There’s nothing like the NFL’s trade deadline to create plenty of midweek news around the league. Let’s try to catch up on all of the trades and more in case you missed something.
Benched
Apparently, eight straight losses to start the season is enough for the Cincinnati Bengals to bench quarterback Andy Dalton. When Cincinnati returns from its bye next week, rookie Ryan Finley will be starting for rookie head coach Zac Taylor. The good news is that A.J. Green wasn’t traded, so he should be back at some point to help Finley.
Pain in the Neck
Following his tirade criticizing his team’s play-calling after last week’s loss, Joe Flacco will be out for the rest of the season because of a neck injury. Flacco was placed on injured reserve this week, but he won’t need surgery on his herniated disk. Brandon Allen will start this week’s game against the Browns. Meanwhile, the Broncos could consider activating rookie Drew Lock from IR to give him a look over the next month.
Out of Here
The Chargers won’t have offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt to kick around anymore. Despite beating the Bears 17-16 last week, Whisenhunt has been fired with the Chargers at 3-5 and averaging less than 20 points per game. Quarterbacks coach Shane Steichen will take over the play-calling duties.
To the Desert
The Cardinals pulled off a surprising trade this week, acquiring Kenyan Drake from the Dolphins for a conditional draft pick. Both Chase Edmunds and David Johnson missed Thursday night’s game against the 49ers due to injury. That forced Drake into action, and he responded, making 15 carries for 110 yards and a touchdown, albeit in a losing effort.
Hometown Trade
Defensive lineman Leonard Williams is on the move, but not really. Williams was traded this week from the Jets to the Giants, so he’s switching teams but won’t have to move. The Jets will receive a third-round pick in next year’s draft and either a fourth- or fifth-round pick in 2021 based on whether the Giants give Williams an extension. Since Williams is a free agent after the season, the Giants will likely try to re-sign him. The Giants have just six sacks from their defensive line this season, making that an area of need.
Trading Down
Cornerback Aqib Talib is going from the Los Angeles Rams to the Miami Dolphins, which is obviously a downgrade for a veteran hoping to win another Super Bowl. The Rams are getting a seventh-round pick in 2022 while sending the Dolphins a fifth-round pick in next year’s draft. For Los Angeles, this is a salary dump, while the Dolphins were interested in getting another draft pick. Talib is currently on injured reserve but could return in Week 15 before becoming a free agent this summer.
Answers
We finally got some answers regarding the holdout of Washington offensive lineman Trent Williams. After ending his holdout on Tuesday, Williams revealed that part of the reason was that he was upset with the team’s medical staff because of how long it took them to address a cancerous tumor on his scalp that ultimately required risky surgery. While he has reported to the team, it remains unclear whether Williams will play for the Redskins this season.
