The NFL trade deadline came and went for the Philadelphia Eagles, with the lone move in the days leading up to the deadline being the departure of Jordan Davis.
Surprising? Not really, it’s hard to sell players off in the NFL — even for a team with a 2-7 record.
It’s even harder to negotiate with a general manager like Howie Roseman, a savant at holding onto his players until he can deal them at the right price. See Davis and Cam Jurgens, the other in-season deal the Eagles made prior to the deadline that some seem to (already) forget about.
The Eagles got a 2027 first-round pick, 2027 fifth-round pick, 2028 second-round pick, and 2029 second-round pick for Jurgens and Davis — two players drafted in 2022 that clearly weren’t going to be part of the next era of Eagles football.
Philadelphia also gave up a 2027 seventh-round pick in the Jurgens deal, and almost recouped a higher pick if the Arnold Ebiketie deal didn’t fall through. Add in the 2028 first-round pick and 2027 fifth-round pick in the A.J. Brown deal five months ago and the Eagles are set for the future.
The Eagles have a massive haul of draft picks coming their way over the next three years in the first three rounds — 13 in total.
- Two first-round picks in 2027 (own and Jaguars), two first-round picks in 2028 (own and Patriots), first-round pick in 2029 (own)
- Second-round pick in 2027 (own), two second-round picks in 2028 (own and Ravens), two second-round picks in 2029 (own and Jaguars)
- Third-round pick in 2027 (projected compensatory), third-round pick in 2028 (own), third-round pick in 2029 (own)
That’s a lot of draft capital to work for a team that still has a roster with talented players. Roseman saw the core pieces of the next era of Eagles football, enough where he stocked the cupboard with draft picks for a retool.
Roseman has done this in the past with veteran players with big contracts. He dealt away Kiko Alonso and Byron Maxwell in 2016, Carson Wentz in 2021, along with Brown, Jurgens, and Davis in 2026.
The Eagles general manager has done this before, and Super Bowl appearances have come shortly after.
This isn’t a rebuild for the Eagles. Not even close.
Roseman won’t be using all those picks
Just because the Eagles have 10 draft picks in the first two rounds over the next three seasons (13 in the first three rounds in that span), doesn’t mean Roseman will use them all.
Draft picks are assets to Roseman. He will use that draft capital to be aggressive for either a premium player or to move up in the first round. He certainly has the ammunition to make a bold move.
Look at where the Eagles currently stand in the 2027 draft. Their own pick is currently slated to be in the top-5 (per Tankathon) while the Jaguars’ pick is currently 25th. That 25th pick certainly has value to move up in the top-5 and get one of the special players in this draft.
The Eagles could walk away from the first round of the 2027 draft with Colin Simmons, Jeremiah Smith, or Jordan Seaton. Add one of those players to the star-studded core the Eagles already have and they’ll be in excellent shape for 2027.
Oh, and they’ll still have two first-round picks in 2028 with two second-round picks in 2028 and 2029.
Roseman has a history of being aggressive with draft capital. Look at the 2022 draft when the Eagles had three first-round picks.
The Eagles had their own first-round pick, the first-round pick from the Carson Wentz trade (Colts) and the first-round pick from the swapping of first-round picks from the 2021 draft with the Dolphins. In total, the Eagles had three picks in the teens (No. 15, No. 16 and No. 19).
Roseman swapped picks with the Saints, trading No. 16 and No. 19 to the Saints. The highlight of what the Eagles received in the deal was the Saints’ first-round pick (No. 18), a 2023 first-round pick, and a 2024 second-round pick. The Eagles used that draft capital to get A.J. Brown (No. 18 pick), Jalen Carter (2023 first-round pick), and Cooper DeJean (2024 second-round pick) through other maneuvers from Roseman centered around those picks.
Having a lot of premium draft picks can set the Eagles up for teh future, while also winning games in the present.
The Eagles still have a core of good players
The 2-7 record is what it is, and a lot of the Eagles’ stars have not played up to their potential. With that being said, why can’t the core of star players have bounce-back seasons in 2027?
The Eagles still have a core in place of Jalen Hurts, Jalen Carter, Quinyon Mitchell, DeVonta Smith, Jordan Mailata, Saquon Barkley, Cooper DeJean, Jonathan Greenard, and Zack Baun. They also have good players in Nolan Smith, Moro Ojomo, Jalyx Hunt, and Dontayvion Wicks to build around.
Add in another premier player in the 2027 draft (or two) and develop young players like Jihaad Campbell and Makai Lemon — things can turn around quickly. Who knows? Maybe Markel Bell, Eli Stowers, and Andrew Mukuba improve too.
Hunt isn’t going to have a year like this one in 2027, and neither will Greenard if he’s healthy. The same goes for DeJean.
Also important to remember the Eagles offense is currently on their QB5 (Joe Milton), RB7 (Elijah Mitchell), a very limited Barkley, their WR3 (Lemon), WR4 (Darius Cooper), and WR5 (Hollywood Brown) heading into the bye week. That cast won’t be the offense in 2027.
Even with likely coaching changes across the board, the Eagles still have a core in place to win in 2027 and 2028. There’s uncertainty at a few positions (mainly Hurts’ health and the offensive line), but the talent is there for a quick turnaround.
History is on Roseman’s side
Since Roseman retook the Executive Vice President of Football Operations role from Chip Kelly in 2015, the Eagles have made quick turnarounds from seasons that signaled a lengthy rebuild.
Rebuilds never happen with the Eagles, just retooling of the roster.
The Eagles finished 7-9 in 2015. Roseman took over at the end of that season, hired Doug Pederson in 2016 and went 7-9 with a makeshift roster. Thanks to a strong offseason, the Eagles went 13-3 and won their first Super Bowl title just two seasons after that 7-9 campaign in 2015.
The Eagles went 4-11-1 in 2020, and Roseman traded franchise quarterback Carson Wentz and gave the reigns to Jalen Hurts. He also fired Doug Pederson and hired Nick Sirianni in that same offseason. Philadelphia went 9-8 and make the playoffs in 2021, then went 14-3 to win the NFC Championship in 2022 and made Super Bowl LVII.
Philadelphia won the Super Bowl two years later.
Even before Roseman, the Eagles have had quick turnarounds. Here’s how the Eagles responded from every losing season this century.
- 1999: 5-11 (11-5 in 2000, made playoffs)
- 2005: 6-10 (10-6 in 2006, won NFC East)
- 2012: 4-11-1 (10-6 in 2013, won NFC East)
- 2015: 7-9 (7-9 in 2016, missed playoffs)
- 2016: 7-9 (13-3 in 2017, won Super Bowl)
- 2020: 4-11-1 (9-8 in 2021, made playoffs)
The Eagles have the structure in place to make a quick turnaround again. This is why they didn’t sell off more players at the deadline.
The front office and power structure are in place to turn the franchise around quickly. Even with a few subpar drafts by Roseman that lacked instant impact players, it’s hard to ignore the impact of the 2021-2024 draft classes and how vital they were to the greatest era of football in Eagles history.
Roseman has earned the benefit of the doubt. He’s done this before on multiple occasions.
Why can’t he do it again? Especially with more draft capital and a talented core already in place.
