The Jaguars Trade Machine: Part Two

After readers thoroughly insulted me in my column‘s poll last week (bloggers have feelings too guys… sort of), I figured I’d subject everyone to another trade based post.

Greg Jones has my back. He’ll fight you. 

Even though trades are few and far between, we’ve actually seen Gene Smith send away some players during his tenure as GM. Gene’s drafts over the last three years have produced a litany of varied opinions, while his success in free-agency is hard to debate. But what kind of batting average does Gene have with trades? Let’s find out after the jump.

According to the Jaguar’s media guide, the team has made 10 different trades since Gene took over in 2009. Some of the trades were part of a series of trades to get a certain player or pick, so we’ll lump those together. Let’s start with…

2009 – Jacksonville trades DT Tony McDaniel to Miami for a 7th round pick. The Jaguars trade the 7th round pick and their own 2nd round pick in 2010 to New England for a 3nd round pick. The Jaguars select Derek Cox (3nd round) and New England selects Julian Edelman (7th) round.

Gene turned a backup defensive tackle and 2nd round pick into a starting cornerback – Derek Cox. Despite being injury prone, it looks like Cox is a long-term solution in the defensive backfield. Although many fans would like to keep picks in the 2nd round, it’s hard to argue with the return Gene got in Derek.

Verdict: Good trade.

2009 – Jaguars trade WR Dennis Northcutt to Detroit for S Gerald Alexander.

In a straight-up, player for player deal, it’s usually pretty easy to see which side won. Here, it looks like both teams got what they wanted. The Jags traded a mediocre receiver for a young safety with some potential (a position of need) to a team that needed help at receiver. Neither team was expecting much, and that’s what they got.

Verdict: Push.

2009 – Jaguars trade 7th round pick to Tampa Bay for QB Luke McCown.

We got a backup QB for a late round pick. Tampa ended up selecting LB Dekoda Watson, so we didn’t miss out on much. We needed a viable backup to David and we got one.

Verdict: Good Trade.

2010 – Jaguars trade DE Quentin Groves to Oakland for Dallas’ 5th round pick. The Jaguars trade Dallas’ pick for New Orleans 2011 4th round pick. Jaguars select S Chris Prosinski (4th).

Gene Smith was in full roster purge mode when he traded away Quentin Groves. He wasn’t producing much in Jacksonville and it was clear he didn’t have a role in our 4-3 defense. Still, he is in the Raiders’ rotation and we won’t know how the Jaguars made out in the trade until Prosinski sees more time on the field.

Verdict: Incomplete.

2010 – Jaguars send a 4th round pick to Oakland for MLB Kirk Morrison and a 5th round pick. Jacksonville selects DE Austen Lane (5th) and Oakland selects Jacoby Ford (4th).

Gene got a short-term solution at the linebacker position in Morrison and a young defensive end to develop in Austen Lane. We only had Kirk for one mildly effective year, and Austen has shown promise but not a lot of production. The Jaguar’s certainly could have used a receiver with Ford’s speed last year, and until Austen starts producing, it looks like Oakland got the better of the deal.

Verdict: Questionable Trade.

2010 – Jaguars send a 7th round pick to Miami for G Justin Smiley. Miami trades the pick to Green Bay.

Gene was going for depth on the offensive line here, and he only got 5 games out of Smiley. The Jaguars didn’t really give up much for the guy and they didn’t get much.

Verdict: Little to no impact.

2010 – Jaguars trade S Reggie Nelson to Bengals for CB David Jones.

Most people in Jacksonville were glad to see Nelson leave town. Unfortunately, David Jones was a major contributor in the Jaguars’ terrible passing defense in 2010. Nelson is at least playing in Cincinnati. I’m not sure what else we could have gotten for Nelson, but we didn’t get much.

Verdict: Bad Trade.

Classic Reggie Nelson.

2011 – Jaguars trade a 2012 conditional draft pick to the Jets for DB Dwight Lowery.

The Jags got a starting safety (a position of HUGE need) for a late round pick. This is arguably Gene’s best trade since he got promoted, and Lowery will likely be resigned as a free-agent to hold down a safety position for the next few years.

Verdict: Great Trade.

2011 – Jaguars trade a 3rd and 6th round pick to San Francisco for a 3rd round pick. Jaguars select G Will Rackley and San Fransisco selects S Chris Culliver and WR Ronald Johnson.

This is a draft trade, so it really hinges on Gene’s ability to draft. Rackley struggled some his rookie year but looks like he can improve enough to a be a long-term fixture on the offensive line. Again, we won’t know how this trade will turn out for a couple of years.

Verdict: Incomplete.

2011 – Jaguars trade a 1st round pick and 2nd round pick to Washington for a 1st round pick. Jaguars select QB Blaine Gabbert and Washington selects DE Ryan Kerrigan.

Now here’s the big one. This is the trade and the pick that will likely determine how Gene’s tenure as GM will be regarded for years to come. Gabbert was lambasted by national pundits during his rookie year, but most people in Everbank field feel he has the tools to develop into an elite QB.

Verdict: Incomplete.

Save for one exception (the Gabbert trade) it looks like Gene’s strategy for trades thus far has been low risk/low reward. He hit a home run on the Lowery trade, but there’s little impact from the other players acquired so far. Rackley and especially Gabbert will determine how Gene’s trade record will look in a few years.

What do you think? Should Gene start being a little more aggressive in the trade market? Or does he not know what he’s doing?

– Daniel Lago