The Philadelphia Eagles traded for Miami Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi before the trade deadline. Here is their outlook the rest of the season.
If you haven’t already known, the Philadelphia Eagles are currently the best team in the NFL. It has been a process, well longer than the eight weeks that have the Eagles sitting at 7-1.
It all started with Howie Roseman, who was the offseason MVP. Roseman traded up for quarterback Carson Wentz in the 2016 NFL Draft and hasn’t slowed down. He attacked the 2017 NFL offseason more aggressively than any other team.
The Eagles and Roseman signed former Chicago Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery. They also added 2016 NFL rushing touchdown king LeGarrette Blount. Roseman traded for defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan. He traded wide receiver Jordan Matthews and got starting cornerback Ronald Darby out of it. When their kicker went down, Roseman signed Jake Elliot, who is already a Hall of Famer…all jokes aside, this was an unbelievable and underrated accusation for this team.
Then, before the 2017 NFL Trade Deadline, Roseman traded only a 4th round pick for a 24-year old Pro Bowl running back, Jay Ajayi. The addition of Ajayi continued a trend for Roseman and the Eagles: filling holes while also building for the future.
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
The Eagles needed to get an every-down running back this offseason, but instead, Roseman got one now. They also needed that running back to be the running back of the future, and Ajayi is that.
What is significant about the move is that the Eagles are currently 7-1. A lot of people are picking them to be a Super Bowl team. So what does this move, along with move they didn’t make, impact the rest of the season?
Well, the Ajayi move was fantastic. He will be the Eagles best running back and give an already loaded offense another weapon. He’s a guy that they can trust on passing downs to pass-protect and catch passes out of the backfield. Blount will come in on short yardage, but outside of that, Ajayi won’t need to come off of the field.
Then there are the moves they didn’t make. They should’ve traded for Calvin Johnson, but they didn’t. However, they’ll be fine without him. But, should they have traded for a left tackle to fill in for the injured Jason Peters? Can Halapoulivaati Vaitai (Big V) handle the spot the rest of the year?
These are questions that will be asked and answered before the year is over. Big V has struggled to protect Wentz at times, and he could become the biggest liability on the Eagles. Although, for a team that has been on the money betting on players to succeed, they’re betting on Big V. Time will tell about the left tackle spot.
Next: NFL Trade Deadline: Grades for every major deal
So, what is the outlook after the trade deadline for the Eagles the rest of the 2017 season? Well, first off, they didn’t get worse. They only lost a fourth round pick, but there is a slim chance that they would draft a pro bowl running back with that fourth round pick. The Eagles got better, and that’s a good thing.
It showed that Roseman and the entire Eagles organization believe that this is the year they finally win a Super Bowl. And if the move means anything, it is Super Bowl or bust for Philly in 2017.