The NFL is the completely different from the NBA, and perhaps nowhere is this more evident than at the trade deadline. In the NBA, superstars are dealt every year for a king's ransom of players and draft picks, while in the NFL the trade deadline usually consists of one big trade and a handful of backup player for 7th round pick trades. This year, however, has proven to be the exception. Big names were sent packing to new homes, and some teams completely rewrote their plans for the future, for better or for worse. With that being said, let's take a glimpse at all of the trades that happened over that past week.Los Angeles Chargers trade WR Dontrelle Inman to the Chicago Bears for a conditional 2018 7th round pick
Dontrelle Inman did an admiral job filling in for Keenan Allen and several other Chargers receivers last season, racking up 58 catches for 810 yards and 4 touchdowns. Now that Keenan Allen and Mike Williams are back and healthy, there was not much room for Inman on the roster, as evidenced by his 2 catches for 9 yards on the season. The Bears boast arguably the worst receiving corps in the league, which does not bode well for franchise-savior Mitch Trubisky. Adding a big bodied target with experience can only help the young quarterback's development. The Bears got Inman for a very cheap price, due to his lack of production in 2017 and groin injury that has held him out of play since week 5. I would to have liked to see the Chargers trade Inman earlier in the season, just because they could've netted a better pick for him based solely off of last year's production if his injury and lack of playing time hadn't lowered his value. Also, the Chargers are still cursed when it comes to injuries, so keeping Inman around as insurance would not have been a bad thing.
Chargers Grade: B-
Bears Grade: A
Buffalo Bills trade DL Marcell Dareus to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a 2018 6th round pick
Much like Sheldon Richardson leaving the Jets, Marcell Dareus leaving the Bills was inevitable. The Bills were fed up over his effort and antics, and to get any compensation from a player you don't want is good, especially when considering that the sixth round pick can turn to a 5th round pick depending on Dareus' production. The Jaguars, however, won this trade. Doug Marrone coached the Bills from 2013-2014, and in that time span Dareus pilled up 17.5 sacks, two Pro-Bowls, and one All-Pro nod. A defensive line with Calais Campbell, Malik Jackson, Dante Fowler Jr., and Yannick Ngakoue was already the league's best, adding Dareus just widens the gap between the Jags and the rest of the league, as long as he keep his head on straight.
Bills Grade: B+
Jaguars Grade: A
Houston Texans trade OT Duane Brown and a 2018 5th round pick to the Seattle Seahawks for a 2019 second round pick and a 2018 third round pick (originally CB Jeremy Lane)
It only took four seasons of Russell Wilson being sacked 40+ times for the Seahawks to realize that they need proven NFL talent protecting Wilson. Duane Brown is a 3x Pro Bowler who will instantly upgrade the woeful Seattle Seahawks offensive line. The issue is that he is 32 years old, injury prone, and coming off a long contract holdout. He is a quick fix, but I feel as though the Seahawks paid a bit much for a tackle with more than a few red flags. As for the Texans, Brown was probably as good as gone for them, so getting such good compensation for an older player that frankly they might not need because Deshaun Watson is amazing can count as a win. It would've been nice to get Jeremy Lane and strengthen the corner position, but they got a nice return for Brown.
Texans Grade: B
Seahawks: A-
New England Patriots trade QB Jimmy Garropolo to the San Francisco 49ers for a 2018 2nd round pick
Kyle Shanahan has his quarterback. Jimmy Garropolo is a great fit for Shanahan's offense, as it works best with decisive and accurate quarterbacks. Garrapolo only has two starts, but in those two starts he threw for 496 yards and 4 touchdowns while completing 70.95% of his passes. A second round pick is a pretty cheap price for a young player putting up those kinds of numbers. This deal works out nicely for the Patriots too, but only if Tom Brady stays healthy and plays well going into his 40s, which would be unprecedented. If he does get hurt, newly signed Brian Hoyer is far from Jimmy Garropolo and the Patriots are toast. At least the second round pick will probably within the top-35, which will help the Patriots rebuild their poor defense or get a new quarterback of the future.
Patriots Grade: C+
49ers Grade: A+
Miami Dolphins trade RB Jay Ajayi to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2018 4th round pick
When the best team in the NFL gets stronger, the rest of the NFL starts to sweat. The Philadelphia Eagles adding a Pro-Bowl running back in his prime is a terrifying prospect for the rest of the NFL. Jay Ajayi is a beast who ran for 1,272 yards and 8 TDs last season, and pairing him with LeGarrette Blount gives the Eagles two bulldozers to work with. Plus Jay Ajayi is only 24 years old and still has 1.5 years on his rookie deal. Which leads me question why on Earth the Dolphins made this trade. I know supposedly Ajayi is a "locker room problem" to Adam Gase, but how are we supposed to believe that. I simply don't buy that in a locker room with Ndamakung Suh and Jay Cutler that Jay Ajayi somehow is the one with a personality problem. Gaining only a 4th round pick for Ajayi is also a terrible value. How did they not get a Day 2 pick for a 24 year old Pro-Bowler? This move, of course, also weakens one of the league's worst offenses, leaving them with Damien Williams and Kenyon Drake to split carries. The Dolphins just befuddle me.
Eagles Grade: A+
Dolphins grade: D
San Francisco 49ers trade CB Rashard Robinson to the New York Jets for a 2018 5th round pick
Rashard Robinson is a second year corner with all of the talent in the world and zero idea how to use it. He was a Chip Kelly draft pick who has shown flashes (1 pick, 1 forced fumble, 7 pass deflections), but lacks consistency, especially when it comes to penalties (10 this season). The Jets desperately need corner depth with Morris Claiborne and Buster Skrine expected to miss time. Adding Robinson also gives them a possible star corner for the future if the coaching staff can iron out his inconsistencies. This was a decent trade for both sides.
49ers Grade: B-
Jets Grade: B
Carolina Panthers trade WR Kelvin Benjamin to the Buffalo Bills for a 2018 third and 2018 7th round draft pick.
I'm not sure what the Panthers are doing right now. They are sitting at 5-3, in prime position to either win the division or grab a wild card spot, and they trade away their best wide receiver for draft picks. Why? Devin Funchess has only shown flashes of the dominance he was supposed to have coming into the league, Greg Olsen is still hurt, and Christian McCaffrey and Curtis Samuel are running backs. The Panther's offense somehow got even more confusing. The Bills, however, are trying to capitalize on their unexpectedly hot start by grabbing a young, proven talent like Benjamin. Benjamin gives Tyrod Taylor a big weapon to target and a red zone threat.
Bills grade: B+
Panthers Grade: C-
The Cleveland Browns fail spectacular to trade a 2nd and 3rd round pick for Cincinnati Bengal's QB AJ McCarron.
Can the Browns get any worse? Sending a 2nd and a 3rd round pick for AJ McCarron isn't a good move in the first place, but failing to complete the trade because you celebrated too early and forgot to approve it with the NFL is something I expect from an episode of The Office, not a professional NFL team. The Browns just need to quit.
Browns Grade: Flunked Out
