In any given NFL season, there are a couple of teams in full rebuild mode. Just three years after a Super Bowl victory, the Philadelphia Eagles find themselves in a rebuilding stage. Former head coach Doug Pederson was fired this offseason, signaling the beginning of a new era of Eagles football. Rookie head coach Nick Sirianni has a tough task ahead of him as Philadelphia looks to build the foundation for a winning team down the road.
There are plenty of positions on the Eagles' roster that could use improvement, but two stick out as the biggest issues. Cornerback and safety are both weaknesses for Philadelphia, as they have been for years. It's time to finally improve both positions with the future in mind.
Here are three potential trade candidates for the Eagles.
Michael Ojemudia
Building for the future means bringing in as much youth as possible, and Ojemudia fits the bill. The current Denver Broncos cornerback is only in his sophomore season, but he has already been buried under a plethora of high-caliber corners. Denver spent a second-round pick on Ojemudia in the 2020 draft, so he clearly has a lot of potential. He also started 11 games for the Broncos, posting 62 tackles and four forced fumbles. It's too early to tell how good Ojemudia will be, but there's plenty of upside in the former Missouri Tiger.
It may seem strange to try to trade for a player who was a second-round selection so recently, but there's reason to believe that Philadelphia can pull it off. The Broncos just selected Patrick Surtain II ninth overall, so he's a lock to take a huge amount of playing time. Denver also signed Kyle Fuller and Ronald Darby in the offseason. Bryce Callahan is still in Denver, making Ojemudia the fifth corner on the depth chart. Trading for him wouldn't be cheap, but it wouldn't cost an arm and a leg.
Jeff Gladney
Admittedly, this would be a pretty tough trade to pull off. The Minnesota Vikings spent a first-round selection on Gladney in the 2020 draft, so it's unlikely they would give him up easily. But there is reason to believe that Gladney could be acquired for the right price. The Vikings signed three cornerbacks this offseason in Patrick Peterson, Bashaud Breeland, and Mackensie Alexander. Peterson will start on one boundary while Breeland will likely start on the other. Alexander will back up the underrated Cameron Dantzler in the slot. There's no spot for Gladney in this secondary, and a player can't get better if he doesn't play.
There's a reason Gladney has been forced out of the starting lineup. He was abysmal last season, constantly getting torched by opposing receivers down the field. But it was also his rookie season, so it needs to be taken with a grain of salt. The TCU product has the potential to be a starting cornerback in the NFL, and the Eagles should take a chance on that for the right price.
Justin Reid
This is another deal that would be hard to make, but nothing is impossible especially when you're talking about Reid's current employers. The Houston Texans have a history of making questionable (to put it lightly) trades, and the front office is looking to clean house. Reid is a holdover from the Bill O'Brien regime, so it wouldn't be surprising to hear that motivational speaker/vice president of football operations Jack Easterby wants Reid gone.
Reid finished last season with 83 tackles to go along with six tackles for loss. It was his worst season to date, but he was also playing on a totally dysfunctional Texans defense. The Stanford product has tons of potential and would walk into Philadelphia as the best safety on the roster. Reid is also only 24 years old, so he could become a foundational piece for the rebuilding Eagles.
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