When it comes to what the Philadelphia Eagles will do with trades in the offseason, wide receiver A.J. Brown is the top name that comes up, but will they target any specific players?
There are some glaring needs for the Eagles as they look to build for the future. Some of the key positions that need help are at wide receiver, CB2, edge, and potentially depth on the offensive line.
While the hints from Eagles general manager Howie Roseman have been more geared towards being aggressive in the draft, they have roughly $20 million in salary cap space, so there isn't much wiggle room. That could leave Philly in a situation where, if they needed to make a trade, it might have to be for cheaper role players.
Eagles suggested three names to target for trades in the offseason
Bleacher Report writer Alex Ballentine went through every NFL team and named their top three trade targets in the offseason. Ballentine likes the Eagles to first go after Kansas City Chiefs tackle Jawaan Taylor as a potential future replacement for Lane Johnson.
"Right tackle isn't listed as one of the top three needs for the Eagles, but that could change quickly if Lane Johnson retires. He's 35 years old and had his season cut short with a Lisfranc injury, so that's on the table. If that's the case, the Eagles might have to get aggressive in filling his role. Jawaan Taylor's time in Kansas City has not gone as expected. He could become a cap casualty as the Chiefs have the biggest cap space hole to dig themselves out of."
Taylor is not a bad option for the Eagles at right tackle, but he didn't play like a guy who would be a long-term solution. Pro Football Focus gave him a staggeringly low overall grade of 53.3, ranking 80th out of 89 offensive tackles in the NFL. His run blocking grade was a 43.8, ranking second-to-last among tackles.
As for the Eagles' other two trade targets, Ballentine likes wide receivers Quentin Johnston and Dontayvion Wicks as potential replacements for Brown.
"Right now, it's low on the list of priorities, but if A.J. Brown is on the way out then it becomes a position that could be targeted. The Eagles would probably want to avoid targeting an expensive player, but Quentin Johnston could be fairly cheap entering the final year of his rookie contract. Of course, the Eagles could still look to fill their WR3 role even if Brown is staying. With new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion coming in from Green Bay, the Eagles could look to add one of their many talented receivers. Wicks could see an uptick in role by coming to Philly."
Johnston has simply not lived up to expectations of his first-round selection by the Los Angeles Chargers, as he has yet to eclipse 800 yards in a season, but would make a good WR2 or WR3 for the Eagles. Wicks would kind of make more sense since he would be familiar with Mannion's offensive system, but he feels more like a WR3 option.
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While these aren't the worst options for the Eagles to consider, they are better off just building the roster through the draft and only trading Brown away or collecting picks instead of adding players.