The biggest concern currently on the minds of every Eagles fan is CB2. We have Quinyon Mitchell on one side and Cooper DeJean either in the slot or on the other side in 2 receiver sets but considering that most offenses use 3 receivers now, we need 1 more guy. Right now, it looks like the hope that Kelee Ringo, Adoree Jackson, or even Eli Ricks would seize the position isn’t happening. Last week the Eagles made a trade with the Raiders for CB Jakorian Bennett. If the season started tomorrow, there is a good chance that Bennett, and not Ringo, would be starting.
Yesterday after the John Metchie trade, Jordan Schultz reported that he received a text from an AFC GM saying that it is believed the Eagles are still at the table ready to deal because we just have so many future draft picks. Let’s look at some trade options.
4th Years Still on Rookie Scale
NFL players can be extended after their third year in the league. It can be assumed that 4th year players without extensions are in one of two categories. They are either very good and waiting for a big payday from their current team or are free agents waiting to happen and thus available in a trade. Howie has always shown a liking to former high picks who may have just been in bad situations like Bennett (Raiders) and even better if they were a top recruit who went to a big school like Metchie (Alabama). Let’s put a list together from the 2022 Draft:
- Roger McCreary – Titans – #35: The former high pick out of Auburn has had his opportunities and production go down steadily over his 3 years in the league and is likely not in Tennessee’s future plans as their slot corner. The GM who drafted him is long gone (thanks to trading AJ Brown) so there is nothing anchoring him to Nashville. The Titans still have a question mark with the health of L’Jarius Sneed, but McCreary should be available.
- Alontae Taylor – Saints – #49: Taylor crushed the Combine coming out of Tennessee, and has the size you want in an outside corner. The only problem is that he has been DREADFUL in coverage according to PFF (but they do have him rated highly for his pass rush and run defense abilities). The Saints are a fire sale waiting to happen, so if the Eagles think they can fix his coverage skills, he wouldn’t be a bad bet.
- Cam Taylor-Britt – Bengals – #60: CTB tested well at the combine with a 4.38 40 time at the combine and is a solid pro, but he is going to be a starter for a bad Bengals defense that needs all the help it can get. Probably not realistic due to his situation, but he is the level the team should be looking at.
- Marcus Jones – Patriots – #85: Jones is too small to play the outside at 5’8″ but is a solid nickel corner who would give the Eagles the versatility to play DeJean on the outside. His availability depends on how realistic the Patriots are about competing immediately.
- Coby Bryant – Seahawks – #109: Bryant has since moved to safety but is a good one with ideal size. PFF has him rated as the 32nd best safety in the league with good coverage skills. He is here not as a trade target, but as a point of reference for our real target at the bottom of the list. We will come back to him.
- Damarri Mathis – Broncos – #115: Mathis is an ideal target as the 3rd best CB on Denver’s roster and solid grades across the board by PFF. He would probably welcome the trade considering it comes with a good chance to start, an opportunity he is not in line to have currently.
- Jalyn Armour-Davis – Ravens – #119: JAD is an Alabama guy who does not have a future in Baltimore. With too many injuries, he has been left behind on the depth chart. Still, he has ideal size and speed while being known for having a high football IQ. He is a solid buy-low candidate that fits Howie’s type perfectly.
- Tariq Woolen – Seahawks – #153: Woolen is the big fish of this list. He has been very productive since coming into the league and is an entrenched starter in Seattle with unbelievable size and testing numbers. Seriously, incredulously gaze upon this spider chart. Why would the Seahawks move him? Because they probably will not resign him. After this season, fellow CB Devon Witherspoon is up for a huge extension. They also have to pay Charles Cross, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and the previously mentioned Coby Bryant. While it isn’t likely that Woolen gets traded right before the season, he would be the dream candidate. Now would the Eagles want to pay him too? Probably not. I just talked myself out of the pipedream (don’t listen to me Howie, get him!!!)
Veterans
Of course, rookie scale deals aren’t the only place the Birds could look for reinforcements. Roster cutdown day is August 26 which means free agent inventory is about to spike. Two guys who the Eagles will probably not consider right now are Assante Samuel Jr and Kendall Fuller despite neither being on NFL rosters. Samuel had neck surgery in April and probably is not a candidate to play anytime soon. That being said, you could totally see the Eagles giving him a 2 year Isaiah Rodgers contract, right? As for Fuller, he missed time last year with concussion problems. He has made enough money during his career to hang up his cleats rather than to risk his health on a deal close to the minimum. Who could shake free in the coming days?
- Jamel Dean – Buccaneers: Dean is ranked highly by PFF, but has trouble staying on the field. With the Bucs drafting frequently for the secondary, his starting spot and roster spot could be in trouble. Dean is the ideal veteran the Eagles could trade for or sign as a cap casualty. As a 29 year old, his non-guaranteed base salary is $12.5m. That could be restructured down to about $5m for this season with no guaranteed money going forward.
- Denzel Ward – Browns: He is the big fish of possible acquisitions, though a deal is unlikely. He won’t be cut, but a trade is possible for salary cap reasons. The Eagles could easily dump his $13m base salary into a restructure that would bring his 2025 cap hit down to around $4m before cutting him next year. Of course, if he insists on a new deal then he will not be an Eagle since he is 28 years old and on the decline.
- Greg Newsome – Browns: Newsome is playing under his 5th year option at a guaranteed $13.4m. Considering Newsome has been pretty bad on the field, that number is rough. The Browns would have to pay down most of that salary to move him, but the former first round pick could be an option considering his situation.
- Kenny Moore – Colts: The Colts slot corner would move Cooper DeJean to the outside if the Eagles made a move. He is 30 years old, but still very effective. His $8m base salary could be easily traded by Indy and restructured by the Eagles to a more palatable $4.5m before likely being cut in the offseason. [UPDATE: Moore is injured which made the Colts go out and sign Xavian Howard who has been out of the league for a year]
Prediction
Maybe it’s a stretch, but it would not be completely out of line to say that the Eagles lost Super Bowl 57 because they had a hole at WR3. Quez Watkins dropped a 40 yard pass from Jalen in the middle of the 3rd quarter in a drive that ultimately ended in 3 points instead of 7. That whole season, we knew that WR3 was a mess. Since then, the Eagles have made sure to address every weakness no matter how small on the chance that something seemingly inconsequential could haunt them. Well, CB2 looks like a weakness. If no one steps up in the next few days, look for Howie to make a movie.
My bet would be Jamel Dean for a 4th round pick or the 5th they just got back from Houston. Dean is still very good and with rookies Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish gunning for his job, his non-guaranteed deal is juicy enough to get rid of for Tampa. He is exactly the type of vet that gets surprisingly moved around this time. It is basically exactly what the Eagles did with Darius Slay, but with less of a financial obligation for the Bucs. Mathis would be #2 thanks to his likely availability despite high upside. Had the team not traded for Bennett, I would also be stumping for Jalyn Armour-Davis.
All contract numbers from Spotrac.com and all testing numbers from Mockdraftable.com
Philly Front Office 
Leave a comment