Should the Eagles trade for Browns cornerback Joe Haden?
The Cleveland Browns are rumored to be shopping around veteran cornerback Joe Haden.
It has been quite an eventful offseason for teams around the NFL, to say the least. The Philadelphia Eagles have been involved in their fair share of crazy offseason moves. Just a few weeks back, they traded their star wide receiver Jordan Matthews for cornerback Ronald Darby. Just yesterday, they traded away their long-time long snapper Jon Dorenbos for a seventh-round pick.
They also traded away one of their safeties Terrence Brooks for cornerback Dexter McDougle. The reason for that trade was simply because they needed depth at cornerback. Now, with the news that the Cleveland Browns are aggressively shopping veteran cornerback Joe Haden, could the Eagles possibly make an offer?
Lacking depth and talent
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We all know that the cornerback position has been a major problem for the Eagles for a while now. Even after they added veterans like Patrick Robinson, McDougle and Darby, they still seem thin at the position. After clearing up some cap space with some recent roster moves, do not be surprised if the Eagles make an offer for the veteran.
Haden could be a valuable option for the Eagles. He is a former first-round pick and two-time pro-bowler. Although he is 28-years old, Haden has plenty of experience in the NFL. His age would not be a factor for this season considering that he has a better track record than the majority of the Eagles defensive backs. Would a trade for Haden make sense though?
Keep Assets and grow.
There are plenty of reasons why Haden would be a good asset for this season. Unfortunately, it would be the wrong move for the future of the franchise. Haden’s price will most likely not be cheap. Not only does he come with a $14.4 million dollar cap hit, but the Eagles will most likely be giving up some key draft picks and/or players.
The Eagles may be weak in talent and depth at cornerback, but they are also young. There is plenty of time for these young corners to develop. Darby has proven himself to be a decent man-to-man corner. Jalen Mills has also shown some improvements since last season as well.
Don’t forget that the Eagles also have second-round pick Sidney Jones on ice as well. Jones was arguably the best cornerback in the 2017 NFL Draft before he tore his Achilles. Although it will take some time for him to get healthy again, there is a pretty good chance that he can get back out on the field this season.
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The bottom line is that the Eagles should stick with their young cornerbacks. Haden has a decent track record, but he has been declining over the last couple of seasons. Two seasons ago he missed 11 games and last season missed three games due to injury. Trading for Haden sounds tempting but simply does not make sense for the Eagles at this time.