The NFL free trade agency is underway as teams attempt to fill the holes on their current rosters to compete for next season. The free trade agency is always interesting to analyze as it helps fans and sports bettors understand what teams are looking for heading into the entry draft, which is scheduled to begin on April 25 this year.
One of the most interesting dynamics of this year’s free trade agency is many teams are looking for talent to place on the offensive line. In years past, many teams would give away draft picks or move the sun and the moon to acquire a top quarterback, a strong running back, or a star wide receiver.
But this year’s agency is focused mainly on adding inside and outside linemen to help teams improve the number of blockers and guards for quarterbacks in the new season. Five NFL teams – the Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts, San Diego Chargers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Detroit Lions are all making deals and trades during the free agency to find offensive linemen.
The Minnesota Vikings made a surprising trade this offseason by moving wide receiver Percy Harvin to the Seattle Seahawks, a team that already boasts strong offensive talent. NFL analysts were surprised by this deal because Harvin was famously injured last season in a game against Seattle that kept him out of the rest of the season. According to NFL insider Jay Glazer, this trade could be considered a measure of Minnesota’s desperation to add young, healthy talent to their roster.
Heading into the 2013 entry draft, gamblers should restrain from betting heavily on quarterback drafts. Andy Reid, who famously used his first round pick in 1999 for Philadelphia to acquire quarterback Donovan McNabb, knows how to spot a franchise player. But Reid, now with the Kansas City Chiefs and in a similar first round draft position, traded for San Francisco quarterback Alex Smith this offseason, seemingly unimpressed with the players in the draft this year. Online casinos and sportsbetting sites seemingly agree with Reid’s decision and as a result, have placed higher odds on both offensive and defensive linemen in the draft.
The look for next season won’t be finalized until the end of April, but the insiders clearly think this offseason will be unpredictable. In short, all bets are off.
