NFL Trade Deadline 2017: Examining Top News and Rumors

The NFL trade deadline is a generally staid affair, but the last two days provided plenty of surprises for fans between the deals that were completed and those that failed to be finalized in time.

Some teams strengthened their rosters in preparation for a deep playoff run later in the year, while others took a more long-term view of the trade deadline and tried to set up their futures two, three or four years from now.

Keeping up with all of the rumors and confirmed trades throughout Monday and Tuesday wasn't easy. Below is a brief overview of some of the biggest stories.

Biggest Trades

49ers Get Their Man with Jimmy Garoppolo

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No move created a bigger buzz than the San Francisco 49ers' acquisition of Jimmy Garoppolo from the New England Patriots. The 49ers sent the Patriots a 2018 second-round pick in order to add the 25-year-old quarterback.

The Athletic's Tim Kawakami believes trading for Garoppolo is only the first step in rebuilding the offense:

The risk here for San Francisco is obvious.

A second-round pick is a reasonable price to pay for Garoppolo, but he's still a quarterback who has thrown 94 passes in his first three years.

He'd also be the exception rather than the rule when it comes to quarterbacks finding success outside of New England, even when giving Jacoby Brissett the benefit of the doubt. Ryan Mallett, Brian Hoyer and Matt Cassel all struggled when assuming larger roles after leaving the Patriots.

Given the difficulty of finding a starting-caliber NFL quarterback, the 49ers were right to go all-in on Garoppolo, but it could still blow up their long-term plans if he flops.

Seahawks Address Offensive Line in Big Way

For years, the offensive line has been a major problem for the Seattle Seahawks, and 2017 is no different. Through eight weeks, the Seahawks are 28th in adjusted line yards and 17th in adjusted sack rate, according to Football Outsiders.

Duane Brown is an addition that's long overdue.

ESPN's Adam Schefter initially reported Monday the Seahawks traded Jeremy Lane, a fifth-round pick in 2018 and a second-round pick in 2019 to the Houston Texans in order to acquire the three-time Pro Bowler. Schefter reported Tuesday that Lane failed his physical, however, so the Texans will receive a third-rounder in 2018 and a second-rounder in 2019.

Brown has missed all but one game this season as a result of his contract holdout, but he was very effective for the Texans in 2016. According to Pro Football Focus' Louie Benjamin, Brown earned an 86.3 overall grade from the site last year, which was 14th-best among qualified linemen.

Although Brown may not do a whole lot to improve Seattle's poor run-blocking, he'll at least provide much-needed protection for Russell Wilson.

Eagles Add Another Playmaker in Jay Ajayi

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The Philadelphia Eagles confirmed Tuesday they traded a 2018 fourth-round pick to the Miami Dolphins for Jay Ajayi.

Dave Spadaro of the Eagles' official website shared a statement from Howie Roseman, Philadelphia's executive vice president of football operations:

"We like our running back group. This was an opportunity that came to us that we thought was a good player who could add to our team, a young player who is under contract for the next couple of years. At the same time, everyone has seen how LeGarrette [Blount] has run, Wendell [Smallwood] has had really good games for us, Corey [Clement]. We brought Kenjon [Barner] back as well. It just adds to the group. Playing time is sorted out by the coaches. LeGarrette continues to be our starter and we're just real excited to have that group and add a good player."

The Miami Herald's Armando Salguero reported the Dolphins' reasoning for trading Ajayi "[had] to do with team culture and locker room chemistry and player buy-in."

"He complained bitterly about not getting the football," Salguero wrote. "He stormed out of the locker room—get this, after wins—because he hadn't gotten what he deemed to be enough carries. And, oh yes, he didn't exactly light it up on the field."

ESPN's Jeff Darlington reported the Dolphins also had concerns over Ajayi's long-term durability:

Potential knee problems down the road would help explain why Miami settled on a fourth-rounder for a running back who had 1,272 rushing yards and averaged 4.9 yards per carry in 2016.

Ajayi is certainly having an underwhelming 2017, with 465 yards and zero touchdowns on 138 carries, but the Eagles didn't pay much for a Pro Bowl running back who should be entering his prime.

This was a trade where both sides should walk away happy.

Panthers Make Puzzling Trade, Jettison Kelvin Benjamin

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The trade deadline would've been a great time for the Carolina Panthers to have a permanent general manager, rather than using Marty Hurney on an interim basis.

Hurney certainly executed a head-scratcher when he traded the Panthers' leading receiver, Kelvin Benjamin, to the Buffalo Bills for third-round and seventh-round picks in the 2018 draft.

The Charlotte Observer's Joseph Person shared Hurney's explanation for the deal, which is defensible to some extent:

Benjamin isn't all that different from Devin Funchess. They're both 6'5", and neither has the speed to really stretch a defense. Of course, that leads to the question as to why Hurney's predecessor, Dave Gettleman, selected Funchess a year after selecting Benjamin in the first round of the 2014 draft.

While Hurney's analysis isn't off base, the timing of the trade is odd. The Panthers are only a half-game back of the New Orleans Saints for first place in the NFC South, and Cam Newton is now down one of his best receivers during what has been a disappointing season for the 2015 Most Valuable Player. Newton has thrown for 1,841 yards, 10 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Carolina is banking a lot on Funchess, Russell Shepard and Curtis Samuel to step up and fill the void left by Benjamin, and that feels like an unnecessary risk as the team looks to push for the playoffs in the second half.

Rumored Deals that Weren't to Be

Browns Live up to Their Reputation

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As a neutral observer, God bless the Cleveland Browns. In these unpredictable times, NFL fans can count on the Browns falling on their faces in the most comical way possible.

Below is a three-part story from Schefter:

There's so much to unpack here.

Broadly speaking, Cleveland's continued organizational dysfunction is evidenced by the team's failure to get the AJ McCarron trade across the line. The Browns had who knows how much time to finalize the deal, and everything fell apart at the last minute.

Then there's the fact the Browns viewed McCarron as their long-term solution at quarterback after trading out of draft picks they could've used to select Carson Wentz or Deshaun Watson. Not to mention the team's pursuit of McCarron sends a strong message to DeShone Kizer, the quarterback around whom the Browns were building their offense.

It's hard to imagine how the 2017 trade deadline could've unfolded in a worse way for Cleveland.

Steelers Remained Steadfast in Retaining Martavis Bryant

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Martavis Bryant seemed a prime candidate to move before the deadline. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported earlier in the month that Bryant had requested a trade, which Bryant refuted a day later.

Regardless of whether Bryant formally requested a trade, he's not playing well this year and getting overshadowed by JuJu Smith-Schuster on a weekly basis now. Whereas Bryant looked poised for a possible breakout in 2017, that has happened for Smith-Schuster instead.

According to Rapoport, the Steelers didn't entertain any serious trade offers for Bryant, however:

Bryant still has one more year left on his current deal, so Pittsburgh may be holding out hope 2018 can bring better things for the former Clemson standout. The Steelers may also want to wait and see if Bryant can help his trade value with a strong second half.

Based on the Panthers' compensation for Benjamin, Pittsburgh may have been able to fetch a mid-round pick or two for Bryant, and if that was the case, then the Steelers were better off keeping Bryant on the roster.