Los Angeles added Sammy Watkins and the sixth-round pick that…
Los Angeles added Sammy Watkins and the sixth-round pick that became Sebastian Joseph-Day, while Buffalo received cornerback E.J. Gaines and a 2018 second-rounder. Watkins supplied eight touchdowns during the Rams' 2017 turnaround, and Joseph-Day later became a multi-year starter. Buffalo got one useful season from Gaines and then used the second-round pick as part of the package that moved up for Josh Allen.
Buffalo Bills Received
- pick EJ Gaines and 2018 2nd round pick (56th overall subsequently traded, Duke Dawson )
Los Angeles Rams Received
- player Sammy Watkins
- pick 2018 6th round pick (195th overall, Sebastian Joseph-Day)
Trade Analysis
Buffalo's decision made sense in the context of a new front office reshaping the roster before Sean McDermott's first season. Sammy Watkins was entering the final year of his rookie contract after injuries had interrupted his Buffalo tenure, and the Bills turned him into starting cornerback E.J. Gaines plus a 2018 second-round pick. Gaines started 11 games in 2017 and helped a defense that reached the postseason, so Buffalo received immediate value rather than simply banking a future selection.
That second-rounder became more important the following spring. Buffalo included pick No. 56 in the package sent to Tampa Bay to move from No. 12 to No. 7, where the Bills drafted Josh Allen. The Watkins trade was only one piece of that larger quarterback move, so it would be wrong to credit the entire Allen outcome to this transaction, but the acquired pick clearly helped create the flexibility to make it happen.
The Rams received a useful one-year offensive piece at exactly the moment Sean McVay was transforming the offense. Watkins caught 39 passes for 593 yards and a team-high eight receiving touchdowns as Los Angeles jumped from 4-12 to 11-5 and reached the playoffs. He left in free agency after the season, limiting the duration of that part of the return.
The overlooked piece was the sixth-round pick Buffalo sent with Watkins. Los Angeles used it on Sebastian Joseph-Day, who became a regular starter on the defensive line from 2019 through 2021. That gave the Rams several seasons of inexpensive interior production after Watkins had departed.
This is closer than the original grades suggested. Buffalo deserves a B+ because Gaines contributed immediately and the second-rounder became useful quarterback-trade ammunition. The Rams earn an A- for the 2017 offensive boost plus Joseph-Day's later starting value, producing a narrow Los Angeles win rather than a landslide.