The NFL Trade deadline is just over 24 hours away and speculation is ripe when it comes to the Philadelphia Eagles. Fresh off of a dominant win over the lowly Lions, many are wondering whether Howie Roseman will be buying or selling at the deadline. He could very easily do both, but here are five players who could be subject to trade talks.
Andre Dillard
Dillard is probably the most poignant name you’ll see floated around over the next 24 hours. The backup tackle is now in his third season and lost the starting LT spot to former seventh-round pick Jordan Mailata this past offseason.
To a team looking for a reclamation project with youth and upside intact, Dillard should tick those boxes. He’s just turned 26 and is contracted through next season as well as there being the potential for a fifth-year option. With a minimal cap hit next to his name as a result, it’s no surprise to see teams having interest in the Washington State Product.
He’s performed fairly well in relief of the Aussie this year but the Eagles have cemented their LT position by giving Mailata a juicy contract extension. The Eagles have shown that they do have some interesting depth options behind him as well, with Jack Driscoll and Brett Toth nothing showing signs of early growth.
It would be better to part ways with Dillard while he still has value and be done with it as opposed to just holding on out of refusal to admit that it was probably a poor pick in retrospect. It would not be shocking at all to see him traded.
Eric Wilson
After being named a surprise healthy scratch in last night’s win over Detroit, speculation started to build over Wilson’s immediate future.
I don’t think it’s likely that Wilson is traded, but it would make sense. As we approach the halfway mark, we know exactly what this Eagles team is, and continuing to play Wilson is going to serve as no benefit to younger players who will still be in the picture after he departs. If growth is the name of the game and a team does come knocking, why not?
He’s only on a one-year deal And it’s not like his play is worthy of trading for at this point. However, if a team is in desperate need of a veteran backer and is confident that they get the best out of him, unlike Jonathan Gannon, then a very late-round pick could be an appealing price tag for a franchise on the edge of contention.
Fletcher Cox
Fletcher Cox has had his name floated in trade conversations for the past year or so due to his enormous cap-hit and declining production. His open criticisms of Jonathan Gannon’s schemes only added fuel to the fire.
The thing is, the Eagles cannot trade Fletcher Cox. Well, they can, but it would net them a $23M loss in dead cap space for 2022. Howie Roseman had to work incredibly hard to get himself out of a salary cap hole, and there’s already a significant chunk of cap being eaten up by former players next year as it is. Trading Cox now, although logical in every other aspect, would undo all of it.
Roseman didn’t get Cox to restructure his deal and convert closer to $15M of salary into a signing bonus just to shake him off the roster by the deadline. I do think he’s moved, but it won’t be until next year.
Steven Nelson
This is a bit of a wildcard. Nelson has been pretty solid as far as cornerbacks go and this speculation has nothing to do with his play. But he is on a one-year deal and if he could jump the gun and join a CB needy team where he could earn a longer-term deal, it makes sense for both sides.
As part of the Zach Ertz trade, the Eagles received rookie CB Tay Gowan. He played in 26% of snaps against the Lions and while that could be indicative of a blowout and Gannon resting his vets, it was certainly interesting to note.
We know that the Eagles are all-in on the future. Darius Slay has been everything the team could possibly need as a CB1 and Avonte Maddox has had a great resurgence in the slot. They can afford to give Gowan a shot on the outside for the rest of the year, knowing that they have all the capital in the world to reinforce the position if absolutely necessary.
Miles Sanders
There is no way that Miles Sanders watched that game on Sunday with a smile on his face. There have been times this season where a breakaway run has been followed by a spiking of the ball and a glare at his Head Coach, trying to make a point that he deserves more carries. Everyone, and I mean everyone, is in agreement…except for Nick Sirianni.
With Sanders currently on IR, the Eagles decided to roll back the clock and deploy their 2019 backfield. Jordan Howard and Boston Scott both tied for carries and accounted for four touchdowns between them.
Kenny Gainwell watched on for the most part, but the fact is that the Eagles drafted him this year and he instantly cut into the snap-share of Miles Sanders and offers more out of the backfield.
This whole situation is very reminiscent of when the Bears traded Jordan Howard after the rise of Tarik Cohen before drafting David Montgomery, a similarly-built back but one with no danger of having to give a massive payday to anytime soon.
The Eagles really don’t like paying running backs and they know that they can still get some pretty significant returns if they trade for Sanders before his contract expires at the end of next year. With teams across the league suffering knocks to their backfield, it’s only a matter of time before the phone rings.
Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire)
