Wide Receiver Trade Options

Following the Randy Moss trade, several wide receivers have been mentioned as available options. Some of the teams who are in need of help at the wide receiver position would include: Arizona, Buffalo, Cleveland, Carolina, Kansas City, St Louis, Washington and New England.

• The biggest available name would have to the Carolina Panthers Steve Smith. As we went over yesterday, the Panthers could find themselves in full-blown rebuilding mode in the coming weeks. They have already inserted rookie QB Jimmy Clausen into the teams starting lineup could look to move some veteran players. By trading Smith, the Panthers could get a serious leg up on the rebuilding process by acquiring some quality draft picks. The Patriots have been mentioned as a possible suitor for Smith since they are currently without a proven big play receiver. If Smith does become available the number of suitors would grow pretty fast.
• Vincent Jackson rumors have begun popping up again after the San Diego Chargers elected to keep Jackson rather than trading him away before the league imposed deadline. The Vikings were said to be the most interested team in trading for the wide receiver but now that they have Moss, they are no longer in the market. Yesterday there was some speculation that the Patriots may be interested in Jackson but Adam Schefter and Mike Lombardi both shot down the idea. It would be hard to imagine that Chargers are going to find a team willing to meet their requirements for a trade now that Jackson will miss a good amount of the season. Injuries could force a team to inquire but it’s still a long shot as of now.
• Buffalo Bills wide receiver Lee Evans could also be a target for some teams that are not willing to part will as much as some of the other options would require.  The first thing to consider is that Evans plays for a team that will most likely not be in contention for a playoff spot this year. The Bills have been in rebuilding mode for a few years now and it seems that this process will continue this offseason. The team has already made it clear that they are willing to move some of their veteran players to better position themselves during next years draft. Evans has been mentioned as option for the Washington Redskins as well as the New England Patriots.
• Tom Curran of Comcast Sports New England suggests that the Patriots could target Deion Branch who was a large contributor for the Patriots during their Super Bowl runs a few years back. Danny O’ Neil of the Seattle Times tweeted that, “I’ve been told that it’s premature to say that’s a deal on the brink of being made. Will be monitoring that closely.” Branch makes sense for the Patriots because of his familiarity with the teams offense and because of the fact that we would only cost them a late-round pick.
• The Washington Redskins have been reported to be actively shopping WR Devin Thomas in recent weeks. Thomas has underperformed during his time in Washington and has been relegated to special teams action. The Redskins wouldn’t require much in return for Thomas which makes him a good buy-low candidate for teams that are looking for wide-receiver help.