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Bills Bolster Roster With Two Wild Trades

By John Carroll Jr.

ORCHARD PARK, NY - DECEMBER 11: Sammy Watkins
ORCHARD PARK, NY - DECEMBER 11: Sammy Watkins /
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The Buffalo Bills announced Friday two separate trades that sent shockwaves through Western New York.

The first trade was by far the most shocking move of the young NFL Season thus far.

According to the team, the Buffalo Bills have traded WR Sammy Watkins and a 2018 6th round pick to the Los Angeles Rams for a 2018 second round pick and CB E.J Gaines.

Also according to the team, the BIlls traded CB Ronald Darby to the Philadelphia Eagles for WR Jordan Matthews and a 2018 3rd round pick.

The move is surprising.

Just last night Watkins and Bills QB Tyrod Taylor looked to be in synch with the wideout as they were completing numerous passes early in the first quarter.

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Earlier in the offseason the Bills decided to not pick up Sammy’s 5th year option. 

The move put fans on notice, and made headlines, but no one thought anything of it.

Sammy Watkins is set to be a free agent at the end of this season.

The injury prone wide out will be looking for a big pay day at year’s end.

He would have tried to put up monster numbers to get the biggest contract possible. Which Bills fans thought he would do in Buffalo, even if he were to leave in free agency.

But by trading him they miss out on a potentially huge year from him in a Bills uniform.

The guy they once gave up a first round pick for in 2014, will play out west and reunite with former Bill and teammate Robert Woods.

The Sammy Watkins experiment in Buffalo has come to a bitter end after just 3 injury riddled seasons.

LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 09: Kenny Britt
LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 09: Kenny Britt /

The second trade was although surprising and unexpected, was not as significant.

Ronald Darby is a young CB and the team’s first pick in the second round by the Bills in 2015 (they traded their first that year, ironically, to drat Sammy) but was shipped down to Philly.

In return Buffalo got Jordan Matthews. Matthews was 3 yards shy of a 1,000 yard receiving season in 2015.

It is safe to assume that although different trades, they happened concurrently. The Bills essentially lost and gained a WR and CB respectively

The deal is made knowing they could swap Darby for Gaines and Watkins for Matthews.

The picks that were involved show that the Bills believe it is a slight downgrade and an upgrade

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for the Rams and Eagles.

Watkins and Darby are the pride and joy of Ex Bills GM Doug Whaley.

Perhaps new GM Brandon Beane wanted to get rid of players he didn’t draft on expiring contracts.

It is his team now.

The trade is made with the intentions and all eyes on the future. The Bills will now have 6 picks total in the first 3 rounds of 2018 all because of trades.

The Bills, although not guaranteed to contend this year anyway, seemed to have thrown in the towel for this year and focus on the future.

ORCHARD PARK, NY – AUGUST 10: Head coach Sean McDermott of the Buffalo Bills looks at the scoreboard during the second half of a preseason gameof a preseason gameagainst the Minnesota Vikings on August 10, 2017 at New Era Field in Orchard Park, New York. Minnesota defeats Buffalo 17-10. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
ORCHARD PARK, NY – AUGUST 10: Head coach Sean McDermott of the Buffalo Bills looks at the scoreboard during the second half of a preseason gameof a preseason gameagainst the Minnesota Vikings on August 10, 2017 at New Era Field in Orchard Park, New York. Minnesota defeats Buffalo 17-10. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /

The initial shock of the trade will last a long time, but only time will see if these moves payoff.

The Bills play their next pre-season game on August 17th, ironically, against the Eagles.

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