Somehow the Superbowl Champion New England Patriots just got even stronger as they made a monumental trade with the Cincinnati Bengals. The Patriots sent their second round pick in this Saturday's NFL Draft to the Bengals in exchange for pro-bowl running back Corey Dillon.
What the heck happened on this one? Well we all know the Bengals have been a complete mess since the late 80's but Dillon was one of their bright spots from 1997-02. Last year he battled injuries and was limited to just 541 yards on the ground. Between his complaining of the losing, being on the wrong side of 30, and wear and tear on his body, the Bengals cut their losses and got a second rounder out of New England for him.
Now you can look at this move two ways. Now the hater's stance would be the Patriots just wasted a second round pick for a washed up, declining malcontent that may not even survive training camp while the Bengals got rid of someone who doesn't want to be there. They also could simply draft his replacement since Dillon himself went in the second round back in 97. Now the positive stance is the Patriots traded just a second round pick to get an all-pro running back that might have some gas left in the tank. The Patriots one weakness coming off their Superbowl victory over the Carolina Panthers was the running game since Mike Cloud didn't work out, Antowain Smith was physically declining and Kevin Faulk is best used as a third down pass catching back. Fully healthy Dillon might have been the missing piece on a 14-2 team that has already won the Superbowl. The Patriots also have two first round picks so the rich might have gotten richer as they say.
Either way, the Patriots second round pick might or might not become a stud but they know they're getting one in Dillon. His injuries should have healed by this coming training camp and he's no longer on a bad team. This might have been the heist of the century, we'll see come training camp and beyond.
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