Trade with Raiders - Lynn Bowden

"Galant wrote:

Leave it to a Gruden to do this to a kid on the way out the door. https://t.co/oYJ5H9F4Lx

— Brandon Howard (@bhoward_81) September 6, 2020

That's what I expected and honestly, I'm glad Gruden called him out so Miami can address it. If a rookie is more focused at times on partying and fast cars than playing football, he needs to be checked. Vegas didn't sound like an ideal city for him...but neither does Miami (from a party-town perspective).

The part about him getting blown up pass blocking is a little silly though- he's obviously not a guy you'd have in on passing downs if you're keeping a back in for protection. That's the Raiders fault for converting a QB/WR into a RB and expecting him to flourish at all aspects immediately.

"AGuyNamedAlex wrote:

Great, someone who is physically talented but absolutely useless on a football field.

More Madden trades. Screw this team.

Noone with a brain can justify this trade. If you like it, dont even quote or speak to me. Your opinion has no value.

The effort here, hopefully, is to overturn stones to find the next Alvin Kamara. How would you feel if this guy ended up fitting that bill? One of the most impactful players in the league, and whose size and skills repertoire is very similar to Bowden's.

just saying
https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/raiders/raiders-ready-to-unleash-talents-of-alpha-dog-lynn-bowden-2088390/

"AGuyNamedAlex wrote:

Great, someone who is physically talented but absolutely useless on a football field.

More Madden trades. Screw this team.

Noone with a brain can justify this trade. If you like it, dont even quote or speak to me. Your opinion has no value.

You're the type of negative Nancy that will just vanish when you're proven wrong. What will you do if Tua and Bowden thrive? Become a Titans fan?

And why bother rooting for the Dolphins if their franchise QB is a scrub and the FO is comprised of idiots? Jump on the Mahomes bandwagon and enjoy life.

Come on, y'all... We are in year #2 of a foundational rebuild. We tore it up from the floor up and that's seldom a painless or quick endeavor. We had a few dozen draft picks and key free agent signings but nobody should believe we should be a contender before next season. When we have will have a bunch more draft picks. There is very little the braintrust can do to speed up the process, so why not take a flyer on somebody with potential before doing so is likely to set us back? At worst, we have a developmental player who might round into being the most exciting player on offense. At best, we have our version of Taysom Hill.

"OwesOwn614 wrote:

Come on, y'all... We are in year #2 of a foundational rebuild. We tore it up from the floor up and that's seldom a painless or quick endeavor. We had a few dozen draft picks and key free agent signings but nobody should believe we should be a contender before next season. When we have will have a bunch more draft picks. There is very little the braintrust can do to speed up the process, so why not take a flyer on somebody with potential before doing so is likely to set us back? At worst, we have a developmental player who might round into being the most exciting player on offense. At best, we have our version of Taysom Hill.

The problem is every player they get is going to be the next best thing all the time here and rarely does one pan out.

The guy was a 3rd round draft pick and an offensive guru couldn't figure out how to use him and cut him before he even plays a game and all of a sudden Chan Gailey is going to make him the next Taysom Hill or Alvin Kamara among the names mentioned.

It's a little absurd.

"Galant wrote:

Mike Mayock on Lynn Bowden trade: "Number one, it was a football decision only. Character off the field, the kid did nothing wrong. We did all the homework on him. He worked his tail off and competed every day." #Raiders

— Adam Hill (@AdamHillLVRJ) September 6, 2020

Exactly what Alex said.

The guy is talented and works hard but he can't play NFL football is what they're saying in Vegas.

Happens to a lot of guys.

"TheHighExhaulted wrote:

The problem is every player they get is going to be the next best thing all the time here and rarely does one pan out.

The guy was a 3rd round draft pick and an offensive guru couldn't figure out how to use him and cut him before he even plays a game and all of a sudden Chan Gailey is going to make him the next Taysom Hill or Alvin Kamara among the names mentioned.

It's a little absurd.

That offensive guru also tried to use him as a RB and blocker - which was like fitting a square peg in a round hole. Give it a chance before you judge.

Rein it in people, irrational exuberance will not be tolerated.

"TheHighExhaulted wrote:

The problem is every player they get is going to be the next best thing all the time here and rarely does one pan out.

The guy was a 3rd round draft pick and an offensive guru couldn't figure out how to use him and cut him before he even plays a game and all of a sudden Chan Gailey is going to make him the next Taysom Hill or Alvin Kamara among the names mentioned.

