The Steelers have traded for JJ Wilcox to give their defense another safety, and the Tampa Bay Bucs have sent Wilcox away because they signed TJ Ward. I like to see these teams make trades that will benefit everyone. Have you ever seen teams make trades before knowing that one of the guys in the deal was getting screwed? I hate to see that, but I think this works for everyone. Football players love to play, and the Steelers will put a lot of trust in Wilcox.
The Bucs did not need him
They signed TJ Ward for a reason, and I imagine they had a talk with the Steelers about how much they wanted another defensive back.
The Steelers were happy to take him on, and they will put a lot of trust in him because they need as much defensive help as possible. I think that the Bucs knew they could benefit the Steelers, and they decided to trade JJ instead of just cutting him. That was thoughtful because they sent him to a good team.
The Bucs get a pick
You can see that the Bucs are being run properly again. They took a draft pick because they needed it, and they will use that pick to make their roster better. I like the way this looks for the team because they have enough pieces to use for future trades. You may think that they are done making deals, but they are in a division that may necessitate more trades in the future.
They may need to do something to push their team over the edge, and stockpiling picks is a good choice for everyone involved.
Who is the better player?
I personally think that Ward and Wilcox are going to situations that are suited to them. Fringe players that end up on good teams like the Steelers can really turn their careers around.
JJ was this close to getting cut, and now he is on a team that could make him look amazing. TJ Ward comes to the Bucs with a chance to make a big difference, and he could get paid very well at the end of the season. For my taste, I will take TJ Ward. I watched that entire Super Bowl the Broncos won, and I know that he can seek out the ball like no one else.
I bet the Bucs are excited to start creating turnovers with this guy stalking the defensive backfield.
How long until we know how it went?
We will see right away which player is doing better, but I think that both of them will perform well in their assigned roles. We have to give some trades time because players are dealt on potential, but we often do trades like this because we want to have these players play right away for the benefit of the team. I hope they can both perform.
