NFL Rumors: 3 Players Eagles should part ways with before the 2021 NFL trade deadline
The Philadelphia Eagles are the power players of the 2022 NFL draft. After trading veteran tight end Zach Ertz to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for cornerback Tay Gowan and a fifth-round pick, they added another piece of draft collateral to their 2022 war chest.
Eagles GM Howie Roseman had already collected the Miami Dolphins' 2022 first-round pick when the Dolphins traded up six spots in the 2021 draft to take wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.
Philadelphia will add the Indianapolis Colts' 2022 first-round pick to their collection should their former QB Carson Wentz play 75% of snaps this season. If Wentz plays fewer, they will still get a second-round selection.
#Eagles 2022 draft picks:
1st round - 3 (PHI, MIA, IND)
2nd round - 1
3rd round - 1
4th round - 1
5th round - 3 (PHI, WFT, ARI)
6th round - 1
7th round - 0
10 total picks and plenty of cap space to load the roster up 🙌🏼
As it stands, considering the current projected draft order, the Eagles would have the fifth, sixth, and 10th overall picks in the 2022 draft, and they have ten picks in total. They control the draft board and could gain even more draft leverage or some key pieces for their roster if they traded away the following three players before the trade deadline.
Three players the Eagles should consider trading away
#1 – Jalen Reagor, WR
Five games into year two of the Jalen Reagor experience, there isn't much to suggest that the wide receiver will become a top player for the Eagles. 2020 sixth-round pick Quez Watkins is turning heads every week and becoming a more significant part of the offense.
Great catch by Quez Watkins on the tipped ball. Give me more Quez, less Reagor.
If the Eagles trade Reagor away now, they can still get some value for him. He ranks 97th in PFF grade among wide receivers, while Watkins is the team's highest-graded receiver at 25th. The Eagles cannot let Reagor become the next Nelson Agholor. They need to let Watkins fly with the starters now.
#2 – Derek Barnett, EDGE
The Eagles exercised their fifth-year option on Derek Barnett in the offseason, and the defensive end will be an unrestricted free agent in 2022. While the 25-year-old has been impactful, the franchise must decide if he is worth a bumper contract.
Barnett is another player the Eagles could recover some substantial value for in a trade. The emergence of 2018 fourth-round pick Josh Sweat and veteran Ryan Kerrigan's impressive displays make this an easier decision for the Eagles. If Philadelphia can recoup something for Barnett, sixth-round rookie Tarron Jackson will have more opportunities to impress on the Eagles' fearsome interior.
#3 – Joe Flacco or Gardner Minshew, QB
It might be tricky for the Eagles to get a lot of value from one of their veteran quarterbacks, but having both Joe Flacco and Gardner Minshew is unnecessary.
Minshew was inactive for Week 5, and it seems like he was only acquired as a trade piece. If a starting quarterback goes down for a playoff-contending team, it could pay dividends to have a reliable veteran available.
Now that the Eagles have a better idea of what they have in quarterback Jalen Hurts, there's no need to keep Flacco and Minshew rostered.