The NFL trade deadline is on the horizon and all signs point to the Philadelphia Eagles making a move. However, the question is will be it for a running back, wide receiver, or cornerback?
As we all know, running back is reportedly at the top of their trade list with veteran Jay Ajayi out for the year with a torn ACL. But the trio of Josh Adams, Corey Clement, and Wendell Smallwood have done an admirable job thus far filling in the void.
Therefore, the Eagles might take a back seat on pursuing a running back, despite being reportedly connected to both Le’Veon Bell and LeSean McCoy.
How about cornerback? The Eagles’ secondary has been under intense scrutiny this season for their lackadaisical play.
According to ESPN via NFL Next Gen Stats, Philly’s cornerbacks have given up a ridiculous league-worst 1,410 receiving yards to wideouts along with eight touchdowns.
And then to add more salt to the wound, Jalen Mills, who has been victimized by the big play all season, has allowed a league-high 541 yards in coverage. Those numbers are not a recipe for success and show that the Eagles could use an immediate upgrade.
However, who could they possibly get at a reasonable price with the deadline looming?
With Patrick Peterson releasing a statement saying that he is committed to Arizona on Tuesday, the Eagles may be able to get either New York Giants corner Janoris Jenkins or Oakland Raiders corner Gareon Conley.
According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, there are teams sniffing around Jenkins and Conley. It also helps to mention that both the Giants and Raiders are holding fire sales.
In regards to the Jenkins and New York, the Giants have already shipped off defensive tackle Damon Harrison for a fifth-round pick and cornerback Eli Apple for fourth and seventh round picks.
This means that the Eagles could get Jenkins for a third or fourth-round pick.
But would he be an upgrade over Mills and Darby? Not necessarily. The 30-year-old cornerback only has two interceptions and six pass deflections for a New York defense that is ranked 27th in pass defense DVOA, according to Football Outsiders.
In addition to the minimal production, he is also in the third year of a five-year, $62.5 million contract.
For a team like the Eagles, who are already strapped for cap space. They probably do not want to trade for a cornerback that has a cap hit of $14.7 million over the next two seasons.
However, Philly might be more inclined to give up a third-round pick for Conley. The second-year cornerback has fallen out of favor in Oakland under new head coach Jon Gruden.
The former first-round pick was benched in Oakland’s Week 6 contest against the Seattle Seahawks.
This season, Conley has only played in five games, equaling out to 57.2 percent of defensive snaps. He also has 10 total tackles, six pass deflections and an interception.
Even though he is not a big name, Conley might be worth taking a flyer on. Coming out of Ohio State, he was looked at as a top-15 draft pick before an off the field issue sank his draft stock.
Is he an upgrade over Mills? Maybe. Or what about a potential replacement for Darby? Possibly as he is still on his rookie deal, while Darby is up for a new contract.
Nevertheless, whatever the Eagles decide to do to by next week’s deadline; it needs to be an immediate upgrade at one of those three positions listed.
