The NFL trade deadline is just under three weeks away, and the Philadelphia Eagles have one of the more aggressive general managers in the league. Howie Roseman hasn’t made a splash trade at the trade deadline recently, but depending on where his team stands in a few weeks, pulling the trigger on a trade could be in the cards.
Philly has a handful of needs they could address with an in-season acquisition. Linebacker, defensive lineman, wide receiver, to name a few. Not to mention, the Eagles are staring at a lot of draft compensation next year. Utilizing one or two or of their picks to acquire some much needed talent midseason is a possibility.
Here are three trade targets the Eagles could be in play for once the deadline rolls around.
WR Allen Robinson
Just last week, social media speculation started swirling about a potential Allen Robinson to Philly trade. The package from the Eagles, according to the social media world, would be Jalen Reagor and some draft compensation.
This tweet made its rounds and started popping up all over Twitter. While trading Reagor wouldn’t be my ideal scenario, acquiring Allen Robinson would certainly appease to a good portion of Eagles fans.
At 28 years old with just the 2021 season remaining on his contract, dealing Robinson would make sense for the Bears, who don’t seem like contenders five weeks into the year. But sending him to another team that doesn’t appear to be a contender wouldn’t make much sense from Robinson’s perspective.
If the Eagles start to pile up some wins, then pursuing Robinson would make sense. He’s the type of veteran presence this young wide receiving corps could use and he’d be the legit X receiver this offense desperately needs.
It probably wouldn’t take a whole lot of draft compensation to pull this deal off. Considering Robinson’s age, contract length, and his uncharacteristically low production so far this year, a fifth or sixth round pick should get it done.
LB Jordan Hicks
Despite being told before the season by the Cardinals GM that he would no longer start at middle linebacker, Jordan Hicks has played 99% of the team’s defensive snaps this year. While their 16th overall pick, linebacker Zaven Collins, is still being integrated into the defense.
The rookie has looked good in his limited action, posting an PFF overall grade of 70.8, which makes Hicks expendable.
The Eagles were linked to Hicks when he first hit the trade block during the offseason, but a deal never came to pass. Fast forward to now, and it would appear both teams could have mutual interest in getting a deal done. Hicks would instantly be the best linebacker on the Eagles defense and would return to the team that drafted him back in 2015. Without Hicks in the fold, Arizona could take the training wheels off Collins and allow him to be the full-time starter in the middle of their defense.
Before the season, a player-for-player swap including Hicks and Eagles tight end Zach Ertz would’ve made a ton of sense for both sides, and it may be even more plausible now. The Cardinals just lost their starting tight end Maxx Williams to an apparent season ending knee injury this past week. Inserting a tight end like Ertz into the fold would only make the Cardinals offense more lethal, and they’ll certainly be on the market for a tight end in the coming weeks.
Both teams would win in this trade. Eagles get a legit backers, the Cardinals adequately replace their starting tight end. It’ll be interesting to see if this comes to pass over the next few weeks.
EDGE Clelin Ferrell
The former fourth overall selection of 2019 NFL Draft hasn’t come close to expectations in his young NFL career. Ferrell totaled just 6.5 sacks during his first two and a half seasons, and he’s been an afterthought for the Raiders defense this season, playing just 18% of their defensive snaps.
Defensive end isn’t the biggest need for the Eagles, but they could certainly use another rotational piece with the absence of Brandon Graham. While Josh Sweat and Derek Barnett have been serviceable starters, Ryan Kerrigan has done little to nothing through five games, recording just one tackle in 137 defensive snaps.
The asking price for Ferrell shouldn’t be too high despite being a top-10 pick just two years ago. He still has three years remaining on his rookie deal, including an option year in 2023. His price tage won’t raise higher than $5 million until that option year, so the Eagles could get their hands on a rotational pass rusher for a relatively cheap price.
Despite being a bust at this point in his NFL career, trading for Ferrell is a low-risk, high-reward move. If he truly is a bust, the Eagles can cut ties whenever they’d like. But if he plays even close to his pre-draft potential, then Philly will forever be grateful.