It's well known that the Eagles have a tough decision this off-season when it comes to Nick Foles. No, not if they should retain him as the starter, Doug Pederson has already stated that Carson Wentz is the starter next season and beyond.
The decision is whether to pick up his $20 million option, which Foles has to opportunity to buy himself out for $2 million, and try to trade him (there wouldn't be a lack of options for them) or to simply decline his option and let him walk freely.
I recently wrote about the possible landing spots for Foles and also suggested that he should have a say in where he's traded to. If any of those teams, the ones in dire need of adequate quarterback play, are indeed in play for Foles, what could the Eagles get from each team and what could that mean for their 2019 schedule? Let's take a look.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Let's start with the obvious destination.
The Jaguars have long been linked to Foles, even before they hired former Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo as their new offensive coordinator.
Last year around this time, they were one play away from making it to the Super Bowl to face off against the Eagles, but this year was a complete reversion to the Jaguars of old.
Their quarterback play was close to, if not totally, abysmal between Blake Bortle and Cody Kessler. They have an above average, if not top tier, defense led by cornerback Jalen Ramsey and have, one would suspect, plenty of formidable options in the running game between Leonard Fournette, T.J. Yeldon, and Carlos Hyde.
But, two of the aforementioned players, could be had in a trade with the Eagles.
Jalen Ramsey
Jalen Ramsey has been outspoken about numerous topics throughout his short career in the NFL. As one of the premier "trash talkers" in the NFL, he also walks the walk.
Although Ramsey had a statistically worse season than he did in 2017, he still had 65 tackles, three interceptions, and 13 pass breakups in 2018.
He's also apparently on the outs in Jacksonville, as ESPN reporter Adam Schefter stated in November that the team may look to trade him this offseason, something the team denied outright:
https://twitter.com/Jaguars/status/1064192706748985344
But a statement mid-season doesn't necessarily mean it'll hold up beyond February.
Could the Jaguars be intrigued by getting a potential franchise quarterback for another 5-10 years (Foles will be 30 on January 20th) and parting ways with a potential "diva" player? Sure. But as Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP points out, it's unlikely.
But let's just say, hypothetically, this trade goes down. Having Ramsey join Avonte Maddox, Cre'Von LeBlanc, and Malcolm Jenkins in a secondary that will be getting Jalen Mills, Sidney Jones, and possibly Rodney McLeod (free agent) would vault them immediately into the top tier of NFL secondaries.
They also face Mitchell Trubisky, Matthew Stafford, Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins, Tom Brady, Sam Darnold, Russell Wilson, Matt Ryan, Josh Allen, and whomever the Dolphins persuade to be their quarterback (more on that later) for their out of division games. Having Jalen Ramsey on hand for those games could prove essential, especially when the Eagles were ranked 30th in passing yards allowed in 2018.
But the second of the two players that may be had from the Jaguars could be more likely to be traded to the Eagles, and he meets another area of weakness for the team.
Leonard Fournette
Recently, the Jaguars voided the guaranteed money in running back Leonard Fournette's contract. He has since challenged the ruling, but it's becoming increasingly likely that the two will part ways this off-season.
With Carlos Hyde in the fold (T.J. Yeldon is a free agent), the team could find themselves parting ways with Fournette in a deal to get Foles could be their best option.
So how could that help the Eagles in 2019?
The Eagles play seven teams in the bottom half in the NFL in rushing yards allowed in 2018: Buffalo, Washington, Giants, Jets, Green Bay, Atlanta, and Miami. Fournette has a career 3.7 yards per carry average, and that could be helpful against those teams who all allowed 4.2 yards per carry (YPC) or higher.
The Eagles were 28th in the NFL in rushing yards per game with 98.1. Adding a low-risk, high-reward back like Fournette could bring those stats back to the 2017 numbers, where they were third in the league with 132.2 yards per game.
Foles would surely welcome the opportunity to be with a team with a top tier defense and commitment to the running game, which is exactly what he had with the 2017 Eagles. It also wouldn't hurt to move from the cold Northeast to Florida.
Cincinnati Bengals
Marvin Lewis is gone. Did you ever think you'd see that sentence?
Well for the Bengals fan base, it's definitely a welcomed statement.
However, they still have someone there that has been a part of the losing for eight years: Andy Dalton.
