Many Buffalo Bills fans are still reeling from Buffalo’s three-way trade that resulted in the release of wide receiver Sammy Watkins and Ronald Darby. Buffalo inherited cornerback E.J. Gaines from the L.A. Rams and wide receiver Jordan Matthews from the Philadelphia Eagles. According to Buffalo News, Matthews had his first practice with Buffalo this past Sunday. Within 15 Minutes, he and Shareece Wright smashed into each other on a play. Matthews left practice and ended up with a fractured sternum. Wright hurt his right thumb and exited the field.
Is Matthews' sternum injury karma for Buffalo releasing Watkins and Darby?
A trade shocker for Bills fans
Last week Thursday, Buffalo Bills fans were happy to see quarterback Tyrod Taylor connecting with Watkins. Watkins had foot surgery in the offseason, and his health was being questioned. Taylor hit Watkins on the first series 3 times for 39 yards during Buffalo’s preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings. Hope for a better season seemed to be in the air.
The next morning brought a different attitude altogether. Fans found out that Sammy Watkins and Ronald Darby had been traded to the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles, respectively. Buffalo got a second and third round draft pick for Matthews and Gaines.
Darby was listed as one of the best cornerbacks in the league, while Watkins is explosive when he is on the field. The trade angered many fans, who did not want to see their top two player leave. Many sports experts and fans have stated on different social media sites that Watkins was traded due to him not staying healthy long enough and missing games.
Watkins missed 8 games last season. However, fans did not expect Matthews to get hurt within his first 15 minutes of practice.
Who will be ready for Buffalo’s first game?
Although Matthews is supposed to be ready for the Bills’ first regular game against the New York Jets, he will not be playing when Buffalo takes on the Eagles in a pre-season match-up this Thursday.
It feels like karmic fate that Darby, Philadelphia’s newest cornerback, will be challenging Buffalo’s weak wide receiving corps. In his two years with Buffalo, he displayed some stellar numbers. According to Pro Football.com, Darby had 121 tackles and 2 interceptions with the team. Darby’s athleticism may thwart Anquan Boldin, Andre Holmes, and Zay Jones, who should be playing in Thursday’s game.
Taylor needs Matthews to get healthy quickly. By this time in NFL training camp, quarterbacks and wide receivers usually develop solid chemistry with one another. Taylor and Matthews are already behind with only 15 minutes of work with one another. Matthews caught one of Taylor’s passes out of 4 attempts this past Sunday.
Things are off to a rocky start in Buffalo. Welcome to the Bills, Jordan Matthews.
