Bill Belichick and the Patriots have been fortunate the Buccaneers have been so bad in recent years, because he's been able to pluck some pretty good players off their roster.
If all goes well, the deal they made on Tuesday for linebacker Jonathan Casillas will hopefully keep that tradition going.
 The Patriots have had good luck trading for Buccaneers players in the past and hopefully Jonathan Casillas continues that tradition. (USA TODAY Images) |
Casillas adds depth at the linebacker spot for a team that is in need of some additional help defensively after losing Jerod Mayo a couple of weeks ago, along with the fact that Chandler Jones is set to potentially miss a month or more, according to several reports. They already traded a sixth-round pick to the Tennessee Titans for linebacker Akeem Ayers last week, and Casillas marks the second defensive addition to the team.
It's an interesting move as while Casillas is not a super star by any means, he's a guy who has a history of being a special teams standout (he actually recovered an onside kick at the start of the second half of Super Bowl XLIV, helping the Saints beat the Colts) and should be able to give them a little extra help on the defensive side of the football in sub packages.
He hasn't seen much time on the field this season, having appeared in just five games for Tampa Bay in 2014 while totaling 9 tackles and zero sacks. He's been inactive for each of the Buccaneers' past two games, but does have three starts on the year.
Given the success with some of the players they've taken from Tampa Bay's roster, it will be interesting to see how he fits in. He's not a flashy player but fans in New England also knew little about players like Aqib Talib or LeGarrette Blount, both of whom were acquired via trade from the Bucs and ultimately made significant contributions during their time here. Tim Wright, who was acquired in a deal that sent Logan Mankins to the Buccaneers before the start of the season, got off to a slow start but he's quietly becoming an important part of the Patriots' offense, having caught his third touchdown of the year in Sunday's win over Chicago.
As a result, Belichick must have seen something in Casillas to send the Buccaneers a fifth round pick for his services. Hopefully he'll turn out to be as good as some of those past players they've added previously, because as the Patriots get set to start the second half of their season, they could certainly use all the help they can get.
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