When the Buffalo Bills demoted linebacker Reggie Ragland to the third-team defense Aug. 8, there were two lines of thinking about the decision.
One theory was that Ragland, drafted by former general manager Doug Whaley to fit former coach Rex Ryan's 3-4 defensive system, was not a good fit in first-year coach Sean McDermott's 4-3 scheme. As a former high draft pick -- a second-round selection in 2016 -- without a projected role on the 53-man roster this season or in future seasons, Ragland was a natural candidate for a trade.
The Bills, perhaps as a negotiating tactic, instead pushed the idea that Ragland was simply slow in recovering from an ACL injury that wiped out his rookie season.