The NFL trade deadline is over and five high-profile players switched teams including WR Demaryius Thomas, WR Golden Tate, DE Dante Fowler Jr., S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, and RB Ty Montgomery.
Those five join the likes of other players traded in the last couple of weeks: Amari Cooper, Damon “Snacks” Harrison, Eli Apple, Carlos Hyde, and Josh Gordon.
Demaryius Thomas
The big question in Denver over the last week is where would five-time Pro Bowler Demaryius Thomas end up? The Broncos shipped their wide receiver to the Houston Texans for a 2019 fourth-round pick and the two teams swapped seventh-round picks.
With the addition of Thomas, DeShaun Watson will now have a strong compliment to top receiver DeAndre Hopkins after Will Fuller went down.
“Demaryius had an incredible run here and we can’t thank him enough for everything he’s meant to the Broncos,” said general manager John Elway. “He developed into an elite player over the years, establishing himself as one NFL’s most productive, consistent and reliable wide receivers. D.T. was a big part of so many wins and memorable moments as a Bronco.”
During his tenure in Denver, the 30-year old Thomas scored 60 touchdowns and had over 9,055 receiving yards. This season, Thomas only scored three touchdowns. Thomas won one Super Bowl with the Broncos as one of Peyton Manning’s favorite targets.
Golden Tate
The Detroit Lions were flush at the WR position, so they sent Golden Tate to the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles for a 2019 third-round pick.
Tate is expected to have an immediate impact in the lineup as a target for Carson Wentz. After Mike Wallace broke his leg in Week 2, the Eagles were thin in their receiving ranks.
Tate joined the Lions via free agency in 2014. In his first four season, Tate caught at least 90 receptions every season. He also put up at least 1,000 receiving yards in his first three seasons.
This season, Tate scored three touchdowns with 44 receptions.
Carson Wentz was particularly excited. The Eagles’ QB tweeted, “Let’s roll my man! Excited to compete with ya!”
Dante Fowler
The Jacksonville Jaguars traded DE Dante Fowler to the Los Angeles Rams for a 2019 third-round pick and 2020 fifth-round pick.
Fowler, a former first-round draft pick, offers up the most value but he’s a definite risk. For one, Fowler is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and he might leave to go play elsewhere. More importantly, Fowler had multiple off-the-field problems. On the field, the Rams acquired a top-notch rusher who had two sacks this season. Over his short career with the Jags, Fowler has 14 sacks in 39 games.
The undefeated Rams are on a mission to win the Super Bowl and they upgraded their defense with a quality edge rusher. The Rams now boast four first rounders in the line up with Aaron Donald, Ndamukong Suh and Michael Brockers. Donald currently leads the NFL with 10 sacks.
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Ty Montgomery
The Packers were busy and made two trades. Firstly, the Packers traded safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix to the Washington Redskins for a 2019 fourth-round draft pick. The Skins are in the thick of a heated division race in the NFC East. Clinton-Dix, who is only 25, becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
Clinton-Dix made the Pro Bowl in 2016 with five interceptions, but struggled last season with the Packers. This year, Clinton-Dix bounced back with three interceptions.
Thank you, @WilsonRamik!!! pic.twitter.com/hv6bxjGi9n
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) October 28, 2018
Less than 48 hours after the Packers lost to the Rams, the Packers shipped out RB Ty Montgomery, who had been relegated to special teams. Late in the game, Montgomery fumbled a kickoff. He ran out of the end zone instead of opting for a touchback. The Rams clinched the win with Montgomery’s fumble. He immediately drew heat from fans, the media, and his own teammates.
“I wasn’t playing very much and I wasn’t able to make a play. And I was frustrated about that,” Montgomery said after the loss to the Rams. “Don’t fully understand what my role is right now, what I’m supposed to be doing, how I’m supposed to help this team. And it’s frustrating when I want to help the team. I get limited opportunities, and it didn’t happen on that play. So I came off frustrated about it.”
The Packers traded Montgomery to the Ravens for a 2020 seventh-round pick. The Ravens hope that the versatile Montgomery can jump-start their paltry running game, which is ranked #24 in the NFL.
Montgomery was drafted into the NFL as a wide receiver but transitioned to running back in 2016. In his short career with the Packers, Montgomery scored 10 touchdowns (7 rushing and 3 receiving).
