In a move that will have major implications for two teams and millions of fantasy football players, the Detroit Lions have traded cornerback Dre Bly to the Denver Broncos in exchange for tackle George Foster and running back Tatum Bell. Bly, the Lions' best defensive player, was entering his last season in Detroit but has agreed to terms on a new contract with the Broncos. With Bly on the opposite side of the field from Champ Bailey, Denver now has by far the best pair of cornerbacks in the NFL and one of the best pairs of cornerbacks in NFL history.
Foster has spent his four-year career with the Broncos and started 45 games, and he's one of the big reasons that everyone just assumes the starting running back in Denver is good for 1,000 yards a season, no matter who he is. The Broncos' line won't be as strong if they don't find a solid replacement for Foster.
Bell had 1,025 yards and two touchdowns last season, and the fact that the Lions traded him shows they have no faith in the ability of Kevin Jones to recover from his season-ending foot injury. Expect Bell to carry most of the load in Detroit next year.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-01-2007 @ 3:33PM
Matt W. said...
I'm shocked to say it, but this is an excellent move by Matt Millen.
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3-01-2007 @ 3:58PM
anchorinvest said...
who cares Fire Millen
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3-01-2007 @ 4:21PM
john b said...
Don't think foster or bell can change anything
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3-01-2007 @ 5:09PM
Bill said...
I hope the Lions can live with Bells great hands when he has put the ball on the ground so many times during important times in a game. Now the Broncos need to work on the d'line, the o'line and trade the Snake!
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3-01-2007 @ 11:47PM
Brett said...
Shanahan already did this once, when he traded Portis for Champ Bailey, and even Redskins fans would agree that the Broncos ripped them on that one. The bottom line in the NFL is that there are far more RBs that can do the job than there are DBs. Tatum Bell, while brilliant at times, wasn't starting and was in Shanahan's dog house for a reason. As a life long Broncos fan, I feel this is a good trade for Denver. They will need to replace Foster for sure, but a Bell for Bly trade I would do any day of the week.
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3-03-2007 @ 2:57PM
witless chum said...
"Bell had 1,025 yards and two touchdowns last season, and the fact that the Lions traded him shows they have no faith in the ability of Kevin Jones to recover from his season-ending foot injury. Expect Bell to carry most of the load in Detroit next year."
Don't buy it. The local beat people think Jones is going to recover. The idea that he won't be ready is mostly from national media people. Ergo, not as reliable.
I tend to buy the locals', like Tom Kowalski from Booth newspapers, idea that Bell is insurance and a backup. It's an indictment of Millen and/or Marrinelli's decision to draft Brian Calhoun in the third round last year, and of their confidence in Shawn Bryson as a backup if KJ goes down again.
This move was about the desire to be without Dre Bly, because Marrinelli apparently doesn't like the way he plays corner, and get something in return.
I'd also argue that Cory Redding was the Lions best defender last year and Shaun Rogers is their most talented defender overall. Redding created a lot of havoc surrounded by backups, guys off the street and Kalimba Edwards.
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