September 04, 2019
The Eagles have made a trade offer for Chargers running back Melvin Gordon, according to a report from the MMQB's Albert Breer.
According to Breer, the Eagles are willing to exchange running back Jordan Howard for Gordon, as well as swap, "mid-round picks" in the deal, though Breer says the Chargers would still be forced to eat money in the deal.
Did a little digging around on the Melvin Gordon trade market. To give you an idea of where it is, only offer I came across was from Philly.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) September 4, 2019
In that deal, Jordan Howard would go to LA, the teams would swap mid-round picks, and the Chargers would eat salary. LA obviously said no.
Gordon made waves over the weekend when he followed the Eagles on Instagram, and though that coincided with him doing the same for several other franchises, this is the first we've heard of a real offer materializing.
Based on the parameters of the proposed deal, the Eagles appear to be interested in Gordon as a rental option rather than a long-term piece, as their offer is far below the reported price the Chargers are looking for in Gordon trade talks. Of course, this is also a typical Howie Roseman attempt to capitalize on leverage, as the Chargers are somewhat painted into a corner here.
Roseman's interest in Gordon, however, is interesting on several fronts. With the team excited to develop Miles Sanders this season, and with cheap, team-friendly options in Darren Sproles and Corey Clement, it's hard to see the Eagles sacrificing draft capital (even if it's marginal) for a true bell-cow back who is out for a big payday.
Gordon, of course, would have to agree to play on his current deal, which is not a given considering his current holdout. If Roseman couldn't convince him to play on the final year of a deal that will pay him $5.6 million, then you're looking at a situation where you'd have to consider offering him a big deal to get him to play, and that definitely seems like a non-starter on Philadelphia's end.
To date, Gordon's name has outstripped his production by a tad. His lone 1,000-yard rushing season came in 2017 on a whopping 284 carries to spearhead the Chargers' rushing attack, and Howard has actually bettered that figure on fewer carries in two different seasons. There are two caveats to mention here, though — Howard's numbers have dropped every year he has been in the league, and Gordon's yards per attempt were better than ever last season, albeit while missing four games to injury.
It's Gordon's other abilities that would really give the Eagles a lift, as they don't have a true three-down back with experience right now. Gordon's not as dynamic as a pass-catcher as someone like Sproles (and few are), but Gordon has hauled in 50+ receptions in back-to-back seasons now, putting him levels above Howard in that regard. When you combine that with between-the-tackles power and red-zone production, Gordon would instantly be the best running back on the roster. As a rental, he would give the Eagles a heavy hitter at the top of the depth chart who would allow them to bring Sanders along slowly and steadily.
At the very least, making an offer for Gordon and opening the line of conversation can't hurt. If the situation drags on without any attractive offers being made and the Eagles look like they need an upgrade ahead of the deadline, both sides could end up coming back to the table to connect. As much as Gordon and his agent want to maximize their leverage, no competitor truly wants to miss a season for the sake of chasing the payday.
And with the Jadveveon Clowney dream dying a quick death last week, everyone needed a new fantasy acquisition to latch onto anyway.
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