We Want Action!

Posted: October 29th, 2018 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 1 Comment »

The Eagles won a huge game on Sunday. Big whoop. Fans want to know who Howie Roseman is going to trade for on Tuesday.

We all love free agency, the draft and trades. There is something fun about getting new players. They give you hope. Midseason acquisitions are especially interesting. You know what your team needs to it is feels easier to figure out who will really help.

Back in 2009 the Eagles were awful at MLB. They played Omar Gaither, Akeem Jordan, Chris Gocong and even a washed up Jeremiah Trotter in the middle. It was ugly. Then the struggling Rams traded Will Witherspoon to Philly. In a MNF game vs the Skins, Witherspoon looked like Byron Evans, Pt. 2. Witherspoon led the team with 8 tackles. He had a sack, FF and a pick-six.

I thought the Eagles had won the lottery. Not so fast. Witherspoon finished the year with one sack, FF and INT. He began to get stuck on blocks and missed tackles. The euphoria over his one game faded quickly and reality set in. He was just as bad as the others.

Don’t expect any magical answers on Tuesday.

I will say this. Trades used to be about getting rid of older, declining players. That has changed. There is a lot of young talent available. Teams who aren’t sure a player is in their long term plans are willing to deal them for picks.

Players who have been mentioned in trade rumors

RB Le’Veon Bell
RB LeSean McCoy

WR Golden Tate
WR Demaryius Thomas
WR Pierre Garcon
WR DeSean Jackson

OL Kelechi Osemele

DT ???

DE Bruce Irvin
DE Dante Fowler
DE Arik Armstead

S Landon Collins
S Ha-Ha Clinton Dix
S Karl Joseph

CB Bradley Roby
CB Chris Harris
CB Janoris Jenkins
CB Gareon Conley

There could be more names out there, but I’m trying to focus on players listed by credible NFL insiders (Glazer, Mort, Schefter, etc.).

Not all of those players make sense for the Eagles. Garcon is a tough, physical receiver, but he’s not a playmaker like the Eagles need. If he was available cheap enough, would the team have interest? I doubt it, but never say never.

DeSean would be an interesting addition. His speed would give the offense a huge boost. The problem is that the Bucs aren’t going to give him away. Do you really want to overpay for an older player like him?

There easily could be a few names I haven’t even listed on here. No one thought Jay Ajayi was available last year. Part of the issue is finding a team with a losing record that is willing to deal a key player. They aren’t giving up on the season exactly, but they are willing to take a chance on a younger guy. Would the Jaguars be willing to deal DT Malik Jackson? They are 3-5 and have some issues to work through.

Howie will talk to 31 other teams. He will not leave a stone unturned.

There are two keys to all of this. The deal has to make the Eagles better. It also has to make sense.

Too often, people see change as an improvement. Would you trade Jalen Mills for Marcus Peters? Most people would say yes and not think twice.

The Eagles personnel department has been studying players all year. They know who is worth dealing for and who isn’t.

This isn’t a desperate team so they should be smart about potential deals. Do not give away draft picks casually. I do agree that teams can overvalue picks at times. Veteran players are a known commodity. Picks are a risk. At the same time, football is all about young, cheap talent. The Eagles got Ajayi for 1.5 years and he didn’t cost much in terms of salary. That was a good deal.

Trading for an older player or someone in the final year of his deal is different. That’s even more of a rental. Is that really worth it?

One of the considerations to this is the health status of current players.

Is Lane Johnson going to miss a month? If so, then you might need to deal for OL help.

Is Sidney Jones going to miss more games? If so, you might need help in the slot.

Doug Pederson talked about Mack Hollins possibly coming back. If that is in a couple of weeks, that helps out WR a lot. If that is still another month away, the team might need a WR.

There is also the question of what is going on at RB. Is Sproles close? Is Corey Clement healthy and just having an off year or is he hurt worse than they’re letting on? The Eagles can win with the current group of RBs, but it sure would be nice to add a starting caliber player to the mix. At the right price.

One position I would love to see addressed is DT, but I just don’t know if there will be much available.

I feel like Howie is going to do something. I don’t know that he’s going to add a big name the way some people would like. It really would come down to the price. He’s just not going to overpay to help a 4-4 team with plenty of guys still injured. It wouldn’t make sense.

Make the Eagles better.

Find a deal that makes sense.

*****

Some have brought up the possibility of the team dealing Nick Foles. I cannot see any team in the NFL that would want him as their starter right now.

It would be interesting to see if the Rams or Chiefs had interest in him. Both are Super Bowl contenders with star QBs. The Rams backup is Sean Mannion. The Chiefs backup is Chad Henne. Would you trust either of those guys to help you win a Super Bowl?

Of course, it is funny that Foles played for both teams in the past few years. He helped get the Eagles over the hump. Could he do that for them?

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One Comment on “We Want Action!”

  1. 1 daxi said at 8:53 PM on October 30th, 2018:

    学无止境，认真拜读！