To put the cherry on the cake in what’s been a chaotic day for the Philadelphia Eagles, a report has surfaced that suggests the Eagles could well be looking to trade for an Inside Linebacker within the coming weeks.
Several teams calling around looking for TEs. Eagles have been trying to find an inside LB via trade. Things will intensify in few weeks
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) August 10, 2016
This doesn’t really come as a surprise. According to the first unofficial depth chart released by the Eagles, Jordan Hicks is the starting MLB..ahead of Joe Walker, whom they picked with the final selection in this year’s draft and recently signed Villanova product Don Cherry. Beyond that, nobody. When you take into account the early Bye-week and the injury history of Jordan Hicks..it would make sense to add some reinforcement.
There was a report that surfaced a few days ago suggesting that the Eagles were in “heavy negotiations” with former Lions LB Stephen Tulloch. The move makes sense on many levels for the Eagles, but the talks were downplayed by Jim Schwartz and were later said to be just that, talks.
Interestingly, CBS’s La Canfora notes how a few teams are looking at Tight ends. It’s a well known fact that Trey Burton has been one of the standouts of Eagles Training camp so far and could easily have done more than turn a few heads in such a consistent and impressive few weeks. After talking to a source, there is some interest surrounding the former Florida Gator who is entering his contract year.
https://twitter.com/LiamJenkins21/status/763184348086542336
The Eagles have locked their TE starting spots for the foreseeable future, with Celek and Ertz signing huge extensions during the offseason. But could Trey Burton be traded?
For one, the coaching staff love him..meaning it would have to be a very good offer. Then, there’s the cap side of things. The Eagles have around $6.5M to play with in free cap space right now and rumors have been flying around about how that money is going to be spent. A contract extension for Bennie Logan? A free agent Linebacker? A free agent veteran wide receiver? Nobody knows..but to take on another Linebacker’s salary would be an interesting move considering the lack of assets going forward.
La Confora stated that things will intensify in a few weeks..and he’s probably right. Pre-season shows another side to players, just look at Rasheed Bailey last year. If Trey Burton has a terrific pre-season, there’s every chance that a few teams come knocking. But would an offer be good enough to tempt the Eagles into trading him for some depth help on the other side of the ball?
Considering how Lane Johnson could well be serving a 10-game suspension, the Eagles are going to ned all the help they can get..and those 3-TE formations don’t look anywhere near as intimidating without Burton. A player who can contribute in almost every Offensive aspect of the game, Burton has developed into a key part of Pederson’s Offense.
It’s too early to say who the Eagles are looking at..or what Eagles players other teams may be interested in, but it’s definitely something to keep a close eye on as pre-season progresses.
Mandatory Photo credit: Chris Szagola / AP
