(Dude ran a 4.24 40 pre-draft. Nothing solid here, just more mental masturbation.)
Chiefs Steal Perfect Jaylen Watson Replacement in New Projected Trade
The Kansas City Chiefs were the recipients of horrible news on Tuesday. After fracturing his ankle in Week 7, it's been revealed that Chiefs No. 2 cornerback Jaylen Watson will likely miss the remainder of the 2024 NFL season as he recovers from the injury.
With only two weeks remaining until this year's NFL deadline, time is running out for the Chiefs to find a replacement for Watson. The good news for general manager Brett Veach & Co. is that the perfect fill-in is available ahead of the deadline and he comes at an affordable price.
Veteran CB Eric Stokes has recently fallen out of favor when it comes to the Green Bay Packers' defensive plans. Despite starting in five of seven appearances so far this season, he's become an afterthought as he's only played a combined 24 defensive snaps across the last two weeks
His diminished role combined with the fact that the Packers declined his fifth-year option earlier this year makes Stokes a potential trade candidate in the coming weeks. If that's the case, GM Veach should consider giving Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst a call.
A former 2021 first-rounder, Stokes' 2024 performance has been a mixed bag, to say the least. On one hand, his 15 solo tackles in seven appearances put him on pace for 36 across 17 games, which would be his highest output since he racked up 43 as a rookie.
On the other hand, Stokes has struggled to stop anything thrown in his direction this season. According to Pro Football Focus, the ex-Georgia product owns the ninth-worst coverage grade (50.0) among 104 eligible CBs after allowing 20 completions, 225 yards, two touchdowns, and a 107.6 passer rating on 31 targets this season.
Even though things aren't working out in Green Bay, a move to Kansas City could be what Stokes needed. He's still a solid cornerback who knows how to tackle and stop the run, and it wouldn't be shocking if defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo can help the 25-year-old ballhawk take his game to the next level.
Assuming that the Packers don't want to lose Stokes for nothing as a free agent in March, a fifth-round pick could be all the Chiefs need to pull off a deal. With plenty of Day 3 picks spread across the next three years, rolling the dice on a Stokes trade is well worth any minor risk.
Stokes was good as a rookie and appeared to be ascending. I think he got a pretty nasty injury at the end of that year or maybe his 2nd year and hasnt been worth a damn since. But I liked him in the draft and he did show NFL ability. 3rd day pick swap? Sure, I'd gamble.
He won't cost a 5th. You could probably give a 5th and get Stokes and a 6th back. [Reply]
Maybe I’m in the minority but I’m just not real worried about CB :-)
As long as Trent’s there and the safeties to help over top, I have more trust in Merritt and Spags to work through this injury than literally anything else that could happen depth wise.
And that’s not even acknowledging that there’s real talent left in the room. I can easily see Nazeeh Johnson being on the Turk Wharton track where the comeback from the ACL takes a few months but then it’s January and he’s playing up to full speed again. [Reply]
