NFL Spin Zone
Fansided

Grading the Dee Ford trade for San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs

By Nathan Beighle

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - DECEMBER 13: Quarterback Philip Rivers #17 of the Los Angeles Chargers is hit by outside linebacker Dee Ford #55 of the Kansas City Chiefs during the game at Arrowhead Stadium on December 13, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - DECEMBER 13: Quarterback Philip Rivers #17 of the Los Angeles Chargers is hit by outside linebacker Dee Ford #55 of the Kansas City Chiefs during the game at Arrowhead Stadium on December 13, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The San Francisco 49ers added to a wild night in the NFL by agreeing to a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs for pass-rusher Dee Ford. Grading the deal for each team.

The San Francisco 49ers are making moves to improve their defense. They’ve agreed, in principle, to a trade for the Kansas City Chiefs’ pass-rusher Dee Ford, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. In order for this deal to actually go through, the 49ers would have to sign Ford to a new contract, which it appears they will. According to ESPN’s Josina Anderson, they will sign him to a five-year, $87.5 million deal.

Ford is a 27-year old pass-rushing linebacker that has played at least 14 games in five of his six professional seasons. The consistency and dominance that Ford brings makes him an ideal addition for the San Francisco, who entered the offseason in need of an edge pass rusher. An absolute beast as an edge rusher, Ford has found the magic trick to forcing fumbles. Last season, he knocked out a league-high seven fumbles, solidifying his claim as one of the league’s top-tier outside linebackers.

Let’s get a bit away from Ford and into the teams that completed this trade. With that in mind, here’s the trade that was in principle agreed upon, followed by grades for both the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs in this deal.

Grading the move for San Francisco

This is an absolutely phenomenal move for San Francisco. They’ve clearly moved into win-now mode after a disappointing 2018 season that saw Jimmy Garoppolo tear his ACL.

San Francisco is flush with young talent, so bringing on a veteran like Ford is a move that should strengthen their defense tenfold. After a third-place finish in the NFC West, the Niners needed to do something to shift the momentum for their struggling roster.

Led by Garrapolo, the Niners, who will likely draft an elite offensive threat, needed to bolster their defense. Ranking in the bottom-five in opponent’s points per game, the Niners defense was the side of the ball that needed improvement.

For San Fran, this is a trade they had to do. With more holes to be filled, the Niners will look to dominate the draft and hopefully come out hot in 2019. This trade was a slam dunk for a team looking to return to prominence.

Overall Grade: A+

Grading the move for Kansas City

The Kansas City Chiefs can only go up defensively. They gave up the league’s second-most yards per game last season. Thus, they wanted to hit the reset button. However, the move to franchise tag Ford was clearly so they could try and get something back for him in a trade. Securing a second-round pick, even a future one, therefore, is a win for Kansas City.

While they still could’ve used Ford, this trade was far from a slam dunk for the team that surprised many in 2018. After making the AFC Championship Game and giving up 30+ points to New England, it was about time some changes were made.

The Chiefs couldn’t ask for more. However, they’ll need to replace Ford for this trade to actually be a win-win. They can’t get worse defensively, many though. But if they don’t replace Ford, they’ve found one of the only ways to do so.

Overall Grade: A-

Home/Kansas City Chiefs