Wednesday 1 November 2017 13:37, UK
'The most active trade deadline ever'.
The NFL went all Transfer Deadline Day on us on Tuesday, as big blockbuster trade deals - like Jay Ajayi's and Kelvin Benjamin's - got over the line, or didn't. We're looking at you, Cleveland Browns.
The winless Browns missed out on bringing in Cincinnati Bengals back-up quarterback AJ McCarron - the Bengals managed to get the trade approved by the NFL five minutes before the 8pm (UK time) deadline, the Browns did not.
The missed deal was symptomatic of a day filled with drama. We try our best to guide you through all that went on here…
While they were undoubtedly big news on trade deadline day itself, deals for Houston Texans offensive tackle Duane Brown and New England Patriots back-up QB Jimmy Garoppolo were actually completed overnight, with deals struck late on Monday evening in the US.
The Seattle Seahawks get the help they so desperately need on their offensive line by bringing in Brown (and getting a fifth-round 2018 draft pick) - a trade that had initially seen cornerback Jeremy Lane heading the other way but, having failed a physical, the Texans instead received a 2018 third-rounder and 2019 second-rounder.
Meanwhile, the Patriots shocked many by opting to roll the dice with their 40-year-old QB superstar Tom Brady without the insurance of their promising young back-up Garoppolo. He instead is off to San Francisco to help out the struggling 49ers.
Winless at 0-8, the 49ers hope Garoppolo can harness that Brady and Bill Belichick magic from his three years under their tutelage and be the man to turn the franchise's fortunes around.
Undoubtedly, the biggest move of the day was still to come. At lunchtime in the UK it was broken that British-born running back Ajayi was on his way out of Miami and switching from a Dolphin to an Eagle, making the 7-1 Philadelphia even stronger!
But why? Why did the 4-3 Dolphins ship off one of their prized assets for no more than a fourth-round pick in the 2018 draft?
After a Thursday night 40-0 drubbing at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens, an angry Miami head coach Adam Gase said: "We've got to stop trying to hit home runs all the time. How about take the four or five yards you're going to get? That's on the running back. Do your job. It's not hard."
While he didn't mention Ajayi specifically, the subtext was there for all to see. Are Philadelphia inheriting a back with an attitude problem perhaps? And one with a dodgy knee? Ever since coming out of the 2015 draft, the concern surrounding Ajayi has been whether he might be a 'one contract' player, with his long-term value hampered by a troublesome knee.
While we don't know the long-term impact of the deal just yet, the Eagles certainly seem to have got better in the short-term - and you can see Ajayi's debut for Philadelphia this Sunday, as they host the Denver Broncos, live on Sky Sports Action from 5.30pm.
Ajayi's switch sent the NFL rumour mill into overdrive.
Suddenly it seemed that Miami were apparently looking to move on their whole offence which, given their disastrous displays so far in 2017, wouldn't have been all too surprising!
The main name being talked about was their leading wide receiver Jarvis Landry, with the majority of that noise coming out of New York, though not necessarily by the Giants. Instead, it was their own star wideout, and Landry's former college team-mate at LSU, Odell Beckham Jr that was begging the higher powers at his team to make the move. They didn't.
There was also plenty of talk surrounding Indianapolis, with the Colts supposedly shopping cornerback Vontae Davis, and wide receivers T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief. But they stay put. As did Seattle's Jimmy Graham, Pittsburgh Steeler Martavis Bryant and Detriot Lion Eric Ebron - all picked as potential movers before the trade deadline.
Meanwhile, the other big news of the day in the NFL was of Ezekiel Elliott's six-game suspension being reinstated. With the Eagles adding Ajayi, there was briefly some excitement in Dallas that the Cowboys might look to bring in a new back of their own in order to keep pace with Philadelphia at the top of the NFC East.
A new back, or possibly an old familiar one? Former Cowboy and current Tennessee Titan DeMarco Murray was mentioned as a possibility, but that's as far as things went.
Rashard Robinson swapped San Francisco for the Jets of New York for an undisclosed draft pick, but generally it appeared that things were winding down as the 8pm deadline neared.
Not so.
Just three minutes - yes, three minutes! - before time was up, the Buffalo Bills added big-bodied wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin from the Carolina Panthers in exchange for third and seventh rounder in the 2018 draft.
The 5-2 Bills are serious about breaking their playoff drought. Could Benjamin be the man to open up their aerial attack, aiding QB Tyrod Taylor's progression even further still and see the side into the postseason for the first time since 1999? We'll get a good gauge of that when they travel to New York to take on the Jets on Thursday Night Football - live on Sky Sports Action from 12.30am.
Similarly, the Browns looked to get their own bit of late business done, by bringing in McCarron from the Bengals. But, the Browns were the Browns and had that old familiar feeling of falling short.
And that's how it ended. Got all that? Roll on next deadline day!
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