The NFL trade deadline is a week away and there is growing speculation that the Philadelphia Eagles will be trying to upgrade their roster. On Sunday, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reported that Philly has monitored the running back trade market for weeks.
However, that is not the only position the Eagles’ front office has their eyes on. La Canfora also mentioned that they are looking to see if a cornerback will be available at the right price.
One cornerback who will be highly sought after is Patrick Peterson of the Arizona Cardinals. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the veteran cornerback has requested a trade out of Arizona by next week’s deadline.
Schefter said that Peterson feels as if things in Arizona have deteriorated and he has reaffirmed to others that he “desperately” wants out.
Then to add more intrigue to this latest news, Bryant McFadden, who is a former NFL cornerback and Peterson’s cousin reported on Monday that the Eagles, Saints, and New England Patriots are all interested in trading for the Pro Bowl cornerback.
But it seems as if the Saints have dropped out of the Patrick Peterson sweepstakes as they reportedly acquired New York Giants cornerback Eli Apple on Tuesday.
Last week, La Canfora reported that the Cardinals could be active at the deadline and would be willing to move the All-Pro cornerback. But as Schefter pointed out in his report, Arizona’s front office is insisting that they will not move the top-tier corner.
It does not come as a surprise that Peterson wants out of Arizona, as this season has been a disaster. The Cardinals are 1-6 after an embarrassing 45-10 loss to the Denver Broncos last week and look destined for a top-5 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Therefore, it would be in their best interest to trade the 28-year-old Peterson, who is still playing at a high level and recoup picks. This is where the Eagles come into play.
Philly’s secondary has been a huge topic of discussion this season due to their lackluster performances. While they did not get beat over the top for big plays in last Sunday’s fourth-quarter collapse against the Carolina Panthers, they did get beat on double moves, which has been a consistent theme.
In addition to their miscues, it also does not help when you have defensive coordinator such as Jim Schwartz who refuses to blitz. With Schwartz not blitzing, it leaves his cornerbacks on an island and forces themselves to defend for an extended period of time.
As currently constructed, the Eagles do not have a single cornerback on their roster that they can leave confidently by themselves on a one-on-one matchup with an opposing team’s top wide receiver.
Second-year player Sidney Jones could be that guy in the near future, but right now he is banged up and manning the slot. If the Eagles were to acquire Peterson, they could put him on one side of the field, playing opposite of Ronald Darby.
On paper, that looks like a formidable outside combination with Jones playing as the nickel back and Mills moving to safety. Even though this hypothetical secondary combination sounds great, one does wonder what it would take to get Peterson?
If you are Eagles executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman, you might have to part ways with a Rasul Douglas or Jalen Mills plus a couple of draft picks to get the All-Pro cornerback.
It would be a risky move to make because Philly probably does not want to deplete their talent pool in the secondary. But for a great player such as Peterson, who the Eagles would have under contract for two more seasons at a reasonable price ($11M in 2019, $12M in 2020) it would be worth it.
