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The Philadelphia Eagles face a specific kind of complication midway through the 2021 season. With the NFL trade deadline upon us, we take a look at two realistic and highly possible trade scenarios for the team.
Eagles fans will groan as they read this article, not because they would disagree with the NFL trade deadline transactions the team must execute, but because they know they have the wrong man in charge of the operation. No one in Philadelphia, or anyone who roots for the Birds, trusts Howie Roseman to make the right move. He helped the team win a Super Bowl, and for that, fans will always be grateful to him. But the need for a change in the Eagles front office is overwhelmingly clear. Therefore, suggesting a trade without demanding a change among the brass rings hollow.
Let's be clear, then, before we continue any further: Philadelphia needs a new front office before any Eagles trade package is agreed to. With that said, here are two Eagles trades that could happen before the NFL trade deadline.
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Eagles Trades
Andre Dillard
The Eagles have had a terrible time keeping offensive linemen healthy in recent years. The churn and lack of stability up front have played a major role in limiting the ceiling of the offense and accordingly, preventing any quarterback from truly taking off in the City of Brotherly Love.
Fly, Eagles, Fly? No one has been able to get off the ground, literally and figuratively, with all the sacks and pressures the Philadelphia offensive line has allowed in recent years. Therefore, changes need to be made and the roster needs to be purged. Dillard is an obvious starting point for the extensive makeover which needs to take place within the organization.
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It was noted above that the Eagles face a specific complication at the NFL trade deadline. That complication is as follows: Whereas some teams are weighing whether to be buyers or sellers, other teams are clearly buyers or sellers but have to pick their spots in terms of what they are willing to buy or sell, and in what order.
The Eagles very clearly fit the profile of a seller. They need to unload a lot of contracts and bank plenty of resources for a remake of their roster in 2022, a project which will be aided by the first round picks they received from the Miami Dolphins. The complication the organization faces, then, is where to begin the unloading process. Dillard seems to be one of the best possible candidates, precisely because he isn't part of the future of this absolutely essential position group.
For the Eagles, starting over on the offensive line requires getting rid of Dillard.
Derek Barnett
Flowing from everything said above about Dillard and the larger point that the Eagles have to dramatically overhaul their roster, it would seem that Barnett has to be shipped to accelerate the transformative process the team needs.
It is true that the Eagles are a mess at linebacker, in large part due to the misguided defensive scheme from embattled (hot seat) coordinator Jonathan Gannon, who is unlikely to be with the team in 2022. Yet they have whiffed on pass rushers taken with premium draft picks. Getting rid of Barnett would send a clear message at the NFL trade deadline that the Eagles recognize the need to start over and admit their recent mistakes.
