Some day soon I’ll write a post about something other than the Eagles, but they are so rant worthy it’s hard to change focus.
The trade deadline in the NFL is November 3rd, exactly two weeks away from the date of this post. Despite having a 1-4-1 record, the Eagles actually have a very good shot at winning the division. Rumors are already swirling about GM Howie Roseman wanting to be a buyer.
This is an alarming tweet, and not just because Eliot Shorr-Parks apparently can’t spell Eagles. Howie doesn’t have a lot of assets to work with, and honestly he shouldn’t be trading draft picks anyway unless he’s getting something back that will help beyond this year. I’d also hate to see him trade away young, useful players. They have so few as it is. So what does that leave them with? Let’s take a look:
Vinny Curry
Curry is an aging player, but at least he’s no longer injured. He returned to the field after a stint on IR and I’m pretty sure he played in the game against Baltimore. I don’t remember seeing him, but the box score assures me he played. Vinny Curry is a decent rotational piece at the end of the defensive line and could get a mid-round pick from a contender. Trading him would bring in an asset and clear the way for younger players, like Josh Sweat.
Jason Peters
Anyone interested in an aging, oft-injured, future hall of famer? Probably. A lot of teams could use an offensive lineman. The problem is the Eagles won’t get much. Realistically, that’s ok. Get the best draft pick you can for him. Problem is, he’s hurt right now, so it may not even be possible to move him if he doesn’t come back before the trade deadline.
DeSean Jackson
I really like Jackson on the field. His off-season tweet appears to have largely been due to a lack of understanding the message, which doesn’t excuse the action, but does suggest maybe he’s not a complete jerk. In any case, he’s expected to return from injury this week against the Giants. Or, at least, we all think it’s an injury. It might not be. Maybe he’s sulking because they weren’t using him early in the year? If he is, I kind of agree with him, but certainly don’t agree with pulling out of games because of it. That’s lame. If the team is mad at him for that tweet and is using it against him by not playing him, that’s stupid. He’s easily one of the more talented WR’s on the team, and they should be using him as much as possible. In any event, if he comes back and plays well against the Giants and Cowboys this week and next, he might be he team’s most valuable asset going into the deadline. The team might be able to wrangle a late-round pick and/or a talented linebacker suffering from having good starters in front of him. This is the kind of trade that would help now and in the future if Howie can swing it.
Alshon Jeffrey
I was very happy when the Eagles signed him a few years ago, and he didn’t disappoint in helping the team win a Superbowl in 2017. Unfortunately, things haven’t gone so well since. He’s bad-mouthed his QB twice (not-so-anonymously) and has been either injured or ineffective most of the time since. Personally, I’d rather not see him on the field again, but if the Eagles are going to have any chance to trade him, it may be a necessity. Even if he comes back and makes some plays in the next couple weeks, a conditional 7th seems the best the Eagles could do. It would still be worth doing if only to clear the way for more playing time for Travis Fulgham.
Zach Ertz
So until this week, Ertz was a good trade candidate. He’s had a terrible year, but he’s still a good player and could help another team. Unfortunately, since he’s an Eagle, he just got injured and is likely to miss the next 3-4 weeks. Any chances of trading him have gone out the window.
I actually can’t think of anything else. The team is so horribly injured, old, and ineffective, the only chance Howie has to make any sort of meaningful trade is probably to use draft picks. He can try to offset the loss of those picks by dumping some of the above players, but going into next year without a 1st-round pick would not be ideal.
So other than trying to stockpile draft picks, what does Howie go for? The only asset I really want is a young, talented linebacker who is sitting behind better linebackers as I mentioned above. Reagor and Fulgham look like a decent receiving duo (once Reagor is back). Goedert is a proven TE, and will (I assume) come back from his own injury soon. Lane Johnson is one of the best RT in the league when healthy. He needs to rest right now, but I think the team can survive without him until after the bye. Once these players come back the offense should be reasonably okay, especially if Carson continues to improve.
If Howie instead decides to sell off high value draft picks for aging, short-term WR’s or some other useless player, I may jump on the Fire Howie bandwagon. I’m not there yet, but let’s see what happens over the next couple weeks.
