Philadelphia Eagles: Could the Jets inquire about a key defender from 2018?

With Joe Douglas running the New York Jets front office, there’s a possibility he might attempt to make a move for one of the Philadelphia Eagles’ own.

Former Philadelphia Eagles’ Vice President of Player Personnel Joe Douglas is hard at work running the New York Jets front office. He hasn’t had much time in charge just yet, but knowing who his former boss was, we can only assume that the Jets are going to be actively making moves from cuts and releases, to trades and signings very soon.

One thing we learned about Joe Douglas over the last couple of years is the fact that he likes to maintain relationships with other front offices. As he’s been elsewhere in the NFL, he would take advantage of his resources and connections and made it easier to make deals along with Howie Roseman in Philly. For example, Douglas used to work for the Baltimore Ravens, which made it possible for the Eagles to acquire Timmy Jernigan so easily at the time.

So now that Douglas is in New York, we can only assume that he’s going to stay in contact with his former partners in Philly. And being that Douglas likes the Eagles 2019 roster so much, we shouldn’t be surprised to see some sudden signings out in New York when Philly cuts down some of their roster late in the summer. Or even better, we shouldn’t be surprised to see some trades go down between the Jets and the Eagles either.

Recently, NBC Sports Philadelphia kicked around the idea — if Joe Douglas was to look to acquire somebody from the Eagles, which ten players are likely candidates? While most of them were guys that are going to be on the Eagles’ roster bubble, one, in particular, stood out, as he was a key defender for the Eagles during last year’s late-season playoff run.

Could Joe Douglas inquire about LeBlanc?

Last season, the Eagles went into desperation mode when most of their defensive secondary got injured. After making a handful of practice squad signings, they actually found what seemed to be a diamond in the rough with Cre’Von LeBlanc. Although LeBlanc couldn’t offer the Eagles much on the outside, he actually turned out to be a late-season star while in the nickel.

With a near healthy secondary group heading into the 2019 season, LeBlanc is no longer the go-to guy for the Eagles regarding the nickel position. It seems as though Avonte Maddox or Sidney Jones will get the go, leaving LeBlanc as the odd-man out. According to NBCSP’s Dave Zangaro, LeBlanc “appears to be sixth overall on the cornerback depth chart.”

LeBlanc might not start for the Eagles in 2019, but he will most likely be given a chance to although nothing is going to be guaranteed. After seeing what he was able to accomplish last season, there’s a very slim chance he ends up becoming a cut candidate for the Eagles if he doesn’t win the first-string position. Instead, there could be a potential scenario where the Jets make a call to the Eagles an offer a late-round pick.

Depending on how the Jets’ secondary performs in the offseason and the preseason, the idea shouldn’t be ruled out. And who knows, maybe the trade candidate won’t be LeBlanc — perhaps, Douglas inquires about somebody else as well. It’s hardly speculation right now, but by the time everybody gets back to training camp there could be some deals made between New York and Philly once Douglas officially settles into his role as the General Manager of the Jets.