It's a little absurd.

This would be a pretty boring place if everybody had the same opinions on most things. Nothing wrong with optimism. Nothing wrong with pessimism. In the end, we're either right or wrong and none of it matters compared to the challenges of our lives. I'm typically middle of the road regarding high hopes vs thinking the sky is falling in. But in the off-season, I applaud most efforts to improve the team, whether I agree or not.

With that being said, don't let anybody change your mind. IMO, the most "negative" fans that I've met are just as passionate (or more so) than the most over-the-top homers. There's no way to frame wanting the team to be better is a bad thing. We've been crappy this entire century and if you thought management failed after every off-season, you've been correct 18 out of 19 times.

"Bumrush wrote:

That offensive guru also tried to use him as a RB and blocker - which was like fitting a square peg in a round hole. Give it a chance before you judge.

Something like a year ago how awful Mike Gesicki was and that he was a bust. Of course it had nothing to do with Gase using him completely wrong. Sometimes these coaches egos get in the way.

"Tin Indian wrote:

Something like a year ago how awful Mike Gesicki was and that he was a bust. Of course it had nothing to do with Gase using him completely wrong. Sometimes these coaches egos get in the way.

So, it gets curiouser and curiouser. Some are hinting that Bowden was getting "distracted" in Vegas. Does that mean he was hitting the tables or that he found a lowlife to chum around with? There were always concerns with putting a pro team in Lost Wages, Nevada. Whatever it was, let's hope whatever happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

Mike Mayock explains why the Raiders traded their third-round pick before he played a single game
And, apparently, it had nothing to do with off-field issues

By Cody Benjamin

The Las Vegas Raiders caused plenty of people to scratch their heads when they executed a trade as part of their final roster cut-down on Saturday, sending rookie Lynn Bowden Jr. to the Miami Dolphins in a swap of 2021 draft picks. The Athletic reported shortly afterward that the Raiders were "happy to find a customer" for Bowden despite just spending the 80th overall pick on the Kentucky product, in large part because of perceived off-field concerns. But now general manager Mike Mayock has offered an explanation of his own.

"No. 1, it was a football decision only," Mayock said Sunday, per The Athletic's Tashan Reed. "Character, off the field, the kid did absolutely nothing wrong. We did all our homework on the kid off the field. He worked his tail off. He came to work every day. So this was completely a football decision. It had nothing to do with anything else.

"Quite frankly, I think the position change is a difficult one in any year, but it's exaggerated in a COVID-19 year with no offseason," Mayock continued, alluding to Bowden's unofficial move from wide receiver to running back. "You're taking a kid that was a slot receiver in '18, a quarterback in '19 and asking him to play running back in '20. Really the only other thing I'm going to say about it is that it was my call. He was not able to play today at the level expected. Because of that, we felt like we had to make a move. Again, it's 100 percent on me."

Mayock's remarks at least partially run counter to the notion that Bowden, 22, was also a concern outside of the running backfield. The Athletic's Vic Tafur reported Saturday that "some at the team facility" thought the rookie was "getting more and more distracted in Las Vegas" and might be a negative influence on fellow first-year playmakers Henry Ruggs and Damon Arnette.

Either way, it's a true indictment on the Raiders, as Mayock noted. There's a reason teams almost never give up on Day Two draft picks within a year or two, let alone before said draft pick has taken a single snap with the team. Whether or not Vegas misjudged Bowden's character or on-field prospects, the club misjudged him rather severely. Even if Mayock is telling the truth, that Bowden was an instant and abject swing and a miss at the RB spot, it's not as if the Raiders couldn't have foreseen a shortened offseason coming, what with COVID-19 already disrupting the draft at which Vegas selected the rookie.

In any event, Bowden is expected to compete for touches behind Jordan Howard, Matt Breida, Myles Gaskin and Patrick Laird in Miami, his second NFL home in less than six months.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/mike-mayock-explains-why-the-raiders-traded-their-third-round-pick-before-he-played-a-single-game/

I'm sorry, but teams dont make football decisions to trade their third round picks, even in a season like this.

It's never about immediate impact with rookies, whatever they saw told them he was absolutely hopeless and from their perspective they fleeced us. Maybe that was the football decision, getting rid of a bad player and a mistake while he still had value.

The saving grace would be if they are just wrong.

FWIW The raiders boards seem to be praising making the trade from their end, as he apparantly looked unathletic and fairly awful from what reports there are.

