Isaiah Ford Shipped To New England

Isaiah Ford was lost in a crowded receiver group

Isaiah Ford was considered a longshot to just make the team when he was drafted in the 7th Round of the 2017 Draft. But, after a serious knee injury in his rookie season, Ford stuck and slowly built a solid resume over the last two seasons. This year, Ford even had some expectations to be apart of the starting lineup. This though never came to fruition despite decent production. Now, Ford has been traded to the New England Patriot.

The Patriots will look to outsmart the Phins on this one

I’ve been a fan of Ford’s game for a while and early in the season, it appeared he was finally on track. His size, physicality, and intelligence had him on the edge of real success. His best game was against Seattle, but in the weeks that followed, Ford was called on less and less. So far, Ford has produced 18 receptions for 182 yards with a 10.2 average. Not too shabby for the bottom of the roster player.

Unfortunately, some critical drops, speed limitations, the rise of Jakeem Grant and additions of rookies Mack Hollins, Malcolm Perry, and Lynn Bowden Jr., along with the coming activation of Antonio Callaway and being in the final year of his contract, made Ford expendable.

While I like the Ford trade, shipping him to the Pats sours the taste. At least, Brian Flores knows Ford quite well to offset his skills when he faces him. I’m guessing Flores believes his knowledge of Ford will offset him when Miami plays the Pats. I’m sure though that Belichick believes the opposite. Ford’s play will be under my spotlight when the two teams meet.

Will the teacher or the student win the Ford trade?

Ford’s PFF grade is pretty good for a castoff player

Yeah, Wes Welker always comes to mind… But, this isn’t even in the same ballpark. Tom Brady isn’t a Pat and Ford isn’t as dynamic as Welker. Still, Ford could be a thorn in the Phins side, so I would have preferred not rolling the dice with the Patriots.

The good news is Miami upgraded Ford’s 2017 picks into a 2021 6th Round pick. Ultimately though, the Ford trade is a net neutral move because the Phins acquired Chiefs running back DeAndre Washington and a 7th Round pick for a 6th Round pick.

Washington is a 2016 5th Round pick of the Raiders, who has played in 56 games. Over his career, Washington has produced 1,127 yards with a 4.0 average with 7 T.D.s. At 5’8” 210lbs, he’s a prototype clone of Myles Gaskin. In 2019, Washington had his best season and netted a PFF Grade of 76.5 ranking him the 12th best back.

Replacement, motivation, or help for Gaskin?

I’m a huge fan of Gaskin’s play and think he’s much better than he’s given credit. But, I need to watch Washington’s film Washington before I can say how this competition will go. I will say this, by adding another RB of near-identical size, Gaskin along with Salvon Ahmed and Matt Breida, who are similar in size, we have a clear picture of the Phins RB prototype… At least for 2020. Jordan Howard is the clear odd man out.

Now, Gaskin’s fumble in the Rams game can’t happen again. Yes, it was a brutal shot, but Gaskin is certainly getting challenged from all sides to take his game to another level. Can he take the job and allow Miami to push running back down the pecking order in the 2021 Draft?

Gaskin is a little dinged this week, so any missed time could open the door for others. This will be one more big storyline heading into Arizona. Small players are nimble, quick, and have ab easier time cutting, but they have a harder time absorbing the abuse.

It takes a rare small player to stay healthy… Can Gaskin fight through the pain? I’m a fan and hope so… Go Phins!!! The pay per head reviews like AcePerHead.com.

Update: Myles Gaskin is out for 2-4 weeks with a knee injury.

Hey, Phinsnews fans, sorry for the slow coverage over the last two weeks. I’ve been severely under the weather and Jimmy is super busy with life. I’m just about back to the land of the living and Jimmy is writing a bit more, so we should be back to full speed to covering this very interesting season.

Thanks for your patience,

Jimmy Bourbon and M.J.