Are Any Receivers Worth Trading For?

October 08, 2008 at 11:15am by Scott   •  2 Comments »

The trade deadline is next Tuesday, which means this is Bruce Allen’s time to shine. Allen’s past 11th hour trades have brought the Bucs Michael Bennett and Joey Galloway and simultaneously jettisoned Anthony McFarland while acquiring the pick that would bring them Sabby Piscitelli. This history has people talking now about what might happen this year. Ira Kauffman, the Tampa Bay area’s weird uncle, focuses on receivers and thinks that Roy Williams (the Detroit version), Torry Holt and Tony Gonzalez are possibilities, especially given the fact that Galloway is injured and doesn’t seem to be getting any better.

Tony Gonzalez has gone on the record saying that he doesn’t have a lot of years left in the league and, though he’ll always love Kansas City, he wants to play for a team that has a better chance at the playoffs than they do. Which would be anyone.

“But if it was something where it was going to take three or four years or whatever before they get this thing right, I think it would be in their best interest to maybe see what they can get and send me off.”

Gonzalez is better than any tight end currently on the roster, but despite the fact that he is a matchup problem for most linebackers, it’s not a position of need for the Bucs. If they want to stretch the field they have Jerramy Stevens, if they want to block they have John Gilmore, and if they’re not sure, they have Alex Smith. All of them can do any of the necessary tight end jobs adequately enough to where giving up the draft pick Gonzalez would command (a second rounder?) wouldn’t be worth it.

Roy Williams is the kind of receiver the Bucs never seem to be able to draft — big and physical but still fast. His skill set would be ideal for what the team needs with Galloway hurt. Williams is in the last year of his contract so if Detroit is going to do something with him, now would be the time. But so far, the only asking price I’ve heard for Williams is two first rounder. And fuck that. Next year’s first round pick is a fair price for him, but more than that is too big a risk for a guy who has been known at times as a malcontent (and a terrible tipper.) And even if it was a fair price, the Bucs could just wait for the end of the season to see if Detroit franchises him, in which case the price to sign him away is still two first rounders. And if they don’t, he’s on the free market and the Bucs have plenty of cap space. That scenario doesn’t help this season much, but you can’t just go tossing around first round picks and not expect consequences down the road. The good news is that most people seem to agree that Williams will not re-sign with Detroit and they don’t want to franchise him, so as the trade deadline approaches, his price will likely decline.

That leaves Torry Holt. Holt is in his tenth season and has had about an assful of St. Louis, so with the coaching in flux over there, they may decide it’s best to part ways and let the new staff pick their own guys. Holt is still fast and runs routes that have broken cornerbacks’ pelvises before. Separation is a problem for current Buccaneer receivers, and Holt can get separation. He has made it known publicly that he would like to finish out his career in Carolina (although he claims he was joking… kind of) which I still haven’t figured out if it’s a good thing or not for him coming to Tampa or if it even matters. Anyway, the perception of Holt is that he’s an aging receiver in decline and could probably be had for a second rounder plus, say, a fourth rounder.

If Williams can be stolen from the Lions for a first rounder as the bell rings, do it. Otherwise, I think the #2 + #4 option for Holt is a good deal, especially considering what they got for their second and fourth rounders this year.