Tuesday made for one of the quietest trade deadlines in years
Tuesday was a historic day with an outcome that could change the course of history. I’m of course talking about the 2020 NFL trade deadline. What else could I be talking about? Oh that’s right… that whole presidential election happened on Tuesday too.
However, the part about Tuesday we care about here at the sports section is football, so we’ll be talking about the trade deadline and what moves were made prior to the 3 pm deadline.
Overall, the deadline day was pretty quiet. Not too many major moves were made, making a lot of the headlines discussing a lack of trade.
Let’s start with one of the biggest of those headlines, the Green Bay Packers didn’t make any moves. Most agree that the Packers are one or two good pieces away from a shot at the Super Bowl. Last season they went 13-3 with Aaron Rodgers at the helm only to loose in the NFC championship to the San Francisco 49ers.
This year they’re sitting pretty with a 5-2 record. However, they’ve lost two of the last three games. In the game against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers, the Bucs defense was able to shut Rodgers down with physical play. Their second loss came to the Vikings this past weekend. Another physical player, this time running back, Dalvin Cook, exposed the Packers defense.
Will Fuller was a name floated as a player the Packers could acquire to give Rodgers another weapon next to Davante Adams. For now however, Fuller will remain a Texan.
Despite all the need, the Packers did what they’ve done historically, not trade. It’s a questionable move coming from a front office that’s received some scrutiny for the draft back in April. We will see if this is the final nail in the coffin for Packers Super Bowl hopes.
The Miami Dolphins were active on Tuesday. To start, they traded WR, Isiah Ford to the New England Patriots for a 2022 6th round draft pick. After that they traded with the Kansas City Chiefs, giving them a 2021 6th round draft pick for RB DeAndre Washington as well as a 2021 7th round pick.
Neither of these trades are earth shattering. Ford will probably take over the second or third wide receiver slot for the Patriots, a position they definitely need the help in. Ford has had 29 targets for 18 receptions and 184 yards.
RB DeAndre Washington hasn’t seen much for playing time this season with just 3 carriers so far. Washington should add a nice veteran presence to the RB position for the Dolphins.
A couple of bigger trades came on Monday. Pro bowl linebacker, Kwon Alexander was traded from the 49ers to the New Orleans Saints. In return, the 49ers got linebacker Kiko Alonso and 2021 5th round draft pick.
Alexander comes with a nice price tag but should add to a Saints team that seems to be finding its stride. As for the 49ers, the trade shouldn’t hurt too bad since they’re getting another linebacker in return to add to their already deep linebacker core.
The other big trade from Monday was Desmond King from the LA Chargers to the Tennessee Titans. This seems like a bad move for the Chargers only getting a sixth round pick in return.
King was taken in the fifth round and is a nice back, one of the higher ranked in the NFL. It could be that the Chargers didn’t want to pay for the CB who’s contract ends at the end of this season. The Chargers are also deep in the CB position.
The Titans have been one of the better teams this season but have looked so good in recent weeks. The Titans are in a similar spot as Packers coming off of a loss in the AFC championship. However, it seems like the Titans are looking to win now, unlike the Packers. We’ll see what route ends up paying off.
Overall, the 2020 trade deadline wasn’t as action packed as it was looking to be, but some of the stronger teams made some moves that could get them over that hump. Regardless, whoever your favorite team may be, the players on the roster now is what you get. It’s all up to them and the football gods now.