Three-Way Trade: Tony Scheffler To Lions, Ernie Sims To Eagles, Draft Pick To Broncos

New Lions TE Tony Scheffler Expected To Be 'A Big Part Of The Offense'

The Lions trading for Tony Scheffler is a curious situation because the team spent a first round pick on Brandon Pettigrew just last season. Pettigrew is returning from a serious knee injury so the Scheffler addition could be viewed as insurance.

However, a team source tells Tom Kowalski of MLive.com that Scheffler is expected to become "a big part of the offense" that will now feature Pettigrew as well as Calvin Johnson.

Kowalski reports that the Lions plan to use him in a third receiver role -- like Dallas Clark with the Colts, who frequently lines up as a receiver.

Scheffler and the Lions haven't talked about a long-term deal but, according to Kowalski, if things go well they are expected to approach the topic during the season.

Head on over to Pride of Detroit for reaction from Lions fans.

Ernie Sims Expected To Be A Starter For The Eagles After Trade

The Eagles traded for LB Ernie Sims on Sunday but forgot one thing.

What position is he going to play?

"The only people I've spoken with from the Eagles are Howie [Roseman] and coach [Andy] Reid," Sims said today during a conference call with reporters. "Coach Reid said he was excited. But I haven't heard anything about where I'm going to play. I'm ready to jump in and learn as much as I can. I'm like a sponge right now."

They may not know exactly where he'll play, but the team says he will start.

"He's a starter in the National Football League, but we're trying to create competition," Roseman said. "We have a lot of starters on our defense and our offense. We think he brings that."

The Eagles also have Akeem Jordan who could play both outside-linebacker positions. He's played most on the weak side.

Sims said in a teleconference on Monday that he could play all three positions.

It's hard not to think the Eagles got a steal here. If Sims ends up a starter, as the team suggests, then it'll be a great deal for a fifth round pick.

Ernie Sims, Tony Scheffler Not Getting New Contracts After Trade

A lot of times when an NFL trade is consummated part of the deal is a new contract for the player involved. We saw this happen with Brandon Marshall last week but we won't see that happen with the three-way trade that went down on Monday.

The two players involved, LB Ernie Sims and TE Tony Scheffler, each have one year remaining on their current contract. For Sims, that's the tail end of his rookie deal while Scheffler signed his one-year restricted free agent tender last week.

According to NFL.com, Sims will have to be extended "at some point" but at this point no deal is imminent.

As for Scheffler, the Denver Post reports that the trade went down only after Scheffler promised Lions head coach Jim Schwartz that he wouldn't be seeking a new contract. At least not immediately.

This is a little bit of a surprise considering now is the ideal time to do a deal. If Sims and/or Scheffler have breakout seasons, the price will only get higher.

Ernie Sims Traded To Philadelphia And Eagles Fans Are Loving It

When we breakdown the three-way NFL trade, the Eagles basically gave up a 5th round pick for Ernie Sims. This, of course, makes Eagles fans excited.

SB Nation's Eagles community, Bleeding Green Nation, explains what the Eagles are getting in Sims.

Browsing some scouting reports on Sims I've noticed a few consensus points. For one, he's a big hitter with good sideline to sideline speed. He's a force in the running game and and has done well in zone coverage, but needs to improve his man to man coverage. Doesn't force many turnovers. Many experts also feel he was miscast the in the Tampa 2 system run by Detroit.    

What's interesting is how much Sims has played. The Lions defense has been so bad that they've been on the field more than the average defense. Detroit's defense was on the field for 1,087 snaps last season -- Sims was on the field for nearly all of them -- and that's nearly two full games more than an above average defense.

Check out full reaction from Bleeding Green Nation.

Broncos Loading Up On Draft Picks After Tony Scheffler Trade

The Broncos shipped off TE Tony Scheffler on Monday and the consensus seems to be that they got the short end of the stick.

They were reportedly shopping Scheffler for a mid-round pick -- believed to be a third. Instead, they traded Scheffler and a 7th round pick for a 5th round pick. Essentially, they gave up Scheffler to move up two rounds.

Mile High Report, SB Nation's Broncos community, notes that this now gives the Broncos a fifth round pick six picks total in the top-137.

It hurts to lose Scheffler for such a low price but they're beginning to rebuild the team the way Josh McDaniels wants.

Check out full reaction from Mile High Report.

Lions Fans Say 'Wow' To Three-Way Trade For TE Tony Scheffler

SB Nation's Lions community, Pride of Detroit, can sum up their reaction to the trade that shipped LB Ernie Sims out of town and brought in TE Tony Scheffler:

"Wow."

My first reaction is wow.  I certainly did not see another trade coming involving the Lions before the draft, and I definitely did not expect Ernie Sims to be involved.  I figured the Lions were content with Sims going forward and were happy to not have a major need at linebacker.  As it turns out, though, you can put linebacker at the top of the list of needs and take tight end off the list altogether.     

The Lions are now sporting a nice tight end combo in Scheffler and last year's first round pick Brandon Pettigrew.

Check out the full reaction from Pride of Detroit.

Three-Way Trade: TE Tony Scheffler To Lions, Ernie Sims To Eagles And Draft Pick To Broncos

The Broncos were expected to trade TE Tony Scheffler after he finally signed his tender last week.

However, they were not expected to trade him as part of a three-way deal between the Lions and Eagles. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, here's how the three-way trade breaks down:

Eagles get: LB Ernie Sims (from Lions)

Lions get: TE Tony Scheffler and 7th round pick (from Broncos)

Broncos get: 5th round pick (from Eagles, via Browns)

The Broncos had reportedly been shopping Tony Scheffler for a mid-round pick.

More coming on this trade shortly.