Philadelphia Eagles: Five Players Who Could Be Used As Trade Bait
Credit: Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports
The Philadelphia Eagles are about to go though an extremely important offseason. We are heading into year three under Chip Kelly and it is imperative that every player fits the scheme that Chip wants to run. As I said a few weeks ago, the Eagles must be aggressive in free agency this year and in the draft. Trading players and draft picks could be necessary to get the players that Kelly wants.
A quick note on this, I am predicting five players that I think have trade value that the Eagles could use to their advantage. This does not mean that I want these players to be traded and I will not be choosing players that I don’t think have any real trade value.
1) Quarterback Nick Foles
Why it makes sense: There’s been a lot of reports that Chip wants to move on from Nick Foles. I can understand why Chip would want a mobile quarterback to run his offense and I wrote in detail about this last week. Foles could be traded for a high second round pick I imagine, maybe even a late first if a team believes in him as their long term answer at quarterback. Why let Foles leave next season and get nothing in return if Kelly doesn’t feel he can run his offense with him?
Why it doesn’t make sense: Foles under Kelly has won 14 games in which he started and lost only 4. He has thrown for 40 touchdowns and thrown 12 interceptions. He’s 26 years old and could easily improve. I am not saying that Foles is the answer at quarterback, but I don’t think the Eagles will find anyone who will play better than him in 2015. I think dismissing Foles so early into his career is crazy, I still have faith that he may develop into the franchise quarterback the Eagles need.
2) Running Back LeSean McCoy
Why it makes sense: LeSean McCoy could have really high trade value as he’s only 26.
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Although he had a slightly down year, he’s still a top 5 back and a team who needs a running back would love to have McCoy on their team. He will nearly have a $12m cap number next season, the highest of any Eagles player. That is a lot for a running back and it’s a strong running back draft class, the Eagles may use McCoy as a bargaining chip to trade up and grab Mariota if he falls.
Why it doesn’t make sense: Does anyone remember 2013? Just like Foles, McCoy was outstanding in 2013, leading the league with 1607 yards. He also had 11 total touchdowns and 539 receiving yards. McCoy is a unique talent and fits Kelly’s system perfectly, the Eagles should have the cap space available to keep hold of him. Getting rid of players like McCoy is how you ruin a franchise.
3) Cornerback Brandon Boykin
Why it makes sense: Chip’s philosophies on cornerbacks seems pretty obvious, the outside guys need to be able to press and have good length. Despite being the best cornerback on the team, Brandon Boykin will never play outside. This became very clear last season when Kelly continued to play Bradley Fletcher outside even though he played extremely bad. If a team who doesn’t care about length wants an outside cornerback, trading for Boykin makes sense considering he’s probably available for a mid round pick as his contract expires after this season and he is a very good player.
Why it doesn’t make sense: Despite the fact Boykin will probably leave at the end of the season, the Eagles are not rebuilding. They have their flaws but they still have an outside chance at the Super Bowl next season. It makes no sense to trade your best cornerback even if he only plays 50% of the snaps, as Malcolm Butler showed us Sunday, having depth at cornerback is no bad thing. Boykin is still extremely effective when he’s on the field as the slot corner.
4) Defensive End Vinny Curry
Why it makes sense: Similar to Boykin, Vinny Curry doesn’t fit Kelly’s scheme. Curry is an outstanding pass rusher but doesn’t get enough snaps. If a team playing the 4-3 defense requires a defensive end and specifically a pass rusher, you won’t get many better than Curry. The Eagles could cash in on Curry and draft a defensive player who fits the 3-4 scheme better, don’t forget Chip is extremely high on Taylor Hart too.
Why it doesn’t make sense: Curry is a stud, plain and simple. He was superb at rushing the quarterback last year, per Pro Football Focus he had 9 sacks and 21 quarterback hurries on only 321 pass rushing snaps. No team can ever have enough pass rushers. If the Eagles are serious about competing next season, they need Curry on passing downs to get pressure. Especially when you consider that they probably won’t have their best pass rusher next season, linebacker Brandon Graham.
5) Linebacker Marcus Smith II
Why it makes sense: Despite being a first round pick, Marcus Smith II only played 74 snaps last season. It looks more and more like it wasn’t Chip’s decision to draft Smith after Howie Roseman was demoted and Tom Gamble fired. Chip has no idea what position to play him and if he didn’t want him in the first place, why keep him? I’m sure teams in last years draft had a 2nd/3rd round grade on him, if you were a fan of his pre-draft, why would you not see if you could snag him for a 3rd round pick?
Why it doesn’t make sense: He’s only 22 years old and still has bags of potential. He’s a fantastic athlete who fits the Eagles scheme well as an outside linebacker in my opinion. Sometimes players take a while to develop, look how much better Mychal Kendricks has got throughout his short career? Giving up on a 1st round pick after just one year is risky, you never know how good he could become.