Atlanta Falcons, Kansas City Chiefs

NFL Trade Grades: Chiefs send CB to Falcons at deadline buzzer

The Kansas City Chiefs pulled off a trade right at the deadline, sending cornerback Rashad Fenton to the Atlanta Falcons in a salary cap dump.

Just when one of the wildest NFL Trade Deadlines in recent memory seemed like it had come to a close, the Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Falcons struck at the buzzer with one last deal, albeit a move that’s far from a blockbuster.

As reported by ESPN’s Field Yates, KC is trading cornerback Rashad Fenton to Atlanta in a move that was brought about after the defensive back was taken out of the starting defense recently.

It’s odd to say, this trade may not look like it moves the needle, but it’s an interesting one between two first-place teams in their respective divisions.

Rashad Fenton trade details for Chiefs and Falcons

Falcons Get

CB Rashad Fenton

Chiefs Get

Conditional 7th-Round Pick

Yates was first with news of the trade but NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero came through with the details of the trade as he reported that the Chiefs will be receiving a conditional seventh-round pick in return for Fenton.

Perhaps more importantly for the context of the deal, Pelissero noted that this was a cap-cutting measure for Kansas City as the franchise will save $1.4 million by sending Fenton to the Falcons.

Chiefs trade grade for Rashad Fenton deal

The truth of the matter is that Kansas City didn’t need to make this trade. In fact, you could make the argument that they would’ve been wiser to hold onto Fenton given that their cornerback depth has already been tested this year with the injury to rookie Trent McDuffie.

Having said that, we’re still going to give the Chiefs slightly favorable marks because, at some point, you have to trust the front office and the coaches. Kansas City has gotten stellar play from the likes of Jaylen Watson, Joshua Williams and Nazeeh Johnson this year, so much so that they clearly viewed Fenton as an expendable asset.

The pick that Andy Reid’s team is getting in return won’t move the needle all that much but, particularly after trading for Kadarius Toney and with the potential for more moves looming in free agency, that added cap space could be just as valuable moving forward.

Chiefs Grade: B-

Falcons trade grade for Rashad Fenton deal

This is an incredibly savvy move for a team in the Falcons’ position. Yes, this team is in first place in the NFC South right now, which might’ve painted the motivation for this trade in some sorts as the team is thin at cornerback behind A.J. Terrell (who is one of the more underappreciated stars in the NFL right now).

On a larger scale, however, Atlanta is very much a team that’s in flux and will be looking to rebuild and retool their roster. So for them to be able to negotiate this deal for a player in Fenton who has a ton of experience in his young career and who has performed quite well at times and only have to give up a conditional seventh-rounder is good business for the Dirty Birds.

Falcons Grade: A

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