Potential Eagles Trade Candidates Before Week 1
Preseason Week 4 looms closer by the minute, and with it come the final roster cuts resulting in the 53-man roster that will represent the Midnight Green throughout the season.
At this time, the Eagles are so incredibly deep in so many spots that a few or maybe more quality players will end up getting cut or traded. GM Howie Roseman is known for his aggressiveness in the trade market, and he should receive a lot of calls in the coming days. Below are some of the players that might get dealt, along with destinations that would make sense for them.
OL Halapoulivaati Vaitai
Big V has made a seamless transition from swing tackle to right guard this offseason, and his market value should be at its peak right now, as quality offensive line depth is just not that easy to find in today’s NFL. As a quality, a versatile lineman with Super Bowl experience and ability to play three or four of five spots, Vaitai has all the tools to be a starter in the NFL and would be a sensible addition to any team. As for compensation, he could go for as high as a second-round pick, given the scarce market.
Possible destinations include the Texans and Chargers, two playoff-hopeful teams with glaring needs upfront.
WR Nelson Agholor
This has been rumored for a very long time, especially after a somewhat disappointing 2018 season for the former first-round pick. Couple that with strong offseasons from veteran DeSean Jackson and rookie JJ Arcega-Whiteside, and Agholor just might be the odd man out. The counterpoint to that is the fact that the Eagles usually keep 5-6 receivers in the roster, so it’s a real possibility that no big-name WR gets dealt. In case someone does, it’ll probably be Agholor, and being a young and talented player yet to reach his prime, he should command at least a 4th-rounder, or something in that range, in a trade.
Possible suitors could be the Seahawks, a playoff-caliber team in dire need of receiver help; the Dolphins, who boast a very bare cupboard of weapons for either Ryan Fitzpatrick or Josh Rosen to play with; or even a team like the Packers, who have a very young WR corps, of which none are true slot guys.
RB Wendell Smallwood
Smallwood has been very up-and-down throughout his tenure with the Birds but, as a proven runner still with fresh legs (as result of the committee approach employed by the team) he could garner interest from teams in need of another complementary piece to their stable of runners. The fact that the Eagles currently hold four RBs nearly locked into the roster – Corey Clement, Jordan Howard, Miles Sanders, Darren Sproles – make it unlikely for Smallwood to make the cut. His trade value shouldn’t be very high, though, with the cost being probably no more than a late-round pick, perhaps even a conditional one.
The Texans could very well be a trade partner here as well, along with teams like the Falcons, who could use someone to play reliever for Devonta Freeman every now and then.
T Jordan Mailata
Mailata is a long shot to get traded, as the team seems to really like him, and he has looked nice as a right tackle in preseason games. However, the potential he’s shown so far, along with his size and the simple dearth of line talent throughout the league could make him enticing for the desperate teams. To persuade the Eagles to give him away, a team would likely have to give up quite a bit, more than what your usual 7th-rounder with no previous football experience would command.
His possible suitors would be the same as Big V’s, but going for potential instead of production.
Featured Image: Bill Streicher/USA Today Sports
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