November 02, 2022
Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports
Eagles executive Vice President and general manger Howie Roseman
Howie Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles stood pat on trade deadline day, despite interest in adding to their roster for the stretch run. There are a number of things to digest in the wake of the NFL trade deadline.
The Eagles' roster is loaded. There are no obvious holes at their starting positions, and they also have good depth at most positions. However, there are three areas of concern, in my opinion.
1) Running back: The Eagles are fine at running back... as long as Miles Sanders stays healthy. The Eagles can win with Sanders as the main back, Kenny Gainwell as the two-minute and obvious passing down guy, and Boston Scott as the in-game relief of Sanders. If Sanders were to miss time, as he did at three different junctures last year, Scott is not a player built to carry to load.
There were a number of running backs available for trade, but the prices were heavy, and the Eagles did not have fourth-, fifth-, or sixth-round picks in the 2023 draft to trade away. There are some ways around that, but the lack of those picks complicates matters to some degree. They did have interest in adding to their running back room, but in their view the right deal was not available.
There are some who would have liked to have seen the Eagles trade for the Browns' Kareem Hunt, who reportedly could have been had for a fourth-round pick, and who would have been a good fit in the Eagles' offense. That cost would have been too high for a 10-game (plus the playoffs) rental. Because the Eagles didn't have a 2023 fourth-round pick, what's the amended cost instead? A third-round pick in 2024? Or maybe a third-round pick for Hunt along with a fifth-round giveback? No thank you.
2) Safety depth: After Chauncey Gardner-Johnson had to leave the game for a bit with a hand injury against the Cowboys Week 6, K'Von Wallace filled in and the Cowboys took advantage of him. At safety behind Gardner-Johnson and Marcus Epps is Wallace, undrafted rookie Reed Blankenship, and slot corner Josiah Scott played some safety throughout training camp.
Unlike running back, there just weren't many safeties available at the deadline.
3) The return game: The Eagles' return game has stunk this year, frankly, but they'll be fine as long as they just don't turn the ball over. Jalen Hurts and the offense can bear the burden of making plays and scoring points, which they have done all season.
And what about defensive tackle? There were some who wondered if the Eagles might look to add more depth at the deadline in the wake of Jordan Davis' ankle injury. That never made much sense to me. The Eagles already have good depth in Milton Williams and Marlon Tuipulotu, who both got on the board with sacks Week 8 against the Steelers. They also have Big Marv (Marvin Wilson) on the practice squad, who in my opinion played well enough during training camp to have made the team if the Eagles didn't already have so much interior defensive line depth. My expectation is that Wilson will be a temporary practice squad elevation in advance of their matchup against the Texans on Thursday night.
The Eagles were willing to trade Dillard, but only for an offer that they couldn't turn down, such as, say, a second-round pick. If you look around the league, there were teams pulling guys off the street to start on their offensive line, and we weren't even into November yet. Take the Rams, for example:
Rams offensive line right now:
— TurfShowTimes (@TurfShowTimes) October 16, 2022
LT2 - LG2 - C3 - RG5 - RT1
At the present time, the Eagles have a healthy offensive line, but that can change quickly, as we've seen right here in Philadelphia in past seasons. The Eagles did not want to trade Dillard and have it bite them in the ass down the stretch.
The Eagles should eventually recoup some value for Dillard in the form of a 2024 compensatory when he signs elsewhere in 2023 free agency.
The Eagles' biggest need at the trade deadline was edge rusher help, which they got when they landed Quinn from the Chicago Bears a week ago. The cost was fair. The Eagles gave up a fourth-round pick for a half-season rental, but they got the Bears to pay his salary.
The two teams in the NFC that made bold moves were the 49ers and Vikings.
• The Niners landed RB Christian McCaffrey: For McCaffrey, the Niners traded four draft picks (a 2, a 3, a 4, and a 5), the value of which added up to a first-round pick. In my opinion, that was a wild overpay for a 27-year-old, oft-injured running back. However, from the Eagles' perspective, in the short-term it does make the Niners a more dangerous threat.
• The Vikings added TE T.J. Hockenson: Hockenson is fifth in the NFL among tight ends in yards (395) and first in receptions of 20+ yards (11). Minnesota needed a tight end with Irv Smith expected to miss two months. For Hockenson, the Vikings swapped a second round pick for a fourth round pick with the Lions in 2023, and a third-round pick with a fourth-round pick in 2024. Again, an NFC threat got better in the short-term with this move.
It was surprising that none of the Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, or Tampa Bay Buccaneers added a wide receiver. The Cowboys reportedly came close to trading for the Texans' Brandin Cooks, but the two teams couldn't agree to terms that worked for both sides.
Two sources directly involved tell me #Cowboys and #Texans discussed a potential trade involving WR Brandin Cooks until the final minutes before the NFL trade deadline expired. Draft pick compensation and the $18M guaranteed salary for Cooks in 2023 could not be resolved in time
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) November 1, 2022
It's certainly possible that the Bears' moronic trade of a second-round pick (likely a high 2) for the Steelers' Chase Claypool early in the day messed up the wide receiver trade market. If so, the Eagles owe the Bears a thank you card.
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