As we all digest the Sims/Sheff three way, lets look back at another trade that may have instigated this one. Gerald Alexander for Dennis Northcut. So before the season last year we were desperate for help at the WR position and we had a plethora of often injured safeties. Mayhew (probably with help from Shack Harris late of the Jags) decided to offload Alexander for some veteran help in the slot.

At the time, we all thought it was a decent deal.  We get rid of a guy who broke his neck the year before and we get an upgrade over a guy who is no longer in the NFL (Curry). Looking back at last year, lets see what we really got:

Alexander 15 games (10 started) 45 tackles, 10 assists, 2 INTs, 3 FF

Northcut 16 games (2 started) 35 catches for 357 yards, 1 TD, 22 yard kick return avg, 8.6 yard punt return avg, 2 Fumbles

Now neither of these players are considered all-world. They are both pedestrian. I do think that Alexander is the better of the two with the most upside. He did an OK job as a safety while Northcut did a bad job as a slot receiver. What stands out for me the most is the 5 turnovers Alexander forced.  That is more than our entire set of safeties combined. In hindsight, I say we lost the trade. Not to piss in anyone's cornflakes (or kool-aid), but sometimes Mayhew does not win in a trade.

Now how did this trade instigate the three way we just witnessed? Maybe if Northcut wasn't such a crap slot WR, Mayhew wouldn't think that he needs to grab a good TE to be our slot guy. (I also think that they want more protection for Staff and that a second TE will help pick up blitzes, but that is neither here nor there in my current thesis.)