The Buffalo Bills traded middle linebacker Reggie Ragland to the Kansas City Chiefs, but does the trade mean for the future of the Bills defense?
On Monday, the Buffalo Bills completed a trade to send middle linebacker Reggie Ragland to the Kansas City Chiefs. In return, the Chiefs sent back a 2019 fourth-round pick. A former second-round pick by the Bills in 2016, Ragland turned out to be a massive disappointment in Buffalo.
He was taken 41st overall and was expected to be the middle linebacker of the future. The Alabama product was a sought after player in the 2016 NFL Draft, as the Bills traded up eight spots to select him. During training camp in 2016, Ragland suffered a torn left ACL, which forced him to sit out the entire 2016 season.
When new head coach Sean McDermott was brought in to run the defense, many speculated on Ragland’s future with the team. Ragland was drafted to be an inside linebacker in a 3-4 defensive scheme, which is what previous head coach Rex Ryan ran in Buffalo. McDermott bringing his 4-3 defensive scheme left Ragland on the outside looking in.
The Bills have been actively pursuing a trade for Ragland since the beginning of camp, and finally pulled the trigger. The Bills were looking for the highest return, and believe they succeeded with getting back a fourth-round pick. Overall, the Bills drafting Ragland turned out to be a misfire and set the organization back. The Bills used a second-round pick and gave up two fourth-round picks (2016, 2017) to move up and take Ragland.
Only getting a fourth-round pick back for Ragland may seem like a small haul. However ,his value was diminishing and they had to pull the trigger as soon as possible. It was clear he wasn’t going to start for the Bills in 2017, and with not playing at all in 2016, teams were simply going off his college career to pinpoint his trade value.
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The trade opens up the door for Gerald Hodges and Preston Brown to run the middle of the defense. If one of those guys can step up and take control of middle linebacker position, the Ragland trade will be erased from Bills fan’s minds rather quickly.