I dusted this off to give props to Lynn Bowden, Jr. who I thought was impressive yesterday. I honestly think he's going to be a weapon for us going forward and I'll be surprised if he doesn't find the end zone before the end of the season.

I lobbied hard to draft this dude..

Predraft..

“I’ve been looking for my version of Taysum Hill..

We’re going offense this draft, I want that all around chess piece, a player that can run the wildcat with the ability to pass, not like a Ronnie brown pass, but a legit passing threat out of that formation, super dangerous, a player with great vision and running back ability, real good soft hands for going out in route, a slash plus type player for Gailey to scheme up...... Lynn Bowden jr.“

“Guess who led the nation in Ypc with over 150 carries?..in the Sec..

The kid that needs to be a dolphin..Lynn Bowden Jr...7.9 YPC.“

If he can keep his head on strait and train like he wants to be great, he could be Jarvis Landry, with some wildcat ability as well.

He’s a dog that is strong and will fight for yardage..

"AGuyNamedAlex wrote:

I'm sorry, but teams dont make football decisions to trade their third round picks, even in a season like this.

It's never about immediate impact with rookies, whatever they saw told them he was absolutely hopeless and from their perspective they fleeced us. Maybe that was the football decision, getting rid of a bad player and a mistake while he still had value.

The saving grace would be if they are just wrong.

FWIW The raiders boards seem to be praising making the trade from their end, as he apparantly looked unathletic and fairly awful from what reports there are.

I was really wrong about this one. Logically my post is sound but Oakland must have really screwed up their evaluation.

I didn't realize that he was a third round pick. He had a nice game Sunday, kid has some moves.

"djphinfan wrote:

I lobbied hard to draft this dude..

Predraft..

“I’ve been looking for my version of Taysum Hill..

We’re going offense this draft, I want that all around chess piece, a player that can run the wildcat with the ability to pass, not like a Ronnie brown pass, but a legit passing threat out of that formation, super dangerous, a player with great vision and running back ability, real good soft hands for going out in route, a slash plus type player for Gailey to scheme up...... Lynn Bowden jr.“

“Guess who led the nation in Ypc with over 150 carries?..in the Sec..

The kid that needs to be a dolphin..Lynn Bowden Jr...7.9 YPC.“

If he can keep his head on strait and train like he wants to be great, he could be Jarvis Landry, with some wildcat ability as well.

He’s a dog that is strong and will fight for yardage..

Good call.

For one, I'm glad Gruden tried to make him a running back and I'm glad it didn't suit Bowden to do so.

Praise for Bowden
The Dolphins didn’t draft a wide receiver with their 11 picks in the 2020 NFL draft, but did pick up Tagovailoa and rookie offensive linemen Austin Jackson, Robert Hunt and Solomon Kindley, who are all starting for Miami this season.

To fill the position need, the Dolphins acquired slot receiver Lynn Bowden Jr. from the Raiders before the season.

And he has started to turn a corner with a greater opportunity thanks to recent injuries for DeVante Parker (hamstring), Mike Gesicki (shoulder) and Jakeem Grant (hamstring), and a better grasp of the Dolphins’ playbook.

Gailey used an analogy of a playful, childhood game to describe Bowden, the Raiders’ third-round pick last April who has 17 receptions for 160 yards for the Dolphins in the past three games.

“You can watch kids that come through today, which one played tag growing up and which ones didn’t play tag. If you play tag, you know how to make a guy miss. He played a lot of tag,” Gailey said of Bowden.

“He’s got that knack to sidestep, juke,” Gailey said. “He’s pretty good at avoiding that head on-collision. His development has been, not as quick as he wanted, but he had a lot to learn. He had a lot to learn in our offense. He got here late, learning what to do and where to line up and how to run the routes and where we wanted him. He’s really come on really well in the last three or four weeks. He’s started to find where he is in the offense.”

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-dolphins/fl-sp-dolphins-assistans-tuesday-20201222-nlkanpzxb5hfrnatl4mbqrzbxi-story.html

I like Bowden on the field because it creates so many additional opportunities to get creative. He's pretty much what I was hoping Perry to be.

"KeyFin wrote:

I like Bowden on the field because it creates so many additional opportunities to get creative. He's pretty much what I was hoping Perry to be.

I haven't given up on Perry yet, it's too soon. He's made a few plays in his limited action, but Bowden has really picked it up since he's had his opportunity.