The Rumor Mill

The draft starts in less than 48 hours. That means there are a lot of rumors out there, some involving the Eagles. My sources tell me…that I should quit asking them questions and mind my own damn business. So I have no special insight for you.

I don’t anticipate the Eagles doing anything dramatic, but you can never say never with Howie Roseman at the trigger. He is aggressive and he loves to trade.

First, the rumor that became reality.

Seahawks agreed to trade their franchise player, DE Frank Clark, to the Kansas City Chiefs for a 2019 first-round pick, a 2020 second-round pick and an exchange of third-round picks this year, per league sources.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 23, 2019

No more questions about the Eagles dealing for Clark. He’s now a member of the Chiefs.

To summarize: (1) Antonio Bryant said "Patrick Peterson to Chiefs!"; (2) we were told reliably that there's no trade with the Chiefs; (3) another source suggested something is going on; (5) that same source said 15 min later nothing is happening.

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) April 23, 2019

Another source says nothing is happening with Patrick Peterson. He's staying put. So that one ended quickly.

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) April 23, 2019

That said, something is going on with Patrick Peterson, per source. And he could indeed be gone from Arizona.

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) April 23, 2019

The Eagles reportedly had some interest in Peterson prior to the trade deadline. If he is really on the market, could they be interested? Absolutely.

While the Eagles have a talented group of young corners, no one is remotely close to Peterson’s level. Adding a player like him to the secondary would be huge.

No one knows what is going on in the desert right now. Is Josh Rosen the QB or about to be traded? Is Kyler Murray the #1 pick? How much say does rookie coach Kliff Kingsbury have in personnel matters?

If that team expects to struggle this year, there is some logic to dealing Peterson. At the same time, you aren’t sending the best message to your players or fans if you deal the best players on the team. I have no idea what to expect from the Cardinals. Peterson has removed references to the Cardinals from his social media accounts so it does feel like something odd is going on.

.@AlbertBreer told @ryenarussillo on his pod that one of the guys who could get traded as part of the burgeoning NFL swap market is Browns LB Joe Schobert

— Anthony Lima (@SportsBoyTony) April 23, 2019

If the Eagles want a young MLB to add to the mix, Schobert would be an interesting target. He is in a contract year and the Browns may not see him as a long term fit.

This is pure speculation on my part. I have no idea if the Eagles have any interest. Or if Schobert really is on the market.

Players who could be traded prior or during the draft: Josh Rosen, Chris Harris, Darron Lee.

Jadeveon Clowney’s situation in Houston and Patrick Peterson in Arizona is worth keeping an eye on. #Jaguars LB Telvin Smith is another name teams are monitoring, per @AlbertBreer.

— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) April 24, 2019

Clowney would be an interesting target for the Eagles. He was dominant against them this past season. That had to make an impression. But he wouldn’t come cheap, in terms of trade capital or salary. I doubt anything happens, but he does feel like the kind of player the Eagles would target.

Smith would be interesting. The problem is that he is making $12M per year and that is pricey for a LB for the 4-3 defense. The Eagles did clear a lot of cap space so they have options.

Chris Long on returning to the Eagles in 2019: "I’m pretty undecided, but from the looks of things they’re going to make it hard for me in my favorite city" https://t.co/obbf8DcKhP

— BleedingGreenNation (@BleedingGreen) April 23, 2019

It is starting to feel more and more like Chris Long won’t be coming back. We won’t know for sure until after the draft. That means the Eagles have to strongly consider drafting a DE. Without Long, they are relying on Vinny Curry, Josh Sweat, Daeshon Hall and Joe Ostman off the bench.

Stay tuned.

*****

Speaking of rumors…

Is there any truth to the rumor that Kirk Cousins gave a pregame speech to the Nets?

— Tommy Lawlor (@lawlornfl) April 24, 2019

What a butt-kicking. That was fun.

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