An argument supporting an Eagles trade for Jadeveon Clowney

Here’s an actual reason why the Philadelphia Eagles should seriously consider acquiring Jadeveon Clowney to help better their Super Bowl chances.

Trading for a defensive end is a sure-fire way for the Philadelphia Eagles to make sure they have an elite pass rush this season, a theory that some NFL pundits have already expressed. Still, as ITI’s own Geoffrey Knox pointed out in a recent story on one NFL writer’s proposal for an all-time bad trade, trading Lane Johnson for Jadeveon Clowney is foolish indeed.

Any logical Eagles fan would second the notion to kill that trade, but there is a scenario in which an offer for Clowney as a rental might be doable and acceptable.

Derek Barnett or Brandon Graham could be a great duo at defensive end. Then again, either one of them could get hurt, and that would leave the Eagles with Vinny Curry and some unproven defensive ends as the guys for the rest of the season or as part of a playoff push.

Considering the number of injuries the Eagles have had to overcome over the past two seasons this is a huge risk. Philly’s already lost one of their standouts of the offseason and training camp, Joe Ostman for the season.

They’ll need a reliable defensive end like Clowney (when he’s motivated) that can attack from anywhere on the defensive front. Clowney can do that with hands in the dirt or if he’s rushing from a standing position,  which is something the Eagles made two roster moves to find after Ostman went down.

This is only possible if the Houston Texans are committed to filling their needs and view the Eagles as their best answer.  The Eagles have two tackles in Halapoulivaati Vaitai and Jordan Mailata, either one would be able to start for the Texans right away.  Supply and demand are in the Eagles favor especially with the emergence of Daeshon Hall.

Seeing the Texans move Clowney in an inexpensive trade for the other team involved is possible, even if there is a small chance of that happening.  The Eagles already have their long-term answers at defensive end, so renting an elite defensive end is a guaranteed way to make sure their line lives up to the hype. With Clowney on the Eagles, there would be nothing to prevent the Eagles from having one of the most dominant defensive lines and reaching the Super Bowl!