NFL: A.J. Green, Kenyan Drake among 4 Trade Deadline Targets
The 2019 season is nearing its halfway point, which has given a strong sense of where things stand around the league with division races and playoff pushes taking shape. Several players have already been on the move such as Jalen Ramsey to the Los Angeles Rams. It has thrust a few prominent names in the rumor mill as potential targets ahead of the trade deadline on Tuesday afternoon. Here are four players that could be on the move in the coming days.
4. Kenyon Drake
The Miami Dolphins have gotten off to a disappointing start to the season, having dropped their first seven games (likely eight after Monday’s matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers).
It has put several of their players in the trade rumor mill as Drake’s name has been mentioned. Adam Schefter of ESPN is reporting that several teams have talked to the Dolphins about acquiring him. On top of that, the veteran running is not traveling with the team for Monday’s game against the Steelers.
That all but signals that Drake is on his way out to another team for a fresh start. In his short time in the league, he has proven to be a versatile option out of the backfield behind his ability to impact both the passing and rushing game.
3. Vic Beasley
Since his breakout 2016 campaign, where he had 15.5 sacks, it has been a struggle for Beasley to find any consistent footing on the field.
He has tallied five or fewer sacks since that year with 11.5 sacks combined over the last nearly two-and-a-half seasons. The more that Beasley struggles, it is starting to paint the picture that his Pro Bowl campaign as an anomaly to the type of production he can provide.
What also places his name in the hat for trad rumors is that the Atlanta Falcons are going nowhere fast, having lost six out of their first seven seasons. Beasley is currently in the fifth-year option of his rookie deal worth roughly $12.8 million.
2. Leonard Williams
It has been quite a similar case for Williams in comparison to that of Beasley in how their respective careers have unfolded.
In Williams’ situation, he hasn’t had that one breakout campaign as he hasn’t had more than seven sacks in a single season. The USC product has vastly underperformed over the last few seasons, which has hit a head this year as he has zero sacks in through the first six games heading into Sunday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
There has been lingering trade chatter around Williams throughout the last few, which makes it clear that he’s on shaky ground with the Jets. He is currently in the fifth-year option of his rookie deal worth $14.2 million.
1. A.J. Green
The Bengals have been trekking through a highly disappointing season in the first year under Zac Taylor as they entered Week 8 action against the Los Angeles Rams having lost their first seven games.
It has thrust upon the Bengals trade talk around star wide receiver A.J. Green despite him being sidelined for the entire season up to this point due to an ankle injury. Cincinnati has stood firm on its stance that they will not trade the Pro Bowler, but he is currently in the final year of his four-year, $60 million deal without any building momentum toward an extension.
The team may not want to move on from him, but Green could desire to leave in free agency next March as he could see a new opportunity to get his career back on track. It’s a move that the Bengals do not want to make, but there could be a lucrative offer made in the coming days that may be too tough to pass up for the star wide receiver.
