Buffalo Bills News & Rumors: Team Trades Sammy Watkins To Rams, Gets Jordan Matthews From Eagles
While the NFL preseason has just started, it looks like the Buffalo Bills are making some moves. The latest Bills news and rumors have indicated that the team participated in two different trades as of Friday. One of those trades sent their receiver Sammy Watkins to the Los Angeles Rams. In a separate deal, the Buffalo Bills traded away their best cornerback for the Eagles’ Jordan Matthews. Both of the deals might give a good sign of the direction that the Buffalo Bills are heading in for the future. Here are the latest details on these two different NFL trade reports as they have happened.
According to Bleacher Report on Friday, the Bills’ trade involves sending away wide receiver Sammy Watkins and a 2018 pick in the sixth round to the Los Angeles Rams. In exchange, Buffalo is getting cornerback E.J. Gaines and a 2018 second-round pick from the deal. The move seems shocking to many fans as the team made a big trade to go up to No. 4 in the 2014 NFL Draft to acquire him. However, Watkins was hobbled over the 2016 season with a foot injury. He played in just half of the games of the season, racking up just 28 receptions for 430 yards and two touchdowns scored.
The Sammy Watkins trade wasn’t all the Buffalo Bills had in store for their roster, though. Shortly after that news hit, the team traded for Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jordan Matthews and a 2018 third-round pick. In exchange, the Bills sent away cornerback Ronald Darby, according to ESPN. Darby was considered their top cornerback on the depth chart.
Matthews, who like Watkins is also in just his fourth season, had 73 receptions for 804 yards and three touchdowns in the 2016 season. Over his career, he’s had 225 catches for 2,673 yards and 19 touchdowns. It would seem that this separate trade brings in a new potential top receiver for the team’s depth chart heading into their upcoming season.
With these two deals, the Buffalo Bills have now traded two of their top players at their respective positions, which might signal a rebuild is in progress. In exchange for Watkins and Darby, they did acquire needed position players but also two future draft picks. Buffalo will now have two picks in each of the first three rounds of the 2018 NFL Draft.
The 2017 season will be the Bills’ first under first-year general manager Brandon Beane and coach Sean McDermott. For the 2016 NFL season, Buffalo finished with a record of 7-9 overall but seemed to have a roster that may have been on the rise. Now it looks like that roster will be built in a new direction in the coming seasons.
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