The New England Patriots are no strangers to draft-day trades in the Bill Belichick generation. This year, the Patriots may be seeking to trade away a player that has been a big part of their running game since being drafted in the 3rd round in 2011: RB Stevan Ridley.
There are some reasons why the Patriots may look to move Ridley through the draft. The first is related to ball security problems. As anyone that has followed Ridley’s journey with the Patriots surely knows by now, he has had a big issue with fumbles. Since getting into the league in 2011, he has fumbled the football 9 times, losing six of them. The team responded to these difficulties by demoting Ridley to third-string running reverse at the latter part of the 2013 season.
Given the fact that the Patriots preach ball security together with all of their running backs and also offensive players in most cases, the likelihood that they would extend Ridley long lasting when he can cough the football up at any moment seems improbable. He is actually skilled, but in today’s NFL, the running back position is deemphasized. You can typically discover running backs with an identical skillset to Ridley who is able to actually hold on to the football.
Another one of the reasons why the draft could be the best time for all to transfer him is really because the largest number of good players in free agency have been concluded. Teams around the league still have gaps to fill up and also at this moment, they are surely most likely pulling their alternatives between just a few good players at each and every position. Simply put, teams may find a reliable commodity in Ridley more appealing than a newcomer running back that has never taken a snap in an NFL match.
Perhaps the most crucial reason why the Patriots may choose to move him at some point throughout the draft is because of financial causes. With Ridley set to turn out to be a free agent towards the end of this forthcoming season, he may possibly be seeking a big pay raise despite his fumbling concerns. One team on the market with a significant need at the position will probably give him that pay boost.
Will the Patriots be looking to give a player who was demoted to 3rd string less than 1 year ago a long-term contract for much more profit? My guess would be no. The team will probably need to get anything in exchange by trading him now instead of losing him for nothing in free agency.
Having said that, the Patriots probably will be looking to add a running back or 2 in the draft. Keeping Ridley might not be in the cards for a team that prides by itself on getting the job done. For a running back, that job is holding onto the football. Two teams that may have interest in a purchase for Ridley are the Tennessee Titans along with the Cleveland Browns. Both of the teams require a running back with Chris Johnson gone from the Titans, and the injury-prone Ben Tate coupled with getting old running back Willis McGahee at the position for the Browns.
In any case, a prospective Ridley trade is something to keep close track of maybe during the 2nd or even third day of the 2014 NFL draft.Do you wish to find out more about the new england patriots or their players? heade over to our website and find out more! This article is copyright protected.