What if the Chiefs traded for Buffalo Bills LB Reggie Ragland?
By Matt Conner
Why a Ragland trade makes sense
From the Buffalo Bills’ perspective:
For a team looking to build a young foundation, trading a second round linebacker before you even know what you have in him is an odd way to start. It makes sense to trade depreciating assets like Sammy Watkins, someone who was entering the final year of his deal. It makes sense to also trade Ronald Darby, a defensive back who wasn’t going to fit the new defensive scheme being employed. As for Ragland, it makes sense to keep him around and see how he could potentially fit, even if he’s not a three-down linebacker.
At this point, no team is going to help the Bills recoup their second round investment and after a torn ACL, they’d be lucky to get a fifth round pick for Ragland. That being the case, there’s no reason to deal an unproven Day 2 selection before he’s played a single official down for your franchise.
From the Kansas City Chiefs’ perspective:
The cupboard is already full. How many candidates are the Chiefs really wanting to bring in next to Derrick Johnson. Ramik Wilson is already in camp and looking sharp. Kevin Pierre-Louis is the latest trade addition. Ukeme Eligwe was the team’s fifth round pick, and Josh Mauga is the veteran returning to provide depth and security. That doesn’t include Justin March-Lillard or Terrance Smith.
Ragland might be better than every single one of those, but the run thumper next to DJ in the team’s base configuration isn’t going to make that much of a difference in order to lose a significant draft asset, even a fourth round pick. If the Bills were so sour on Ragland that they would take a sixth round pick for him, then Veach might have something serious to consider. But other teams would certainly take a flyer on Ragland for more than that, and the Chiefs don’t have the draft assets to move since they’re already down a first round pick.
Besides if the Bills aren’t even interested in featuring Ragland given their front seven, how realistic is it that he’d really improve the Chiefs?