Eagles’ Halapoulivaati Vaitai’s status depends on Brandon Brooks’ health

There’s tons of speculation that Eagles’ offensive lineman Halapoulivaati Vaitai could get traded soon — but Brandon Brooks’ healthy might have something to say about that.

It’s been a while since Philadelphia Eagles General Manager Howie Roseman made a move through the trade market. And since Philadelphia has been so spoiled with sudden moves over the last couple of years, it seems as though patience is running thin over here.

Right now, there’s a major name available on the trade market. That player just so happens to play a position in which the Eagles obsess over stacking. That’s right, Houston Texans defensive end Jadeveon Clowney is available for a trade, and everybody believes Philly can get him.

At what cost, though? Well, for starters, Houston most likely would want a high pick. We’re talking first, second, or potentially third-round at the least. Plus, a player that can help them out right now. Seeing how bad their offensive line looks right now, an O-Lineman would be ideal.

Fortunately, the Eagles have picks — and they have lineman. Therefore, many want to see Halapoulivaati Vaitai get traded before it’s too late. Seeing as though he’s a backup lineman, there isn’t much of a use for him, right? Well, that’s not entirely true.

Sure, the Eagles have a stellar offensive front when fully healthy, but the depth is what is essential here. And guess what? This offensive line isn’t fully healthy, and we’re not sure when it will be. If every offensive lineman on the Eagles was healthy enough to play Week One tomorrow, then ‘Big V’ could potentially be on the move sooner than later.

Since that’s not the case, though, it feels like Vaitai won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.

Big V’s status will depend on Brandon Brooks’ injury

At this point, the Eagles don’t have Brandon Brooks fully back in the mix quite yet. While he is getting some light work in at training camp, his Achilles has not yet fully healed, giving him the go to fully participate. With the regular season kicking off in three weeks, that’s slightly alarming.

The goal for Brooks is to get back by week one, but that’s far from a guarantee. Therefore, the Eagles need their reinforcements to remain on board. And the reinforcement just so happens to be Big V. Over the last few years, Big V played the role of a backup tackle.

Now, the big man is learning the game on the inside and has easily become one of the Eagles’ most versatile big men in the trenches. Nobody expected any sort of emergence on the inside, but Big V is having a solid training camp/preseason.

As Houston could probably use Vaitai, the veteran lineman’s value is most likely higher in the eyes of Philadelphia than it is anywhere else. Since the Eagles could use the new backup guard for early on in the regular season, there’s a good chance he probably won’t be going anywhere.