April 21, 2016
The Philadelphia Eagles may never win a Super Bowl, but they will almost never be boring. The latest evidence of this came yesterday, when Howie Roseman completed trading from No. 13 all the way up to No. 2 in order to (likely) select North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz.
Opinions on this transaction have come in from near and far. Here are some of them:
Eagles made right move going for franchise QB: Jeff McLane, Philadelphia Inquirer
Now, this is a lede:
If the Eagles followed the same template in 1999 as their trade-up for the No. 2 pick in this year's draft, they would have given up Doug Brzezinski, John Welbourne, Corey Simon and Quinton Caver, and passed on David Boston, to move up six spots for Donovan McNabb.
Eagles' trade smacks of arrogance: Paul Domowitch, Philadelphia Daily News
Different point of view from McLane, but Domo has a very strong opening as well:
THIS IS what the Eagles should have done: After snookering the Miami Dolphins out of the eighth pick in the draft last month, they should have sat on their hands, selected one of the three of four appealing options that figure to be on the board at No. 8 next Thursday - Ronnie Stanley? Ezekiel Elliott? Vernon Hargreaves? - and taken a well-deserved bow.
Instead, they overdosed on testosterone and decided to show the rest of the NFL how smart they are.
Howie Roseman and the Eagles deserve praise - and patience - for their bold draft trade: Patrick Wall, Bleeding Green Nation
The Eagles almost never pick in the Top-10 of the draft, so why not make it count once you’re there?
The Eagles have the makings of a top 10, if not top five, defense under Jim Schwartz. They've got plenty of holes on offense, but they also have a revamped offensive line that could be better than people think. The offense won't be a world-beater, but it'll be fine. And the team has a core of young players who could take a leap next year. A team like that isn't going to be picking high enough in the draft to get a top quarterback prospect. Not without a drastic move like this.
Eagles' roster uniquely built for trade up: Andrew Kulp, The 700 Level
Kulp is high on Roseman’s offseason, and also the talent level of the current Eagles roster:
Did the Eagles pay a steep cost to get their man? Absolutely. But whether it's Goff or Wentz, a rookie quarterback won't be walking into a terrible situation, unlike most prospects who wind up taken number one or two overall. That should provide skeptics with at least some hope that not only will this all work out, or at the very least that a young signal-caller has every opportunity to flourish here.
Eagles earn C+, Browns A- in trade for No. 2 overall pick: Steve Palazzolo, Pro Football Focus
The Eagles don’t have their 2017 first-round pick anymore. Even if Howie Roseman is right and Wentz is truly the real deal, this is a long-term move:
The other element of risk is that, even if they do get their guy, the Eagles have to be prepared for their roster to regress before it gets better after giving up so many draft picks. It’s the same issue the Washington Redskins ran into when they traded up for Robert Griffin III in 2012, and it’s the same chance the Rams are taking in moving up to grab their future quarterback this offseason. Most rosters cannot handle a loss of top draft picks for multiple years, so the new Eagles QB should be looking to lead his strongest roster of surrounding talent four or five years down the road. And if that quarterback is Wentz, it just may be perfect timing — if he can live up to his immense potential.
Winners and losers from Eagles-Browns trade: Connor Orr, NFL.com
Orr thinks Roseman is a winner just for his meteoric rise from focusing on contracts and overseeing the equipment staff just last year:
What a glorious return to power! Roseman fought his way back from the nether region of the NovaCare complex and in a matter of four months has managed to undo just about everything Chip Kelly installed as head coach of the Eagles -- and acquire the No. 2 pick in the NFL draft.
Cleveland jump-starts rebuild with huge draft deal: Bill Barnwell, ESPN
Barnwell thinks this is a risky move for the Eagles:
Eagles fans who sat through the steady, seemingly underwhelming competence of the Andy Reid era and the desperate attempts to overcome bad quarterback play that marked the Chip Kelly era will appreciate this move. It's a bold, aggressive play to try to find the most valuable asset in football: a franchise quarterback on a rookie contract. It's a shot across the bow of the past six years of post-Donovan McNabb Eagles football. It's also a shot that misses more often than it hits.
Why trading up for Carson Wentz could be a huge risk for the Eagles: Pete Prisco, CBS Sports
Prisco believes that trading up for a passer is commendable, but he’s not sure if Wentz is the right guy to trade up for:
The love for Wentz by the Eagles or any other media member, scout or personnel director is strange in my eyes. I think he's become the group think player in this draft. One guy says he likes him and others follow suit. Draftnik robots. I wasn't so sure what he was as a player, but I spent two days this week studying his tape, his All-22 tape. What I saw was a big, raw, athletic prospect with a good arm.
There were things about his game that concerned me though. His accuracy wasn't great. There were throws behind receivers, in front of receivers and just off-target. That's one of the major flaws for NFL passers who don't make it in the league.
Here's why the Eagles' QB insanity could end up being brilliant: Frank Schwab, Yahoo
Schwab points out that the Eagles that the Eagles just have to go 1-for-3 with the Bradford/Daniel/Wentz trio:
I'm not sure that before March 1, when Bradford signed a two-year deal, that the Eagles scripted this all out. It seems like they're flying by the sat of their pants a bit. That doesn't mean it won't work out. If the madness leads to the Eagles finding a franchise quarterback for the next 12 seasons, so be it. Nobody will second guess it.
And if they do, they might have just started a new trend: Invest, invest and invest in the quarterback position until someone finally sticks. That might not be so crazy, after all.
(I think they have to go 1-for-1 with Carson Wentz.)
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann
