With the trade deadline closing in, the league’s appetite for deals has clearly changed. Sixty trades have already been completed this year, and the people making those calls say the old resistance to swapping players is fading fast.
Cameron Wolfe of ESPN relayed that an anonymous NFC assistant general manager sees a much more flexible market than the one teams used to operate in. “The old-school way of thinking was more anti-trade,” the assistant GM said. “Now people are much more open to how they add talent to their teams.”
Bills general manager Brandon Beane pointed to another reason the market has loosened up: teams are getting more inventive with how they structure deals. “I don’t talk with other general managers much about it, but it’s like an unspoken understanding of this new generation of GMs.
We’re going to make trades,” Beane said. “People have been more creative.
Pick swaps have allowed more opportunity.”
An anonymous high-ranking AFC executive also tied the surge to the pressure coaches face to produce results immediately. “There’s no more patience.
Coaches are getting fired one-and-done. It’s so much pressure to win quickly,” the executive said.
“You don’t have the luxury to wait around to see if a player can figure it out. They are going to move on from you before you get your guys built up.
So, let’s go get a guy.”
In New York, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said rookie cornerback D’Angelo Ponds will get his chance soon. “We can only play so many people.
You see that across the league a number of hot picks… [Fernando] Mendoza hasn’t played at all. We have some other good players on the team.
He’s going to get his shot. He’s a damn good player.
We all know that. Just be patient, and give him a little time.
He’s going to get a shot to play, ” Glenn said, via Jets Wire.
Across the division, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel made it clear he still believes in Drake Maye and expects bigger things ahead. “He’ll be a great quarterback in the National Football League, ” Vrabel said, via ESPN.
“There’s not a whole lot of excuses. You go out there and you find ways to win for your football team.
And I know that that’s one who he is, and that’s what he wants to continue to be. So, he just throws to the open guy and controls our offense and gets guys in the right spot.
That’s being one of the best quarterbacks in the league; that’s what the job description requires.”
Vrabel also said he wants to see more throws that stretch the field and help loosen up the offense. “Certainly touch is involved, right?
And if you have to drive the ball - arm strength, ” he said. “But I think probably just having a good feel of, ‘Do I need a 35-yard pass that’s in the air, or do I need a 50-yard ball?’
and being able to judge that differently.”
In Other News...
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For a team trying to keep its offense steady in a prime-time matchup, the tackle situation is the one to watch most closely. The Bills have some movement elsewhere on the report, but the status of their edge protection will loom largest as the week goes on, especially with Minnesota also dealing with a notable injury update of its own. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Allen And Bills Line Face A Brutal Test In Minnesota
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For the Bills, the challenge is not just identifying where the rush is coming from, but surviving long enough to let Allen do what he does best when structure starts to disappear. His mobility gives Buffalo a possible answer to the Vikings pressure, and Browns comments made clear that the line knows how demanding the assignment will be, even before the first snap is taken. [Read more 🡒]
Dalton Kincaid Still Leaves Bills Fans Waiting On One Week 9 Answer
Dalton Kincaid gave the Bills a much better look on Friday, turning in a full practice after being limited earlier in the week. For Buffalo, that is the kind of late-week progress that usually matters most at tight end, especially when the offense is trying to keep its options open heading into Week 9.
The final injury report still leaves a little room for caution, but Kincaids workload trend points in the right direction. Around the league, Jake Ferguson is dealing with a low-ankle sprain in Dallas and Hunter Henry remains in question for New England with a foot injury, a reminder that the tight end spot can swing quickly from day to day. For the Bills, the only thing left now is the last bit of confirmation. [Read more 🡒]