NFL Rumors: Eagles may pursue Deshaun Watson after playoff loss
The Philadelphia Eagles suffered a tough loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round. Tom Brady's squad jumped out to a 31-0 lead and Jalen Hurts was forced to throw the ball 43 times.
He only had 23 completions, and the offense was limited to 95 rushing yards on 17 attempts. That has rumors quickly spreading about a potential upgrade at quarterback in 2022.
One potential option is Deshaun Watson, as noted by NFL insider Charles Robinson.
Jalen Hurts has had his moments. But let’s be real, there’s no way the #Eagles wouldn’t sniff around Deshaun Watson again if all the factors were right. No way Howie Roseman, who explores pretty much everything anyway, just walks away from this season saying “nah, we’re good”.
Hurts is still young and was able to lead his team to the postseason. But Robinson is right in saying it would be shocking if the team didn't at least look into a Watson trade.
Could the Eagles swing a trade for Deshaun Watson?
The Eagles are one of the few teams in the NFL that could actually give the Texans what they want. That comes in the form of three first-round draft picks this year alone.
The #Eagles three first-round picks are now officially slotted: They have No. 15 (via MIA), No. 16 (via IND) and No. 19.
Now it's likely the Texans may not want all three picks to be in the same year. Still, Philadelphia has rare draft capital that could allow them to swing a blockbuster trade this year. Having three first-round picks in one year is not always ideal from a financial standpoint. That means three players could be due for massive extensions all at the same time.
Meanwhile, Hurts' passing abilities have been called into question all season. He had 3,144 passing yards in the regular season and it was not rare for him to not even eclipse 200 yards in a game. What benefitted him was head coach Nick Sirianni embracing the run game in the latter half of the season.
But he was exposed against the Buccaneers as he was forced to throw early and often as he and his squad fell into a quick deficit. It is important to note that Hurts has now started a total of 20 games in his NFL career.
"Definitely coming back hungry." - @JalenHurts https://t.co/6MJiXiZf0D
Yet it is also fair to note that few teams have the kind of draft capital the Eagles have right now. They already saw former No. 2 overall pick Carson Wentz flame out after a hot start to his career. Hurts has played well, but has not inspired anyone in Philadelphia to declare him the franchise quarterback.
We know the organization has the draft picks to make a trade for Deshaun Watson. But do they need to do this? As Watson's situation is a complex one because of his legal issues. That could mean Philadelphia could decide to be in on any potential talks for Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson too.
The amount of draft capital that the Eagles possess means they will be linked to all the top quarterbacks available this offseason. If Watson is cleared and does not face any NFL disciplinary action, the connection to Philadelphia will only grow leading up to the draft.
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