Rumor Central Gets Going

Posted: March 6th, 2018 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Comments Off on Rumor Central Gets Going

The next 10 days will be filled with all kinds of rumors. Let’s take a look at some nuggets that are out there right now.

This actually makes a lot of sense.

The Eagles have a talented secondary for the first time in a while. They are trying to figure how to get everyone on the field, which is a new problem for this team. Normally they are desperate to find adequate players. If the Eagles could trade a DB for a draft pick, that would help the situation out.

Jalen Mills and Sidney Jones aren’t going anywhere. That leaves Ronald Darby, if this is a CB. It is also possible the Eagles could look to move either Rodney McLeod or Malcolm Jenkins, but those moves wouldn’t make as much sense. McLeod is young and this is a deep Safety class in the draft. That hurts his value. Jenkins is a key team leader. I can’t see the Eagles dealing him for just a draft pick.

Darby does make sense. If you trade him, you can play Mills and Jones outside, with Rasul Douglas providing depth. The Eagles also have some young developmental corners they like in D.J. Killings and De’Vante Bausby.

Darby will be a free agent after 2018 and the Eagles might not be able to afford him with the other young talent they have on hand. If you could deal him for a 3rd round pick, that would help you on the depth chart and financially. Darby is a good player and teams should have interest in him.

His value is tricky because he’s heading into the final year of his deal. The Eagles traded for Tim Jernigan last offseason when he was in a similar situation. The price they paid was dropping from pick 74 to pick 99. You might have to trade Darby and a 4th to get a 3rd, or something like that. There should be a few teams around the league who need a CB.

Ironically, if the Eagles did trade Darby for a 3rd, they could take that pick and spend it on a CB. While the team has good players outside, they need someone to play the slot. Patrick Robinson is likely going to get $5M or more a year. The Eagles aren’t likely to have that kind of money unless they really get creative financially. There are some good slot corners in the draft. Rashaan Gaulden of Tennessee is a natural inside. M.J. Stewart from UNC could thrive in that role. Those are just a couple of names to keep in mind.

Howie Roseman loves to get creative when it comes to managing the roster and trading Darby for a pick would be a creative way to save money and improve the team’s draft capital.

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Lots of buzz heating up around Foles. How much of this 100 percent true and how much is Howie using the media…I’m not sure. The Eagles are not running around trying to get rid of Foles, but they are floating the idea that he’s available if someone is willing to pay a high price. If a great offer comes in, they are willing to deal him. There won’t be a fire sale. The Eagles aren’t giving Foles away. There is a strong argument to keeping him and they know that.

The real key here is how the other 31 teams perceive Foles. Do they see him as a player who can be a strong starting QB in the right circumstances or someone who got hot in the playoffs, but can’t be counted on to be a full-time starter?

Can Josh Rosen or Sam Darnold or Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson or Baker Mayfield do this?

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Jeff McLane actually reached out to Celek and got a direct answer.

“Yeah, I wanna play,” the Eagles tight end said Tuesday via text message.

Celek, the longest-tenured Eagle, finally won a Super Bowl in his 11th season last month. He said last year that he would wait until after the season to make a decision on his future. The 33-year-old Celek, who has one year left on his contract, also said that he expects to remain with the Eagles.

There is a strong argument to keeping Celek for one more year. The Eagles could then draft a TE or go with one of the developmental guys and Celek would be an ideal player to learn from. He is still a good player so this wouldn’t be some sympathy move. Celek is a good blocker and is an effective receiver. You just can’t feed him the ball the way you could in his prime.

Celek and Zach Ertz make a great 1-2 punch. Ertz is the dynamic receiver and Celek is the complete player.

This isn’t a case of choosing Celek over Trey Burton, who appears to be set to leave in free agency. Celek is due $4M this year and Burton might make as much as $6M to $7M per year. The Eagles just can’t afford Burton.

Can they afford Celek? They might have to get him to take a pay cut. Ideally, you’d love him at closer to $2M. We’ll have to wait and see if he’s willing to take a cut. This could be Celek’s final season. If so, he may want to make as much money as possible.

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