Let's evaluate the trade that brough Braylon Edwards to the Jets.
What did the Jets get?
A tall, talented, mercurial, and still relatively young receiver.
Braylon Edwards has top-tier talent. 3rd overall pick in the 2005 draft. 80 catches, 1,289 yards, 16.1 yards per catch, 16 TDs in 2007. Had an off year in 2008 where he dropped 16 passes, but still caught 55 for 873 yards and 3TDs.
His quarterbacks have been Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn (so not exactly Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.) His teams have mostly been terrible, except in 2007 (his best year.)
He is 6'3" and 26 years old.
What did the Jets give up?
Chanci Stuckey, a nice receiver, but best suited to be a #3 guy in the slot.
Jason Trusnick, a very good special teams player, but not used for much else (a backup backup tight end.)
A couple of draft picks next year, one of which is a conditional 3rd rounder that could go to a 2nd rounder depending on, um, conditions.
What else is there to talk about?
Edwards has had some off the field issues, mostly attitude problems and a recent supposed altercation with one of LeBron James' friends.
Did you get what you need?
For the Jets, absolutely. They needed a guy to be the #1 receiver. Jerricho Cotchery is better than average, but he's best suited to be a #2 receiver. Dustin Keller can be even more of a threat if there are two WRs for the defense to cover, meaning it's more likely he'll have a linebacker on him.
Did you give up a lot to get it?
Not really. I don't love that there's a second or third round pick involved, especially if Edwards is unable to recapture something resembling his 2007 form. But other than that it's two decent role players and a 5th round pick.
All else being equal I would have liked to keep Stuckey, since he was a 7th round pick that did well, which is always nice to root for. But to get a big-time talent, you have to give up something of value.
What do I think of the trade?
I think it's pretty obvious by now that I'm in favor of it. Even if Edwards doesn't really work out, it's worth the risk. The ceiling for this deal is much higher than the floor is low.
Worst case scenario Edwards lasts only this year, stinks, and is let go. The Jets are out a couple of replaceable players and a relatively high draft pick. Best case is that with Sanchez throwing to the Edwards-Cotchery-Keller combo the Jets have a balanced offense with talent in both the running and receiving game, to go along with the top-level defense.
So, my early take is that this makes a lot of sense. And, as an added bonus, if the Sanchez to Edwards battery becomes productive, it will make Mangini look even more like a dope, since he facilitated the trades to get both those guys to the Jets. That would be a nice cherry on top, huh?
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2 comments:
when you really think about it the 3rd round pick isn't that big of a deal...if Edwards doesn't work out and the Jets do not sign him he will become a restricted free agent. Therefore, in order for another team to sign him they would have to compensate the Jets with a draft pick (more than likely a 3rd rounder or better)
-Anonymous Jets Fan
Edwards has to be at least as productive as Stuckey (Stuckey has 11/120/1 so far this year). I can't imagine Edwards will be worse than Stuckey. And if Edwards can give them 70/1000/8 a year for the next 3-4 years, it's a good trade.
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