November 02, 2021
The NFL's trade deadline is 4 p.m. EST here on Tuesday, November 2.
The Philadelphia Eagles have already made two deals ahead of the deadline, shipping Zach Ertz off to the Arizona Cardinals for CB Tay Gowan and a fifth-round pick, as well as dealing Joe Flacco to the New York Jets for a conditional sixth-round pick.
Are the Birds done wheeling and dealing? Here we'll track rumors and moves around the league that are relevant to the Eagles, with the most recent entries at the top.
The Eagles made a move that trickled in after the deadline passed bringing in Broncos cornerback Kary Vincent for a 6th round pick in 2022. The move is likely just to add depth. We'll have more from Jimmy Kempski on the trade in just a bit.
Trade! The #Broncos are sending rookie CB Kary Vincent Jr. to the #Eagles for a 2022 sixth-round pick, per sources. They beat the 4 p.m. ET buzzer.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 2, 2021
According to Mike Kaye of NJ.com, Andre Dillard isn't going anywhere.
Despite interest from tackle-needy teams, barring a major offer, sounds like #Eagles will hold onto OT Andre Dillard through the deadline, per league source.
— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) November 2, 2021
After a disastrous training camp, Dillard was forced to start four games at LT for the Eagles due to injuries and a Lane Johnson personal matter. He was perhaps better than expected, and showed that he can maybe be a starting NFL LT, but it's not as if he was some sort of standout player.
With the Eagles, there isn't really a good fit for Dillard. When Johnson was absent with his personal matter, Mailata moved from LT to RT, and performed reasonably well enough, but ultimately, his best usage is at LT, where he has been built from the ground up by Jeff Stoutland. With Mailata having signed a four-year deal worth $64 million just after the start of the season, the Eagles signaled that he was the LT of the present and future.
Realistically, Johnson will be on the Eagles' roster through the 2022 season, which lines up with the end of Dillard's base rookie contract. If Mailata and Johnson are the starters at LT and RT, Dillard's only value is as a backup LT, since he is not a fit at guard, and is (we'll put it kindly) uncomfortable at RT.
If Dillard finishes the 2021 season with the Eagles, the team will have to decide during the 2022 offseason whether or not to exercise his fifth-year option for 2023. OverTheCap.com projects that Dillard's fifth-year option would cost $11,640,000, which would be fully guaranteed. Even with Dillard's improvement this season, there should be absolutely no justification whatsoever for the team guarantee him that kind of money.
The Eagles shouldn't just trade Dillard for peanuts at this point, as he has shown some value. However, if the Eagles are holding out for some "major offer" as Kaye's tweet suggests, it'll be yet another example of the Eagles overrating their own players.
According to Aaron Wilson, previously of the Houston Chronicle, Watson isn't likely to be traded by today's deadline.
Sources: Unlikely that Deshaun Watson gets traded at NFL deadline @SportsTalk790 @iHeartRadio https://t.co/yGFvdhN4Ux
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) November 2, 2021
Watson staying in Houston would be a welcomed outcome for the Eagles, since the Dolphins are the most likely suitor for Watson, and the Eagles own Miami's first-round pick. If Watson were able to play for Miami in 2021, he would give them a better chance of winning games than any of their current quarterbacks.
This isn't new, but it's a rumor that resurfaced Tuesday morning, via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network:
From @GMFB: What to expect from the trade deadline today? pic.twitter.com/W1NaUkTD1f
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 2, 2021
I'll transcribe that for you:
"Fletcher Cox, maybe a little more unlikely, the big name, Philadelphia Eagles, defensive tackle. He's due a bunch of money, but the Eagles have certainly gotten calls on him. As Mike Garofolo has reported, they're going to hold out for a high pick. This is not something that is likely, but obviously another one that we'll watch."
The Eagles pretty much can't trade Fletcher Cox, as we noted a week ago. Or perhaps more accurately stated, it would be a complete embarrassment if the Eagles traded Cox after restructuring his contract two months ago. A trade of Cox would result in a dead money cap hit of around $37 million, an outlandish figure, when it would have "only" been around $21 million if they hadn't made the mistake of restructuring him.
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