Which players could be on the trade block for the Philadelphia Eagles as we head into the 2022 NFL preseason? We take a look at three names.
The NFL news cycle has been relatively slow for the majority of the last month, but a couple of intriguing trades have got the juices flowing again.
As training camp and preseason games approach, trade chatter will also heat up. Teams will be looking to make upgrades to their roster, fill out depth, take shots on players that they liked coming out of the NFL Draft, as well as build their 2023 and 2024 NFL Draft capital.
The Philadelphia Eagles and general manager Howie Roseman are always seemingly up for making another trade.
The Eagles have a pretty darn good roster right now and while they could certainly stand to make some upgrades, they could also really add to their future NFL Draft capital with a couple of players that may not be in the team’s long-term plans.
Here are three players that could be on the trade block for the Eagles in the coming weeks.
Philadelphia Eagles trade candidate no. 3: Gardner Minshew, QB
Without completely overrating him, something needs to be said: Gardner Minshew should probably be starting for some NFL team.
It’s kind of hard to believe that none of the 32 teams have taken a shot on this guy since he got his shot initially with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Numbers don’t tell the entire story, but Minshew’s career stats look rather nice:
- 63.2 percent completion rate
- 41 touchdowns
- 12 interceptions
- 93.9 QB rating
I mean, my goodness.
There are plenty of starting QBs in the NFL that have done much worse. Let’s have a quick gander at Sam Darnold’s numbers since the start of the 2019 season, shall we?
- 60.5 percent completion rate
- 37 touchdowns
- 37 interceptions
- 76.7 QB rating
How about one of Minshew’s peers in the 2019 class, Giants top pick Daniel Jones?
- 62.8 percent completion rate
- 45 touchdowns
- 29 interceptions
- 84.3 QB rating
Minshew could easily go start for a team like the Seattle Seahawks.
Actually, that’s not a half-bad idea…
Philadelphia Eagles trade candidate no. 2: Andre Dillard, OT
The Philadelphia Eagles have established their top five starting offensive line.
It doesn’t include former first-round pick Andre Dillard.
Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson are the longer-term bookend tackles for this Eagles team with the interior line set up from left to right:
- Landon Dickerson
- Jason Kelce (eventually Cam Jurgens)
- Isaac Seumalo
The Eagles have decent depth on the offensive line overall and although a player like Dillard is nice to have for the time being in case of injury, the Eagles declined his fifth-year option. Is his best value to them really as a swing tackle or backup left tackle only?
The Eagles and general manager Howie Roseman might need to start seriously thinking about what kind of draft capital they can recoup from this investment, and they’ll be taking a calculated risk by letting him go out there during training camp and preseason.
If Dillard goes out there and plays poorly or gets hurt, his value on the trade market will be shot. If he can go out there and play well in preseason action, perhaps the Eagles could squeeze a little bit more out of some other team for him.
One way or the other, to maximize their value here the Eagles probably need to send Dillard packing to the highest bidder and go with the depth they have elsewhere.
Philadelphia Eagles trade candidate no. 1: Jalen Reagor, WR
The Eagles have done everything but actually just move on from former first-round pick Jalen Reagor.
Coming out of TCU, Reagor looked like his game at the NFL level could be somewhat similar to that of Tyreek Hill.
Even if it was a poor man’s version of Tyreek Hill, Reagor’s floor at the NFL level seemed to be much higher than we’ve actually seen from him.
Through his first two years in the NFL, he’s done next to nothing and the Eagles have clearly moved on with a variety of moves dating back to last offseason:
- Drafting Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith
- Trading for AJ Brown
- Signing free agent Zach Pascal
Quez Watkins also out-snapped Jalen Reagor last season.
As a former first-round pick with two years left on his rookie deal (plus a fifth-year option), there should be some okay value for Reagor for any team that’s looking at a low-risk dart throw.
The Eagles don’t need to sell as low as we saw the Patriots do with N’Keal Harry, but if they wait too long, that’s what it will come to.
There aren’t snaps for Reagor with this group the Eagles have.
There are certainly teams that need the receiver help and Reagor could be an asset on special teams as well.
It’s time for the Eagles to just move on and get Reagor into a new situation where he could potentially thrive.