During one of the busiest trade deadlines in recent memory, surprises came left and right. Star running back Jay Ajayi was traded to the Eagles, Jimmy Garoppolo was sent to the 49ers, the Seahawks got a star left tackle in Duane Brown, and the list goes on. What was probably the biggest surprise of them all, was the Carolina Panthers sending wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin to the Buffalo Bills for a third-round pick and a seventh-round pick in the upcoming draft in 2018.
This changes a lot for two teams hoping to make it into the postseason.
What this means for the Bills
The Bills have already looked like a playoff team. They are 5-2, and have impressive wins, including a win in Atlanta, and a twenty-point beating of the Raiders. The Bills' defense has maybe been the most surprising in the league, allowing only 115 points through seven games. On the other side of the ball, they have LeSean McCoy who is one of the more dangerous running backs in the league, and their offensive line has impressively stayed healthy so far. The one thing they were missing was a talented receiving corps.
Tyrod Taylor is a good quarterback who has not had much talent around him to throw to, especially after the Bills dealt Sammy Watkins to the Rams in the offseason. With the addition of Kelvin Benjamin, the Bills have filled in their biggest hole, and look quite ready for a strong playoff push.
What happens to the Panthers
With Kelvin Benjamin gone, Devin Funchess will be expected to fill in the role of WR1. Funchess has impressed this season, but he has impressed as the second option. Benjamin was still the leader in receiving yards for the team, with Funchess coming in third behind Benjamin and Christian McCaffrey, respectively. This shows the level of trust that the organization not only has in the rest of the receiving corps and Devin Funchess, but also in Cam Newton himself.
Everyone knows what Newton is capable of, but his play has been very suspect at times this season. Greg Olson should be healthy soon, but for the time being his top targets are Devin Funchess, Ed Dickson, and Russell Shephard. A solid receiving corps, just became a bottom tier one. Their defense has not looked as good as it has in past years as well. Life is not going to be any easier for Cam Newton moving forward.
Why would the Panthers do this?
Frankly, I do not know why the Panthers would do this. The reasons I have seen were for cap space, and to add some variety to their receiving corps because Funchess and Benjamin are both big receivers that are not great at stretching the field, but I am not buying it.
Not the second one at least. Benjamin was the most talented receiver on the team, and they did not get a good value for him in this trade. A third and seventh-round pick is not going to be amount to what Benjamin contributed, and if they wanted to get rid of a big-bodied receiver, why not give away Funchess? Funchess is probably worth a third and seventh-rounder and would have made this trade much fairer. I did not think the Panthers were going to make the playoffs this year, but I thought they still had a good chance. Their playoff hopes just took a big hit.