2 intriguing Eagles trades: Jalen Reagor is out, Kareem Hunt is in

The announcement came with no warning. The name of the man added was a bit of a surprise… to some. Our staff at Inside The Iggles named Jaquiski Tartt as the best safety option available in free agency after Tyrann Mathieu was officially off of the table, but there was seemingly no interest from the Philadelphia Eagles‘ direction.

Apparently, we were wrong. Philly announced that they were inking Tartt to a one-year deal on June 17th, and based on recent history and the way they’ve gone about their business, no one should be shocked. They’ve been known to add to their secondary post-draft.

In 2017, they traded wide receiver Jordan Matthews and a third-round draft selection in 2018 to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for cornerback Ronald Darby. In 2019, they signed Orlando Scandrick to a one-year deal on July 27th before trading defensive Bruce Hector to the Arizona Cardinals for safety Rudy Ford on August 22nd.

In 2021, there was the surprising trade that brought Darius Slay to town, but they made that one early. That was a March 19th deal. 2021 saw the return to the familiar business model (signing secondary players in the summer). They added Steven Nelson via a one-year deal on July 25th.

All that’s been said to say this. Philly’s always tweaking the roster, and no one should be shocked if they make a few more moves. Recently, Bleacher Report’s Ian Wharton offered a couple of suggestions, and to his credit, he was able to come up with two very good ideas.

The Eagles add Kareem Hunt and finally find a way to ship Jalen Reagor off in two intriguing trade scenarios.

If you’re like most Eagles fans, you’ve been disappointed by what Philly has gotten out of their 2020 first-round draft choice, Jalen Reagor. The word ‘trade’ has been thrown around quite a bit whenever he’s been mentioned… never by the team but often enough to make exploring a few theories worthwhile.

In his take on one trade every NFL team should make before training camp, Reagor gets his walking papers as the Atlanta Falcons come calling. Here’s an excerpt.

"Wide receiver Jalen Reagor wasn’t considered a massive reach at 21st in the 2020 NFL draft class, but it’s clear he had no business being in the first-round mix with hindsight…He’s failed at major aspects of the receiver position since entering the league from TCU. His route-running isn’t sharp, he struggles to finish through contact, and quarterback Jalen Hurts has been unable to find Reagor deep when he does shake free of coverage.With only 695 yards and three touchdowns through 28 games and 24 starts, the Eagles have all but moved on already. Their trade and extension of A.J. Brown just one year after drafting DeVonta Smith have pushed Reagor down the depth chart where special teamers reside.Barring a stunning leap of development, the Eagles would be better off saving the $1.8 million of his $3.6 million cap hit in 2022 than giving him another chance."

Philly gets a sixth-round draft choice in 2023 for their trouble. Believe it or not, we believe they can get a higher draft choice. Teams can always be tricked into overspending on former first-rounders at least once, but that’s another story for another day though.

We’re just tossing out ideas, and here’s another one that makes a little sense. As does a theory that brings Kareem Hunt to town. Wharton sees the Eagles giving up Andre Dillard and a 2023 sixth-round pick to Cleveland to get a deal done. Here’s some of what he said on that front.

"Cleveland would save his entire $6.25 million salary in a trade, an out that was clearly in mind when the team signed Hunt to an extension in 2020… He’s stuck behind Nick Chubb, though, and the emergence of D’Ernest Johnson makes Hunt expendable despite his talent.The Eagles are the premier landing spot for Hunt. Though he’d split time with starter Miles Sanders, Hunt would enter an offense that is run-heavy and creative enough to utilize him in various roles. Hunt’s power would complement Sanders’ slashing style well, and he could be another receiving threat for Jalen Hurts."

It probably wouldn’t take too much to get Birds fans on board with that one. Sure, there’s a desire in this fan base that the team adds a sledgehammer, a workhorse type that can chew up yards late and pick up tough yards on third down and in the red zone (if they feel that undrafted rookie Kennedy Brooks can’t be that guy). Still a talent like Hunt is hard to ignore.

The Eagles have shown a penchant for shuffling their roster early, late, and without warning. Might they entertain trade offers for Reagor or be in the market for a talented difference-maker that doesn’t play in the secondary? Only time will tell.

July approaches, and so does the start of training camp. Something tells us that Howie Roseman is working the phone lines.