The Buffalo Bills have traded wide receiver Sammy Watkins and a sixth-round pick in next year's draft to the Los Angeles Rams for cornerback E.J. Gaines and a 2018 second-round pick, the Bills announced Friday.
Also Friday, the Bills also acquired wide receiver Jordan Matthews and 2018 third-round pick from the Philadelphia Eagles for cornerback Ronald Darby.
The Bills' decision to trade their top receiver and top cornerback for future draft picks signals that first-year general manager Brandon Beane and coach Sean McDermott view the Bills as a long-term rebuilding project.
Sammy Watkins has 153 receptions for 2,459 yards and 17 touchdowns since being drafted by the Bills with the fourth overall pick in 2014. Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports
Buffalo now owns two selections in the first, second and third rounds of the 2018 draft. The Bills previously acquired the Kansas City Chiefs' first-round pick in trading down during the 2017 draft to select cornerback Tre'Davious White at No. 27.