To say he's been the main reason for the lack of success there would be irresponsible. He does have four full seasons with a winning record, but those were his first four seasons in the league. In his fifth season, he was 10-3 before missing the rest of the season with a broken thumb (Bengals missed the playoffs that year). Since then, he has gone 6-9-1, 7-9, and 4-6. The Bengals could look to move on from him, as they could cut him with zero dead money and save over $16 million on their cap.
Can the Bengals work a trade out for Foles?
First, let's throw out the idea of the Eagles getting defensive tackle Geno Atkins from them. He has a cap number of $14.6 million and the Bengals would get a cap hit of over $10 million if he's traded.
So don't think about that one. Ok? Great. Let's move on.
Giovani Bernard
A career 4.2 YPC runner, Bernard is also a threat out of the backfield as a receiver. This is a staple of head coach Doug Pederson's offensive philosophy and the Eagles haven't really had a dual-threat running back since LeSean McCoy. Darren Sproles has played that role for the Eagles, but he hasn't averaged more than 28.5 receiving yards per game during his career with the Eagles, and that was in 2016.
Getting a young, 27 years old, running back in a deal where he has one year left on his contract, which could prove to be a big year as he looks for a payday in 2020, is something the Eagles could take a look at when exploring the trade market.
Also, that 4.2 YPC could come in handy versus those teams mentioned on the previous page.
But as I've said in my previous articles, Foles should have a say in where he's traded to, if he does get traded, and this doesn't seem like an organization Foles would want to be a part of.
Miami Dolphins
In keeping with the topic of fan bases looking for a change, I bring you the Miami Dolphins.
Fresh off a 7-9 season, which was still good for second in their division, the Dolphins have yet to replace recently fired, and even more recently hired by the Jets, head coach Adam Gase. (I can see his eyes glaring at me as I type).
Reports have surfaced that the Dolphins are waiting on the Patriots exit from the playoffs, whether it be this weekend or after the Super Bowl, to hire the Patriots' linebackers coach Brian Flores as their new head coach.
If such news is true, this could spell the end of Ryan Tannehill's tenure with the Dolphins. Although stuck with over a $13 million cap hit if Tannehill is cut or traded, the team may find that it's worth the hit to bring in a new leader of the offense.
Who better to bring in than the quarterback who beat Flores' team in last year's Super Bowl? Foles may welcome this idea of moving to Florida (re: Jacksonville) and work with Kenyan Drake, Frank Gore (former Eagles great), and an up and coming defensive unit.
So who can the Eagles pry away? There's really only one option from this team and it's one that was floated around by many media outlets before the trade deadline.
DeVante Parker
Prior to the trade deadline, it was well documented that the Eagles were looking for wide receiver help. Many rumors swirled that Parker would be that guy to head to the Eagles. It obviously never happened, but one could think that this could be revisited.
Parker was visibly unhappy this year with his lack of playing time and had a career-low 309 yards receiving on 24 catches.
The Eagles will possibly have a big need at wide receiver this off-season, as Golden Tate and Mike Wallace are free agents. Nelson Agholor could be cut to save over $9 million in cap room, but a restructure is more possible than a release.
With the Eagles playing four top ten defenses in 2019 in terms of passing, adding another weapon would be wise. Alshon Jeffery, DeVante Parker, Nelson Agholor, and the return of Mack Hollins could be a formidable group, along with whomever they draft in April.
But with the Dolphins leaning towards releasing Parker, it looks like a trade is unlikely.
Denver Broncos
Another destination that Foles may not entertain because of the location, but this is probably the readiest of the aforementioned options to compete.
Yeah the Jaguars have their defense, but if they lose both Fournette and Yeldon, then Hyde won't be enough to sustain their rushing success from years past.
Enter Denver. Incredible defense, may be even better than Jacksonville's, that's led by Von Miller, Chris Harris, and defensive rookie of the year contender Bradley Chubb.
Before I move on, I'm not even going to entertain the idea that 94WIP put out about a hypothetical trade involving Wentz and Miller.
Wentz is not getting traded.
Miller is not getting traded
Alright, let's move on.
