With the NFL trade deadline now less than 24 hours away, chaos seems inevitable with the trade extraordinaire GM Howie Roseman working the phones as the team heads into the bye week. There have been a slew of reports and rumors linking the Super Bowl champions to numerous players known to be on the trading block. Roseman and Co. have reportedly been assessing the trade market around the league for weeks as they try to decipher whether or not a trade is the key to a championship repeat. Fresh off an impressive win across the pond in London, the Eagles should be buyers as they look to load up for the second half of the season. The Eagles’ brass has surely taken note of the Panthers, Vikings, Saints, and Rams improved offenses and may feel compelled to add to Carson Wentz’s arsenal as he prepares for war in the NFC.
How much draft capital the Eagles are willing to depart with and for what position(s) has also been tough to gage. What is known, however, is that Roseman has thrived off his aggression and willingness to swing a deal in order to improve the team- short-term and long-term- and hasn’t shown signs of slowing down since the Birds won the Lombardi in February. The savvy general manager has already made four trades since then, including the acquisition of pass rushing specialist Michael Bennett, so I find it hard to believe he’d sit the deadline out as his team currently sits at .500 on the season. If Howie pulls off a deadline deal, as expected, here are three potential trade targets I believe would help the Eagles the most in their quest to a Super Bowl LIII berth:
WR Golden Tate
After posting career highs and earning his lone Pro Bowl appearance in Detroit, dynamic Lions WR Golden Tate is reportedly available for trade:
A couple notes from The Aftermath with 24 hours until trade deadline: #Raiders still shopping veterans, including Bruce Irvin, and keep an eye on Golden Tate, though the #Lions would have to be blown away to move him. @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/nAZW6d35bQ
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 29, 2018
Despite playing in one less game than most of the league due to an early bye week, Tate currently ranks 24th in the league in receiving yards with 517 yards on 44 catches. The elusive wideout is as reliable as they come, snagging 90+ receptions in each of the past four seasons. The athleticism and speed of Tate would add an explosive layer to Doug Pederson’s offense that has been lacking a bit so far this season, and the reported cost of a mid-round pick is an absolute steal for a player of Tate’s caliber. Having just turned 30 in August, Tate shouldn’t be viewed as solely a rental either, as he is young and talented enough to produce with Wentz for at least a few more seasons. If the Lions decide to wave the white flag on the 2018 season, expect Roseman, who is projected to have two fourth rounders at his disposal, to be among the first to call.
RB LeGarrette Blount
If the Lions are willing to depart with Tate in the midst of his prime, I hardly doubt a 31-year-old backup running back averaging 2.8 YPC is in their long-term plans. Despite his underachieving performance in Detroit, LeGarrette Blount is still exactly what Philly needs- a big, bruising downhill runner that can wear a defense down. Blount is also familiar with the offense from his time in midnight green last season. Now that rookie running back Kerryon Johnson has fully emerged as an every-down back in Detroit, Blount may be expendable in the eyes of the Matt Patricia-led Lions. A late-round conditional pick should be more than enough to acquire the scarcely used back.
WR Emmanuel Sanders
Following an injury-riddled season in Denver in which he failed to reach 1k receiving yards for the first time since 2014, agile wideout Emmanuel Sanders is in the midst of a resurgent season with the Broncos. Sanders, as of this writing, ranks 11th in the NFL in receiving yards and has put to bed any talk of the 31-year-old veteran being washed. The former SMU standout is ELITE at creating separation with his precise route running and would be a huge upgrade over anyone offensive skill player not named Zach Ertz or Alshon Jeffery. Similarly to Tate, Sanders’ big play ability would add another dimension to Pederson’s West Coast attack.
I know there are many who are reluctant to acquire Sanders- predominantly utilized out of the slot- because it could potentially hinder the development of current slot receiver Nelson Agholor. While I understand being cautious with young talent, this ideal is a bit silly if you think about it for more than a few minutes. Sanders is the spitting image of what the Eagles hope Agholor can develop into, as well as one of the most productive receivers in the past five seasons, and would serve as an excellent mentor for the USC product. In fact, alternating Agholor and Sanders inside and out should prove disastrous for opposing defenses as corners struggle to stick with the elusive duo, and it shouldn’t cost more than a third round pick to make it happen.
I don’t envision the Eagles doing anything overly flashy at the deadline, as most of the second half reinforcements are in-house and health dependent, but a trade for any of these three players would add an element to the roster that is either lacking or completely absent on a week-to-week basis without selling the farm. Howie will be involved, as he always is, but I think he’ll be a bit more methodical and reserved as he looks to make a few tweaks to an already stellar roster.
Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
