Here's a shocker: the Eagles are being repeatedly linked to a big-name football player who would like to be traded.
Because of Howie Roseman's penchant for trades, because Eagles fans are rabid, and because the team's current running back room could stand a bit of a boost, the buzz about Browns running back Kareem Hunt's desire for a fresh start elsewhere caught the attention of Birds fans when it first surfaced earlier this month.
Then noted Eagles beat reporter Jimmy Kempski wrote an article explaining why the Eagles would be wise to trade for Hunt at PhillyVoice.
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And then Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni was photographed speaking with Hunt during the Birds' joint practices with the Browns last week in Berea, Ohio:
Throw all of this in a 2022-speed internet blender and voilà: Kareem Hunt you are a Philadelphia Eagle.
Right?
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Well, maybe not. ESPN mega-insider Adam Schefter jumped on 97.5 The Fanatic on Wednesday for his weekly appearance and was asked about the Eagles' interest in beefing up the RB position.
Here's how Schefter sees things:
"LYNCH: Have you heard anything about the Eagles looking to add a little bit to their running back room?
"SCHEFTER: Not specifically, not at this time. That doesn't mean that they won't, right? But I've not heard that they're making this push to go land some running back or anything like that. I bet you they still probably feel pretty good about their backfield right now. You'll look, you'll review what's out there just to see. But I haven't heard that they're knocking on doors to go and try to get Kareem Hunt in Cleveland, for example. I wouldn't see the Eagles as a team that would be interested in him, despite the fact that he has expressed his desire to move on from Cleveland."
Got it. I've heard enough of these reports from Schefter to know that he always tosses in the "that doesn't mean that they won't" bit to give himself a safety net, but 99 times out of 100 if he says a team isn't interested in something right now, they're just not.
So as much as a Hunt trade might make sense on paper, I wouldn't turn on tweet notifications.
If you're a fan who hasn't been breathlessly following the Eagles' training camp and preseason news, you might be asking: Why does it make sense on paper? Sure Hunt is a good player, but the Eagles have three running backs who fans felt fairly good about last year, right?
Miles Sanders is hurt (again). Kenneth Gainwell's second training camp and preseason has been... underwhelming, to say the least. And as much as folks love Boston Scott, the Eagles only play the Giants twice per year.
So yeah, they could use some help - some juice, if you will - at running back.
And Hunt's numbers last year, even in an injury-addled season, were pretty solid. He's a career 4.6 yards/carry guy, he's extremely productive in the passing game, and he's only 27. Oh - and his contract is up after this year, so if it's not a fit he's gone anyway.
(There are also very good off-field reasons to say no to a Hunt trade, in the same way many Eagles fans did not want a Deshaun Watson deal this past offseason.)
But for right now at least, it doesn't sound like the Eagles are in on Hunt the way it has sounded on social media.
Perhaps that changes at the trade deadline if the Browns are floundering with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback while the Eagles have lived up to the hype and want to go all-in.
We'll see.