Howie Roseman did something kind of surprising on Tuesday: Nothing.
The NFL’s 4 p.m. trade deadline came and went on Tuesday afternoon without the Eagles’ general manager making a move.
This is an obvious departure from recent seasons. Roseman had pulled off trades in each of the last three years just before the deadline:
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2017: Acquired Jay Ajayi for 2018 fourth-round pick
2018: Acquired Golden Tate for 2019 third-round pick
2019: Acquired Genard Avery for 2021 fourth-round pick
Just because Roseman didn’t pull off a trade this year, it doesn’t mean he didn’t try. He’s always an aggressive GM and this year he was likely interested in both acquiring talent and trading away players.
NFL
The Eagles have reportedly been trying to trade Alshon Jeffery for over a year so it was no surprise to hear he was reportedly available again. Of course the Eagles would have loved to dump Jeffery and his bloated salary but there were no takers for a 30-year-old injured receiver coming off a Lisfranc surgery after already showing signs of decline.
Then we also heard that Will Parks’ was on the trade block as well. Sports Illustrated first reported that and a league source confirmed it to NBC Sports Philadelphia. Parks signed a one-year deal to join his hometown team this offseason but missed the beginning of the season with a hamstring injury and hasn’t played a significant role on defense since his return. There were some phone calls about him. But he’ll remain with the Eagles.
Two other players whom the Eagles would have been willing to trade were Zach Ertz and DeSean Jackson, who are both hurt and on IR and therefore not tradeable. There’s a chance the Eagles will try to deal Ertz before the 2021 season, the final year of his contract, if they can’t get an extension worked out.
Aside from keeping those guys on the team, this silent trade deadline also means if the Eagles are going to win the NFC East title, they’re going to do it with the guys they have.
Even if the Eagles traded for a player at the deadline, it likely would have been a guy on a rookie contract with years left. The Eagles just aren’t in a position right now to give away draft picks for rental players.
The Eagles are 3-4-1 at their bye week but in first place of the laughingstock division. Coming out of the bye, the Eagles are expected to have a couple significant pieces (Lane Johnson, Miles Sanders) returning from injury, so that will be like a boost without a move.
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