Who’s on the Block

Will the Eagles upgrade their roster at the trade deadline?

The trade deadline is in less than 24 hours, and Howie Roseman needs to get his act together. Genard Avery, the defensive end from Cleveland, is a poor start. Avery has talent and potential; nevertheless, a fourth-round pick is too costly. Moreover, this team is ravished with injuries and lacks playmakers, in the secondary, defensive line, and needs receivers with speed and precise route running. Below is a list of the players the Eagles should go after and who the Eagles should be willing to give up.

Type Writer Howie

Who the Eagles Should Go After

Wide Receivers

Robby Anderson
Devante Parker
AJ Green

Both Devante Parker and Robbie Anderson are decent options for this team. Due to their fear-inducing speed, they are great safety blankets for any set-back Desean could potentially have rehab-wise. The one downside is that they lack the versatility: none of them have a complete route tree. A third-round pick and Nelson Agholor is the highest the Eagles should pay for these two. As for AJ Green, Howie Roseman should only consider him if they can get him for a day three pick or latter. He’s by far the best route runner on the list, but is aging and is injured.

Note: If Josh Gordon is put on waivers, the Eagles need to pick him up.

Cornerbacks

Chris Harris Jr.
Patrick Peterson
Xavien Howard

Out of these players, the two feasible options are Chris Harris Jr. and Xavien Howard. Patrick Peterson does not seem to be available as the Cardinals have stated they are not willing to trade him, but only time will tell.

Although Chris Harris, for the majority of his career, played man coverage in Denver, this year, the Broncos have been utilizing the zone more often. Hence, he fits Jim Schwartz’s scheme better than anticipated. Furthermore, Harris has an almost perfect resume and is viewed as an excellent locker room guy. As for Xavien Howard, the Eagles may be able to get him for cheap. The Dolphins certainly overpaid him, and Howie could ask for both Devante and Howard in a deal, due to that massive contract.

Who’s on the Trade Block

As a precaution, there are some players on this list who have contributed to this team throughout the years: because they’re on the trade block, it does not mean they should not be view as Eagles legends and heroes.

Nelson Agholor
Alshon Jeffery (nothing to do with Howard Eskin’s reporting)
Brandon Graham
Big V (Halapoulivaati Vaitai)
Jordan Mailata
Josh Sweat
Sidney Jones

Why

Both Nelson Agholor and Alshon Jeffery play positions where the Eagles need to upgrade. Although Alshon could potentially be a core piece in building a championship-caliber team, for the Eagles, he is merely redundant and too similar to the two studs tight-ends they have in Goedert and Ertz. On the other hand, Nelson should be someone the Eagles want to keep; he’s a solid route runner, has some burst, and can make a defender miss in open space. However, his lack of awareness on deep passes outweighs the potential of getting a burner for him.

Brandon Graham is the most controversial player on this list, but if the Eagles can get a pro-bowl caliber player or a young player who has pro-bowl caliber talent, they should pull the trigger. As for Jordan Mailata, Josh Sweat, and Sidney Jones, these are all young players who have NFL ability. Nonetheless, they have not produced due to the depth at the position, are not in the appropriate scheme, have caught the injury bug, or have not appropriately translated to the NFL.

With that being said, here are a few trade scenarios for the Eagles

Devante Parker and Xavien Howard for Nelson Agholor and third and a sixth-round pick
Devante Parker and Xavien Howard for Alshon Jeffery, Sidney Jones, and a sixth-round pick
Chris Harris Jr. for Nelson Agholor, Big V, and a fifth-round pick
Robby Anderson for a third-round pick and Josh Sweat
Patrick Peterson for Brandon Graham

Trade Deadline Ends October 29, 4 p.m.

Featured photo from Marco Verch