Bills Trade Sammy Watkins to Rams, Acquire Jordan Matthews From Eagles

In separate trades, the Bills sent Sammy Watkins to the Rams and replaced him with Eagles receiver Jordan Matthews.

The Buffalo Bills announced two trades on Friday afternoon, with receiver Sammy Watkins headed to the L.A. Rams and fellow wideout Jordan Matthews inbound from the Philadelphia Eagles.

In a somewhat bizarrely executed news drop, the Bills announced the trade of Watkins and a 2018 sixth-round pick for cornerback E.J. Gaines and a 2018 second rounder. Seconds later, the Bills made official the acquisition of Matthews and a 2018 third-rounder from the Eagles for cornerback Ronald Darby.

Watkins, 24, is the biggest name on the move. He was the No. 4 selection in the 2014 draft and has caught 17 touchdowns and 153 passes for 2,459 yards in his three seasons. He battled injuries last season and scored just twice.

• Sammy Watkins is done talking, he’s ready to play

Matthews, 25, was a second-round pick in the 2014 draft and has caught 225 passes for 2,673 yards and 19 scores in three seasons with the Eagles.

Gaines appeared in 11 games for the Rams last season and made 56 total tackles. Darby, the Bills’ second-rounder in 2015, was a starting corner for Buffalo last year and was expected to take on an even bigger load in the wake of Stephon Gilmore’s departure in free agency.