New head coach for the Broncos Vic Fangio could look to move on from Case Keenum, whom Denver signed just a year ago. New head coaches usually like to bring in new blood, and Fangio is no stranger to Foles. In case you forgot, Foles and the Eagles beat Fangio and the Bears two weeks ago in the Wild Card Round.
Keenum had a decent year, throwing for over 3800 yards and 18 touchdowns to 15 interceptions, but went 6-10 on the season.
Adding Foles to an offense that features breakout undrafted rookie Phillip Lindsay, and wide receivers Emmanuel Sanders and Courtland Sutton could prove lethal in a division that has Patrick Mahomes, Phillip Rivers, and Derek Carr.
So what could the Broncos entice the Eagles with? A couple names stand out.
Chris Harris
I mentioned Harris previously as one of the leaders of the Broncos defense, but could he really be a piece to dangle in trade talks?
Prior to the trade deadline, the Broncos were rumored to be having a "fire sale", especially after trading longtime Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas to the Houston Texans.
Seeing these rumors, Harris posted this cryptic tweet:
https://twitter.com/ChrisHarrisJr/status/1054040349679640577
He never ended up being traded and ended the season as ProFootballFocus' number three ranked cornerback.
There is a huge need at corner for the Eagles, as explained in the Jaguars section, and Harris would provide an immediate upgrade. However, I do not see the Broncos willing to part with his elite skill set.
Royce Freeman
A third-round pick in 2018, Freeman lost the starting job during training camp to undrafted rookie Phillip Lindsay. This proved to be the right move, as Lindsay had a Pro Bowl caliber year, but Freeman was still very successful.
Freeman averaged 4.0 YPC on only 130 attempts, so he was not used heavily, averaging 9 carries a game. But he wasn't a factor in the passing game, only receiving 14 passes on 20 targets, something I spoke about with Fournette earlier.
If the Eagles are intrigued by Freeman's potential, they may have to pair a late round draft pick with Foles for the Broncos to part with an impact player on a rookie contract. But if they do get it done, they'll be getting a young player who could be a fixture in the Eagles backfield for years. They would also have a leg up on those bottom tier rush defenses that they'll be facing in 2019.
The NFC East Rivals
While as not farfetched as you think, the Eagles will probably not entertain offers from the Washington Redskins or New York Giants.
The Redskins will desperately need a new quarterback for the start, if not all, of the 2019 season as Alex Smith will be rehabbing from a gruesome leg injury. They may also be without backup Colt McCoy as he suffered his own leg injury late in the season. Could the Redskins relive 2010 and trade with the Eagles for a quarterback? Sure, but who can they offer?
We've been focused on running back, wide receiver, and cornerback throughout this piece, and there's really only one player on that roster that would make sense.
Josh Norman
While not the player he once was, Norman is still someone opposing quarterbacks try to avoid throughout a game. Going into week 16, Norman had 70 consecutive games of allowing six or less catches when targeted, three games shy of the longest streak in the PFF era.
Norman was uncertain if he'd be returning next season, as the Redskins may look to cut him to save over $8 million in cap space. But the team may look to get some value for the star corner and call up the Eagles in an attempt to trade a need position for another need position.
While that team down I-95 south could make a play, the other team up I-95 north could also make a play.
The New York Giants may look to move on from longtime quarterback Eli Manning. The Giants desperately need to fix their offensive line, and if they think they can compete in 2019 under a younger veteran quarterback, they could try to pry Foles away from the Eagles to pair with Saquon Barkley, Odell Beckham Jr., Evan Engram, and Sterling Shepard, and then use their number six overall selection on a premier offensive lineman.
So could the Giants entice the Eagles with any of their players?
2019 Second round pick and 2020 First round pick
I honestly cannot see one player on the Giants that would entice the Eagles outside of running back Saquon Barkley.
The Giants would definitely not, I would assume, do that deal so they'd only be able to offer a package of picks in the 2019 and 2020 draft.
If I were Howie Roseman, knowing that the number six overall selection was off limits, I would tell Giants general manager Dave Gettleman that the offer starts with the fifth selection in the second round (37th overall) and next year's first-round pick.
If the Giants want Foles, they'll need to do better than the trade that sent Donovan McNabb to the Redskins in 2010.
Regardless of what happens this off-season, it'll surely be one to remember.
If you didn't get to see my open letter to Nick Foles, check it out here!
Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
