The NFL Trade Deadline is on November 1st at 4 pm – ET. It’s a time for contending teams, like the Eagles, to look and try to make the one move that would separate them from the rest of the league. Not every contending team has made a move in years past though.
For the 6-0 Philadelphia Eagles, the team has an interesting decision to make. They have an excellent future of draft picks stocked, as well as a number of young players on rookie contracts. But at 6-0, one trade could be the last piece to a championship puzzle.
As the 2022 deadline creeps closer, it’s imperative that Philadelphia does not make a large gamble on a trade no matter what their record is in a week and a half.
Must be the right piece
The Eagles have been on different ends of the spectrum over the last few years when it comes to the trade deadline. In 2017, Jay Ajayi was traded to the Eagles and he helped the Eagles win the Super Bowl. A year later though, a mid-season gamble on Golden Tate ultimately led to the Eagles having to reach on the receiver position for back-to-back seasons in the draft.
Former Eagles, Genard Avery and Zach Ertz are cautionary tales as well over the last two seasons. A trade at the trade deadline does not guarantee positive results. If the Eagles were to make a gamble on a deadline move this year, it could remove the opportunity to remain flexible during next year’s draft, or even next year’s free agency period.
The Eagles have done a great job of keeping themselves as flexible as possible to improve the team over the last year and a half. With two first-round picks in 2022, and two first-round picks in 2023, the Eagles don’t have to consider making a gamble on this team right now.
And there’s one big reason why.
The Quarterback Quandry
Quarterbacks are overpaid in today’s NFL. They are paid close to half of the team’s cap space and aren’t able to find ways to win when the team around them isn’t as talented because there’s less money to go around.
It would make a lot of sense for the Eagles to keep their top draft capital to mitigate the potential loss of talent that could come with giving Hurts a big extension. The Eagles have had a good few years of drafting and giving the team an opportunity to remain flexible will be key.
Being silent at the trade deadline won’t sit well with many of the fanbases of a 6-0 squad, but it ultimately will protect the Eagles’ future success in the long run.
Photo by John Jones/Icon Sportswire
