It makes so much sense and it’s so much of a natural fit that it’s scary. Depending on what state of mind you’re in, you’re probably checking your Twitter feed every hour on the hour to see if there are any updates, or you’ve already added Jessie Bates to the Philadelphia Eagles roster in your franchise mode on EA’s Madden NFL 22 game.
Seemingly, whenever an NFL star on another roster determines that he’s interested in a change of scenery, it’s become customary that memes are posted and stories are published about the chances of said star finding his way to the City of Brotherly Love. Some of you have grown weary of that.
It’s understandable why you would be. No one wants to get their hopes up and see those theories lead to nothing (again), but here’s why those stories are important… and why they’ll continue to be published whether you want to see them or not.
You can best believe that Howie Roseman and the Eagles’ leadership structure are having the same conversations about those players. Plus, all rumors aren’t created equal.
We know the Cincinnati Bengals and Jessie Bates have had difficulty in hammering out an extension. We also know that Philly has a need at safety and that Bates, one of the best young players in the biz at safety, would satisfy that need not only now but also for years to come.
If there’s a way to pull this off, everyone would be ecstatic, and recently, a trusted source for Eagles-related content offered an idea on how this could be pulled off.
Jimmy Kempski of the Philly Voice has an idea that could make the Eagles and Bengals happy.
We haven’t had the opportunity to sit in on a Bengals front office or coaches meeting, but we can almost guarantee you that we know what they’re talking about. That Joe Burrow guy is pretty good, but if they don’t find a way to protect him, he won’t play long.
Cincy’s inability to keep Joe upright may have cost them their first Super Bowl win in franchise history. Going forward, the Bengals may have a team to compete for years to become, but they won’t if Burrow continues to take a beating.
Jimmy Kempski of the Philly Voice has an idea. In a recent trade proposal that he cooked up, the Birds help the Bengals out by giving draft capital and a talented offensive lineman. Cincinnati would, in turn, send the 2020 Second-Team All-Pro to the City of Brotherly Love.
Here’s some of the theory, straight from the source.
"Would a second-round pick and, saaayyyy, a versatile starting guard in Isaac Seumalo appease Cincinnati? I think that’s a deal the Eagles would do. They likely would not part with either of their 2023 first-round picks, which are clearly earmarked for quarterback insurance in case Jalen Hurts doesn’t make substantial improvements in 2022."
It can be argued that Cincy’s asking price could be higher. Still, if things work out as Kempski suggests, no one would complain.
Just in case you’re interested, the Eagles currently have about $4,059,840 in cap space, according to Spotrac, if you base things off of the top 51 contracts on their roster (The NFL PLayer’s Association’s daily report says they have $10,841,232 in cap space).
Bates has racked up 408 total tackles (289 were solo), ten interceptions, 35 pass breakups, and two forced fumbles in 63 career regular-season games. He added another 20 tackles, six pass breakups, and two interceptions during the Bengals’ march to the Super Bowl.
He has plenty of tread left on the tire. He’s only 25 years old. If the Eagles pulled this off, this would be the defensive equivalent of adding A.J. Brown. Something tells us that Howie Roseman already knows that. Let’s hope some good news comes sooner rather than later.