Eagles Rumors: Can a trade for Jeremy Chinn save the crumbling secondary?

The Eagles suffered a big upset loss against the once-lowly Jets on Sunday but that wasn’t the biggest hit against them. The bigger hit landed in the secondary before and during the game. Before playing the Jets, the Eagles announced that Darius Slay would miss the game due to a knee issue and Justin Evans would be placed on IR on top of Sydney Brown being ruled out.

Taking the place of Slay was the Eagles UDFA sensation Eli Ricks. Ricks, unfortunately, suffered a knee injury during the game as well in the wasteland that they call Met Life. Following that injury was an even bigger blow to a depleted unit, Reed Blankenship was leveled on a “pick” by Jets WR Allen Lazard. 

Blankenship left the game with a rib injury and never returned. The main concern right now is that this secondary has one too many question marks and at 5-1 the Eagles need to find answers. Their answer may be in an old archive that was put away after the 2020 NFL draft.

Eagles turning back the clock?

When the Eagles pick drew near in the second round, the team’s brass was torn on selecting either Jalen Hurts or Jeremy Chinn. While the selection may have panned out for Philadelphia, it doesn’t seem like it’s going well for the Carolina Panthers.

Jeremy Chinn has been incorrectly used and could need a change of scenery. The rumors out of Carolina are spreading like wildfire that Chinn is definitely up for sale. Philadelphia could find themselves with a unique weapon if they were to go after Jeremy Chinn. There are already rumors circulating that the team is expected to inquire about him but rumors are just rumors until the truth is revealed.

During his time with the Panthers so far, Chin has played safety and linebacker for them. He’s done well in coverage as a safety but struggled a bit in the linebacker role. This season, Chinn is allowing a completion percentage of only 50% with only 71 yards allowed. Usually, that would be impressive but he isn’t in a full-time role in Carolina which has led many to believe that he’s on the trade block.

Chinn has only played 55% of the defensive snaps for the Panthers this season and 30% of the snaps on special teams. The Eagles could use his services and help revive his young career. But what would a player of his caliber cost?

Last offseason the Eagles traded a 2024 5th-round pick and the latter of two 2024 sixth-round picks for C.J. Gardner-Johnson and a 2025 seventh-round pick. At that point, Gardner-Johnson was an integral part for Saints defense but he was in line for a big payday in which he didn’t get from Philly.

Jeremy Chinn is on the opposite side of that. He’s very much on the outs of the defense and the team has no idea what to do with him. Over the offseason, the Panthers DC and coaching staff were gushing over the versatility that Chinn brought to their defense. Unfortunately, it looks like they may have run into a roadblock on how to use him. 

Chinn is very talented and he could honestly be the fingerprint that Desai needs for his secondary. Gardner-Johnson strongly helped Gannon’s secondary last season and was a big part of their success. Could Chinn offer the same to Sean Desai? If the Eagles were to make a move for him then I wouldn’t be surprised if it cost them two picks.

If I’m the Eagles, then I’m calling Carolina with the same hand that I called the Saints with. Offer a 5th-round pick in addition to the Titans’ 6th (or Eagles, depending on which one is better after the season) for a player that you can extend on a cheap deal after the season.