Eagles near the trade deadline is actually a good sign

Howie Roseman did exactly what he needed to do on Tuesday.

Nothing.

There is no edge-cutting jerk. No midfielder. No offensive line depth.

As his fellow general managers scrambled to fill holes on their roster ahead of the 4 p.m. NFL trade deadline, Roseman looked at his creation and saw that it was good. At least good enough. And he was 100% right.

Both of these things are true:

1. The Eagles were in a position where it made sense to err on the side of the here and now.

The rest of NFC is the same. vulnerable as never before. There’s a good chance the Eagles are more talented than ever. Now is the time to throw caution to the wind, prioritize the present, and worry about future projects later.

2. The overall talent of the Eagles roster was high enough that it was not easy to improve it.

Should the Eagles look for an elite player? Certainly. Every team should. At all times. This is why elite edge rushers are not often traded mid-season. The teams that have them are well aware of their value. Maxx Crosby, Micah Parsons, Myles Garrett – they were always nothing more than fever dreams born of motivated fan speculation. Players like these are about as untouchable as they come, at least in the eyes of a functional front office.

Look back at recent trade deadlines and you won’t find many moves like the ones the Eagles would need to make a significant impact on their game. Super Bowl chances.

A couple of years ago, the Los Angeles Rams acquired 32-year-old Von Miller and got him four sacks in the postseason en route to a title. But the price was high – a second- and third-round pick from a team that is currently in the process of retooling.

Two years ago Miami Dolphins traded a first-round pick, a fourth-round pick and running back Chase Edmonds for 26-year-old Bradley Chubb and a fifth-round pick. If it were available this time, it would be worth some consideration. Clearly this is not the case.

The best way to analyze the trade deadline is to look at the value of the picks traded and then consider that 31 other NFL teams have decided the player is not worthy of a higher price. After a month-long rush, no first- or second-round picks had changed hands before Tuesday’s deadline. There have been a lot of changes in the edge rusher market, but little that would give the Eagles a clear upgrade over the previous generation. Brandon GrahamJosh Sweet, Nolan Smith and Bryce Huff. The most significant deal took place Browns-Lions trade That sent Cleveland’s Za’Darius Smith and a 2026 seventh-round draft pick to Detroit in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round draft pick and a 2026 sixth-round draft pick. But again, consider the price and the fact that no other NFL team has chosen to top it.

The deadline is a desperate time, and the Eagles are not a desperate team. The Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens made significant additions to their wide receivers. DeAndre Hopkins, Amari Cooper, Diontae Johnson – these were striking plays given the context of their situations. But all three of those players would be distant third receiving options on a depth chart topped by AJ Brown And DeVonta Smith. The Washington Commanders got better with the acquisition of New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore. But again, the Eagles don’t need to do that.

A lot has changed over the past month. We’ve seen that the Eagles can survive with a broken offensive line where in-season upgrades are only possible in the direst of circumstances. We saw the midfielder Zach Baun becomes a legitimate force defensive coordinator Vic Fangioscheme. We’ve seen Graham prove he still has a lot of power in the tank, even at 36 years old. We’ve seen Nolan Smith begin to answer that challenge, with 2½ sacks and an extra tackle for loss in the Eagles’ last four games. We increasingly saw Sweat wiping his brow. He has five sacks in his last five games, including two in the Eagles’ 28-23 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

That doesn’t mean the edge is no longer a concern. The Eagles have taken advantage of some patchwork offensive lines over the past few weeks. Their front seven is still the main reason to wonder if they can compete with a team like the Lions in a playoff game. But things are looking up.

Adding a Fullback Cooper DeJean was a game changer in both run and pass defense. His physical nature in the slot can help compensate for any shortcomings on the edge. Kudos to Fangio for recognizing his talent and adapting to the skill set at his disposal. Thanks to Roseman for giving him the tools he needed.

“I like what we got,” Fangio told reporters Tuesday, hours before the trade deadline.

This is a good place.