AFC West Foes Make Moves as Trade Deadline Passes

The 2007 NFL trade deadline has now come and gone. Usually this is a pretty uneventful day in the National Football League, but that wasn’t the case for two AFC West teams.

The Kansas City Chiefs unloaded backup RB Michael Bennett to the ailing Buccaneers for an undisclosed draft pick. The move is speculated to have been made as a result of Priest Holmes possibly practicing and even playing this week for the Chiefs.

Meanwhile, the San Diego Chargers made a surprise blockbuster move to acquire Chris Chambers from the Miami Dolphins for a 2nd round pick. The compensation is high, but it’s obvious Miami was holding the leverage card with the trade deadline approaching. This trade is also speculated to be in reaction to in-house news: WR Eric Parker was placed on injured reserve, ending his season.

Chambers immediately becomes the Chargers’ best wide receiver. Everyone on their depth chart automtically moves down (including rookie Craig “Buster” Davis). This also means that the Chargers will not be drafting until the third round of the 2008 draft (their first round pick was traded on 2007 draft day so they could move up to select safety Eric Weddle).

If the team believes they’re ready for a Super Bowl run this year (which they do), the move makes a lot of sense. Aggressively making your team better is the right attitude if you’re hoping to win now, and the Chargers are a better team now with Chambers in fold.