No one expected much action leading up to Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline. Sure rumors were floating about regarding potential trades. But this is the NFL, where in-season deals are few and far between.
That changed big time on Monday afternoon when the Seattle Seahawks acquired Pro Bowl left tackle Duane Brown from the Houston Texans in a deal between two playoff contenders. It fortified a major area of weakness in Seattle while leaving us to wonder what Houston’s plans are for Deshaun Watson
Then, remaining in the NFC West, the winless San Francisco 49ers sent shockwaves throughout the league by acquiring the previously untouchable Jimmy Garoppolo from the defending champion Patriots. It was a bold move on San Francisco’s part and yet another great trade for the Patriots.
These are the top takeaways from Monday’s two blockbuster NFL trades.
Seahawks finally get that reinforcement
The concern in Seattle was always that Russell Wilson might suffer a seriously injury behind one of the worst offensive lines in football. No one was going to talk about it publicly, but the hits the smallish Wilson continues to take don’t bode well for his long-term future in the NFL.
That all changed on Monday when Seattle yielded two drafts picks and cornerback Jeremy Lane to the Houston Texans in exchange for four-time Pro Bowl left tackle Duane Brown. The veteran will immediately slide in to protect Wilson’s blindside, fortifying an area that had been a weakness for far too long.
In reality, this changes the entire dynamic of the NFC Playoff picture heading into the second half of the season. Now that Seattle has addressed its one big hole, Wilson will be able to compete with more time in the pocket. After the domination we saw from him Sunday against a good (albeit depleted) Texans defense, that spells trouble for the rest of the NFL moving forward.
49ers with a bold move to right a sinking ship
Opinions will be split about whether San Francisco should have exhausted what will likely be a high second-round pick for Jimmy Garoppolo. We have no idea how Tom Brady’s backup in New England will perform as a full-time starter in San Francisco.
It’s also important to note that this trade didn’t come without further risks for the 49ers. Garoppolo is set to become a free agent at the end of the season. This means either San Francisco will have to lock him up on an extension or place the franchise tag on the young quarterback. Either way, it’s likely going to come out at $20-plus million annually for a quarterback that’s made two career NFL starts.
What we do know here is that San Francisco needed to make a bold move, especially at the quarterback position. Brian Hoyer wasn’t working out prior to his reported release Monday evening. Rookie C.J. Beathard has struggled under center, showing very little signs that he would be the quarterback of the future. In the end, San Francisco acquired a player in Garoppolo who the Patriots reportedly turned down a first-round pick for during the offseason. It’s a good, bold move.
Texans banking on Deshaun Watson
Most figured the Houston Texans would do everything possible to make sure Duane Brown reported at some point this season to protect the rookie quarterback’s blindside. When that happened prior to Week 8 against Brown’s new Seahawks team, common logic suggested he’d be around for the long haul. After all, a Pro Bowl blindside protector is a young quarterback’s best friend.
Obviously, that didn’t happen. Now playing behind an offensive line that has seen him sacked 19 times in 204 pass attempts, one has to wonder if Watson’s current history-making play can continue into the second half of the season. It’s most definitely a major risk for GM Rick Smith and Co.
Patriots change course in a big way
New England was steadfast in its public stance during the spring. The team was simply not going to trade Garoppolo, who was seen internally as the heir-apparent to Tom Brady. We’re not too sure what changed in the months since then, but the team made the right decision here. Garoppolo was set to become a free agent in March.
Short of the team placing either the transition or franchise tag on the former second-round pick, he was likely going to walk for free. Now, New England adds a high second-round pick to its arsenal. It’s a selection the team could swap for a player at a need position or simply just use to build up its young core.
Even then, one has to wonder whether New England was simply playing the PR game during the spring. Maybe attempting to drive up Garoppolo’s value. This organization does things differently. It’s on another playing field compared to the other 31 NFL teams. And acquiring a likely top-35 pick for a impending free agent that wasn’t seeing the field is a major coup here.
2018 NFL Draft landscape changes
San Francisco is still likely going to boast one of the top-two picks in the 2018 NFL Draft. It’s right there with Cleveland as the only winless team in the NFL. Adding Garoppolo might fix the quarterback situation, but this is still one of the least-talented squads in the league.
Short of trading that early pick for more capital, the 49ers will be looking elsewhere outside of quarterback within the top two. That’s where it will get extremely interesting. The team was said to be interested in Sam Darnold prior to acquiring Garoppolo. This can now be thrown out the window. And for his part, there’s seemingly something to the idea that the USC quarterback will return to the Trojans for the 2018 season.
With Jose Rosen struggling, scouts being split on Lamar Jackson and the Josh Allen hype fizzling out, where does this leave the 2018 NFL Draft class at the quarterback position? It’s definitely an interesting dynamic to look at now that one of the two worst teams in the league, both with previous needs at quarterback, won’t be looking in that direction early next April.
What are the Browns doing?
It was a badly kept secret that Cleveland coveted Garoppolo during the offseason. Heck, reports surfaced that the team was willing to move the lower of its two first-round picks for New England’s backup. With what we’ve seen from Browns quarterbacks this season, why in the heck did GM Sashi Brown and Co. not get involved here?
The combination of DeShone Kizer, Kevin Hogan and Cody Kessler have thrown an absurd 17 interceptions in eight games. And while Hue Jackson deserves some of the blame for Kizer’s struggles as a rookie, the quarterback has not proven himself capable of handling a starting job.
Cleveland boasts five picks in the first two rounds of the 2018 NFL Draft, including three second rounders. If it was willing to move a Day 1 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, what the heck changed between then and now? Obviously, not much on the field for the winless team.