The Kansas City Chiefs traded for LB Reggie Ragland from the Buffalo Bills so we went to SB Nation’s Bills blog, Buffalo Rumblings, to get their perspective of the trade. Here’s Matt Rich Warren from Buffalo Rumblings:
What's the short history of Ragland's time in Buffalo, what happened?
BR: Ragland was injured during his first NFL training camp. While he was going to be counted on as a focal point of Rex Ryan's defense, that went up in flames. When he was healthy, Rex was gone and Sean McDermott's scheme asks a lot of different things of him and he was never able to adapt.
He was demoted to the third string this year. Why?
Reactions to the Reggie Ragland trade
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What they’re saying about the Chiefs decision to trade for Ragland.
BR: That's been a source of debate, even in public comments from coaches. Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said he was still recovering from the injury and getting acclimated. Head coach Sean McDermott said he was fighting for a roster spot. Clearly he didn't fit the Bills' plans, even projected to being fully healthy, so they cut bait.
Go back to the 2016 draft. What did you expect out of him when healthy?
BR: We really expected Ragland to come in and start Day 1 in the middle of the defense. He did that in training camp until he tore up his knee. Here is our scouting report where we genuinely thought they might take him at 19 overall. They waited and picked him up in the second round instead at pick 41.
Are Buffalo fans upset they gave traded him away or glad they got something of value for him?
BR: Most Bills fans are happy they got something for him instead of just cutting him loose. That said, a lot of Buffalo fans saw his talent and wanted to see what he could bring in the lineup and they never really got that chance. I've been advocating for a trade for several weeks now since he so clearly doesn't fit the scheme.
In two years, will Ragland be the Chiefs starting LB?
BR: He very well could be. Not everyone is Adrian Peterson. He's 12 months removed from an ACL tear. With a few more months on the mend, he might be full go next offseason and a piece to build around. Then again, it could stunt his already minimal coverage ability and he could be relegated to the dying "run stuffing linebacker" role.