The Kansas City Chiefs traded for Reggie Ragland on Monday. What are the positives and negatives of the deal?
On Monday, the Kansas City Chiefs made a move to bring in a new linebacker. If that sounds familiar, it’s because it is. Brett Veach has made several such moves in his first full month as the team’s new general manager, after replacing John Dorsey earlier this offseason. Not only has he signed (and released) Josh Mauga but he’s also swapped D.J. Alexander to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for Kevin Pierre-Louis.
Now Veach has decided to make one more move in the form of a trade with the Buffalo Bills for linebacker Reggie Ragland. It’s a surprising trade on several fronts, not only because the Chiefs have already made so many moves to bolster the heart of their defense in recent weeks, but because Ragland was a rookie just last season. It’s not often that a team bails on such a recent draft pick, but that’s exactly what the Bills have done here.
Let’s take a closer look at the deal, at the positives and negatives, of the Ragland deal from the Chiefs perspective. Is this a trade worth making?
Fans are, far and away, feeling very positive about this trade and for good reason. Ragland was a highly regarded prospect coming out of college at Alabama, a hard-hitting tackler noted for his work ethic and leadership. Many fans wanted the Chiefs to think about selecting Ragland in the first round last year (instead they slipped back into the second round and took defensive lineman Chris Jones).
Ragland doesn’t have sideline to sideline speed and that will be even more true coming off of a torn ACL in 2016. However, he’s a strong run defender, an old-school thumper, on a team that desperately needs an upgrade in the middle. The Chiefs run defense was very poor last season, but the additions of defensive tackles Roy Miller and Bennie Logan and the trade for Ragland dramatically shifts the Chiefs personnel on running downs.
Ragland won’t be the next Derrick Johnson. That’s not his skill set, at least not at this point. He’ll be a potential upgrade next to Johnson in the middle, a strong tackler who actually also brings an ability to rush the passer. Hopefully he can regain the athleticism lost during the injury and subsequent time away in rehab and the Chiefs’ coaching staff can take it from there.
While fans might be much more excited about this trade than those who are against it, the deal itself is not without its issues and it begins with the reason to make any deal at all.
It was only a couple days ago that Bills head coach Sean McDermott made public statements concerning Ragland’s roster status—specifically whether Ragland could even make the team’s final 53-man roster whatsoever.
It definitely makes sense to trade for Ragland if you believe that you don’t stand a chance to claim Ragland on waivers, but the price then comes into question. Usually if a player is not going to make the team, then the announced deal is for a future conditional draft choice or perhaps a swap of picks that gives one team a bit higher pick. In this instance, it would make sense for the Chiefs to trade a 5th or 6th round pick for Ragland and a 7th round choice.
For a recent example, see the 7th round pick the Jacksonville Jaguars traded to the Miami Dolphins for offensive tackle Branden Albert. Yet the Chiefs traded a fourth round choice, a fairly high selection on Day 3. Yes it’s not until 2019, but it’s a fairly high pick all the same, even if it is delayed gratification for the Buffalo Bills.
Even more concerning is Ragland’s recent health. Coming off of a torn ACL, the Bills were ready to give up on him for a draft asset that’s not due for another two years. For a team devoid of young talent on defense, it says something about what they’re seeing from Ragland in practice—namely that he’s not the same player that you might remember from his days at Alabama or the pre-draft season that turned him into a player with Day 1 stock.
The Chiefs will need patience to see if Ragland can get his “burst” back and it might not be possible after such a devastating injury. Multiple players have certainly returned from a torn ACL, but the same injury has claimed many others.
Given a choice between making the deal or not, most Chiefs fans would definitely say “yes” to this trade proposal in a heartbeat and I’m inclined to agree. But for those who don’t like this deal, it’s not as if they’re ill informed. The Bills were no longer excited about Ragland for a reason, and it’s not just because the guys who drafted him are gone.