The roster moves involving big names this offseason continued for the Bills on Monday. Two days removed from their third preseason game Buffalo traded LB Reggie Ragland to the Kansas City Chiefs for a 2019 fourth-round draft pick.
Ragland's place on the Bills roster looked precarious at best. He slipped from second string to third string linebacker in Buffalo's defense during training camp and on Saturday in Baltimore logged just three snaps on defense.
Drafted by the Bills in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft, Ragland looked to be a good fit in the club's previous 3-4 defensive scheme. The Alabama product however, never played a regular season game for the Bills after he tore his ACL during the first week of training camp last summer.
In Buffalo's new 4-3 system Ragland looked a bit out of place. The coaching staff was patient as Ragland worked hard through his ACL rehab. Still, it was debatable as to whether Ragland could cover the ground necessary to be an effective middle linebacker in a scheme that demands speed at the second level.
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Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier raised the possibility of Ragland moving outside in the spring, but that never materialized as he slid down the depth chart.
Ragland looks to be a good fit for the Chiefs' 3-4 defensive scheme, which is very similar to the system the linebacker was trying to learn as a rookie last year.
With the trade Buffalo adds another draft choice to their stockpile, though this one will be in the 2019 NFL draft. The Bills already have Kansas City's first-round pick in the 2018 NFL draft after their trade this past April.
