzpatrick threw a pick that Marshall somehow got back from the defender. Marshall’s strength and intensity have solidified him as a favorite target within the Jets offense.
- Bills trade Kiko Alonso for Lesean McCoy: McCoy doesn’t have a TD for the Bills yet, but his impact on the offense is undeniable. McCoy looks explosive in the open field and his cutting ability remains tremendous. His pass catching skills out of the backfield has contributed to the Bills’ ability to run screens, and he is becoming a valuable checkdown option for Tyrod Taylor. Additionally, McCoy has played hurt in the first two weeks. He should only continue to improve moving forward.
- Vikings acquire Mike Wallace from the Dolphins for a 5th round pick: Even though the production hasn’t really been there for Mike Wallace yet, he remains the leading option for Teddy Bridgewater in an attack that is mostly focused around Adrian Peterson. Wallace has caught at least three passes in every game this season and is averaging around fifty yards a game. That’s pretty good for a guy who is supposed to only be a deep threat in an offense focused on running the ball early and often. Also, the price tag for Wallace was fairly low, and Bridgewater seems to be building a rapport with the veteran wideout.
Here are a few trades that haven’t really worked out so far.
- Dolphins trade for Kenny Stills from the Saints for a 3rd Round Pick and Ellerbe: So far, the Dolphins have been an absolute mess in 2015. They luckily beat the Redskins on a Jarvis Landry punt return, but even the lowly Jaguars somehow beat the Dolphins. In Week 3, the Dolphins were obliterated by the Buffalo Bills. The Dolphins traded a linebacker and a draft pick for Kenny Stills expecting him to contribute as a deep threat. So far this season, Kenny Stills has three catches for 20 yards in three weeks. The Dolphins have had an extremely poor return on their investment.
- Seahawks trade for Jimmy Graham for Max Unger and a First Round Draft Pick: I know, I know, Jimmy Graham has two touchdowns in three weeks. But he did nothing in Week 2 and the Seahawks appear to be content with using him for mostly blocking purposes. Jimmy Graham even addressed this after Week 2, complaining that the Seahawks brought him to Seattle to block. Hopefully he continues to score touchdowns, because otherwise the Saints stole some good stuff from the Seahawks.
- Rams and Eagles swap Sam Bradford and Nick Foles: This trade has been a disaster for both sides so far. Sam Bradford has proven to be Captain Checkdown, as he continues to refuse to throw the ball down the field, preferring instead to check it down to Darren Sproles and Ryan Matthews. He’s thrown for an average of 226 yards in three games, and he threw for only 118 last week, extremely low numbers for a team that likes to push the pace as much as the Eagles do. Hopefully Bradford will turn it around, but so far it doesn’t look like he can throw it more than 15 yards downfield. On the Rams’ side of the ball, Nick Foles has slowed down significantly after his hot start against the Seahawks. He threw for less than 200 yards in both Week 2 and Week 3, and he has only 2 TD passes in 3 starts. Additionally, the Rams have scored 12 and 6 points in the last two weeks. So far, neither of these quarterbacks have quite fit in with their respective teams, although they do have time to turn it around.
