Could the Philadelphia Eagles be in the market for Emmanuel Ogbah?

The Cleveland Browns plan to trade away Emmanuel Ogbah. Could the Philadelphia Eagles get into the mix?

At this point, whenever a name gets placed on the trade block, you have to expect that the Philadelphia Eagles could have some interest. That’s just how their front office operates. They will especially have interest if that name on the block is a defensive lineman though. Over the last two years, we’ve seen the Eagles make two trades to acquire defensive linemen. Two years ago, they traded with the Baltimore Ravens for Timmy Jernigan. Last season, they acquired Michael Bennett from the Seattle Seahawks. This year, could they get Emmanuel Ogbah?

The 25-year-old former second-round pick wants a new deal from the Cleveland Browns or a new situation. Since the Browns traded with the New York Giants for Olivier Vernon, Ogbah figures that his time is up in Cleveland. As the Browns get started on their offseason workouts this week, it has been reported that Ogbah will not be attending any practices. He is further indicating that his time with the Browns is up. Now, they will seek out a trade in order to send Ogbah packing.

Naturally, we have to assume that the Eagles are a potential landing spot. They don’t have an immediate need at defensive end, but there are some question marks. Their highest-paid defensive end right now is Brandon Graham. At 30-years-old, Graham signed what is most likely going to be his final contract with the Eagles.

Behind him is Chris Long, who is currently considering retirement. On the other side, there’s third-year defensive end Derek Barnett, who’s coming off of a season-ending injury. Then, there’s Vinny Curry who’s back for another year. The Eagles also have their fourth-rounder from last season in Josh Sweat, but his health and ability to produce is still a giant question mark heading into year two. So the Eagles are okay at defensive end for next season. But their situation could be better.

Would a trade for Ogbah make sense?

Similar to other defensive ends on the Eagles’ roster, Ogbah is no sack-master. Through his first three seasons in Cleveland, he has accounted for 12.5 sacks. Not great, but not bad. His main contributions have come from tackling, where Ogbah racked up 122 combination tackles, along with 29 quarterback hits over the last three seasons. He may not be a solo star, but Ogbah seems to have the production value of a rotational piece on a defensive line, which he could greatly benefit from in Philly. Especially if Chris Long does decide to hang up his cleats.

So what would it take to get Ogbah in Philly? Well, NJ Advanced Media’s Mike Kaye had an interesting proposal. Rather than sending a mid-round draft pick to the Browns, as they are probably expecting, the Eagles could send a player, which they rarely do. Who could get sent packing? Eagles’ cornerback, Rasul Douglas for Ogbah – straight up.

Why Douglas, of all players?

"“With Darby back in the fold, the Eagles will start the veteran at one of the cornerback spots, shifting at least one of the last year’s young breakout performers to the bench. Cornerback Rasul Douglas seems to be the most logical candidate for demotion based on previous history.”"

The Eagles haven’t gotten a ton of use out of Douglas over the past two seasons, which is a bit strange. Since his debut in 2017, Douglas has snagged five interceptions, 82 tackles, and had 15 pass deflections. Unfortunately, he’s only started in 12 of his 30 games. And the only reason he got the start was due to injuries in front of him.

Douglas is a solid young player, but his defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz doesn’t seem to like him too much. Even after Douglas established himself as one of the better tacklers on the team, and he’s arguably the best ballhawk in the secondary as of late, there’s still a legitimate chance that Douglas rides the bench once again.

As the Browns are in search of a safety, a trade for Douglas could make sense for them, as he could make the transition to the back end of the defense. Right now, Douglas isn’t exactly sitting on the trade block, but if the Eagles were considering to move one of their corners this offseason, it seems like Douglas would be the logical candidate. It’s unfortunate, but it’s become clear that the Eagles play favorites with the secondary. And Douglas does not seem to be on Jim Schwartz’s good side through the first two years.