Tuesday, October 20th is the date in which teams can no longer trade during the NFL season. So now, is the time for the teams with a chance at playoff contention to go shopping for that one or two players that they think can help them battle through the playoffs, straight to the Super Bowl. As of right now there are 4 teams (Buccaneers, Titans, Rams, Chiefs) that have yet to produce a single win this season. All of them stand at a record of 0 wins and 5 losses. There are 5 teams (Raiders, Browns, Lions, Bills, Panthers) that have only produced 1 win this season. All in all, there are 9 teams that have to be already thinking about next season. I’m not saying that is the way to go about it, but if you can produce a 1st or 2nd Round Draft Pick for a guy that is not in your future plans, or who’s contract expires at the end of the season anyway, why not make a deal. Even if you are getting a package of picks and/or a player you think could be a part of your future, now is the time to do it. Teams that are in the hunt to take control of their division, should be looking at their current weaknesses, and looking for players that could give them that boost to help them get there. For example, the Bears at 3-1 will need to stay in pace with the Vikings who are at 5-0. The big internet rumor going around at the moment is Buffalo Bills (WR)Terrell Owens could possibly be traded, and the team that has come up in most of these rumors is the Chicago Bears. You could argue that the Bears are good right where they are at with their wide receiving core. Devin Hester, Earl Bennett, and the surprise emergence of rookie Johnny Knox are getting the job done without a doubt…but you have to wonder how much of that is due to the sure-fire accuracy of Jay Cutler.
Now you have to wonder, what kind of damage do you think could be done to opposing defenses, if the Bears aquired (WR)Terrell Owens from the Buffalo Bills for lets say a future 2nd or 3rd Round Draft Pick. I know they have already traded away a plethora of picks to get Jay Cutler, but it’s looking so far to be well worth it. The Bills have Lee Evans (who the Dolphins are reportedly interested in trading for, but won’t happen), Josh Reed, Roscoe Parrish (who is another Bills wide receiver with a great chance of getting traded before the deadline), James Hardy (who will be coming off the PUP list soon), and Steve Johnson (who has already shown great promise).
It all makes perfect sense, because the Bills have a dismal 1-4 record, only have Owens under contract for one year, could potentially receive a great 2010 draft pick for him in exchange, and still have good enough receivers to hold up the rest of this year. The Bears would be taking a risk in aquiring Owens, but it’s undeniable that the connection of Cutler to T.O would wreck havoc among opposing defenses. He would bring a lot of veteran knowledge and leadership to a young receiving core, which would surely benefit the talented group of young receivers the Bears have already. I think Terrell Owens is slowly maturing and has proven it by his behavior so far with the Bills. This is his worst season so far to date, and he has kept his cool, and has said all of the right things to a media that provokes him disrespectfully, after a bad game. The Bills have had 4 of them already this season.
The reality of Terrell Owens being traded at all is slim to none though. Especially with the Bills deciding to ditch their no-huddle offense. It could happen though, and trades such as this I find very intriguing. Trades within the NFL were a rare commodity at one point, but it seems that in the past few years, we’ve seen an increase in movement. Over the next few days I will keep you up-to-date on all of the NFL trade rumors, and examine what players could be “on the market” over the next week.
On a personal note, what I think the Bears should do, is sign free agent (WR)Matt Jones, formally of the Jaguars. He showed plenty of #1 receiving potential, and has all the skills necessary to be one in this game for a long time. He is still young, and has height, which will blend together well with have (TE)Greg Olsen on the field at the same time. With Matt Jones and Devin Hester on the ends, Johnny Knox in the slot, and Greg Olsen, it would bring together a group that we would be able to rely on for a long time to come. We would lose nothing by signing him, because I’m quite sure he would only get signed to the veteran minimum. Let him come in and earn a contract extension next year. He would succeed too. because if you think about it, most of his time he had David Garrard throwing him passes. Decent QB, but no Jay Cutler.
If we signed Matt Jones, then we wouldn’t have to bring in a guy like Terrell Owens. We would also save a ton of money by doing it this way, and wouldn’t have to trade a draft pick. Maybe save that pick to trade for a guy like Shawne Merriman/Chargers, Aaron Kampman/Packers, Derrick Johnson/Chiefs, or Nnamdi Asomugha/Raiders, who are all rumored to be available for the right price, but I’ll save all of that for the days to come. So many possibilities!
-Dale Underiner (TSR Writer)-
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