Jay Ajayi ran for over 400 yards with a 5.8 average in seven games in 2017 and had a huge postseason.
A trade-deadline hit.
The rest of them?
Trade-deadline misses.
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Eagles general manager Howie Roseman traded a 4th-round pick to the Dolphins at the 2017 deadline for Ajayi, and his rickety knees held up long enough to help the Eagles win a Super Bowl.
In 2018, Roseman traded a 3rd-round pick to the Lions for wide receiver Golden Tate. The result? He caught 30 passes for just 278 yards. He did catch the game-winning touchdown in a playoff game against the Bears, but it was kind of an accident because he didn’t even know the play.
In 2019, Roseman traded a 4th-round pick to the Browns for edge rusher Genard Avery. The result? He had just half a sack the rest of the season and only 3.0 sacks in 35 games before the Eagles finally gave up on him.
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In 2022, it was a 4th-round pick to the Bears for aging pass rusher Robert Quinn, who had 18 ½ sacks a year earlier. The result? No sacks as an Eagle. Never even came close.
And last year, Roseman shipped 5th- and 6th-round picks and safety Terrell Edmunds to the Titans for two-time all-pro Kevin Byard. The result? Byard gave the Eagles no better than functional safety play during the late-season collapse.
That’s a lot of draft picks Roseman has shipped away with minimal return, something to keep in mind as this year’s trade deadline approaches on Tuesday.
The Eagles have won three straight games and are sitting at 5-2 with a home game against the Jaguars on Sunday. There aren’t any areas of desperate need, and while another edge rusher or wide receiver could help, would Roseman really trade away more draft picks for a guy who recent history says probably won’t help?
Vic Fangio said Tuesday the defense doesn’t need any help, and explained why he’s generally not a fan of in-season trades.
“Yeah, I mean, it's hard to improve your team drastically this time of year,” he said. “I think if you look at some of those trades over the years, they really haven't had the effect that some teams were hoping for.
“Unless it's a trade where you're getting a guy that you're going to have for a few years, where it’s more of a bigger trade than swapping guys, trading a 6 for a 7, those types of things.
“Each and every case is different obviously. Sometimes the guys come in with no prior relationship with the coaches and everything is totally new. I think if the guy had been with you somewhere along the line and has system knowledge and comfortability, that helps. Every scenario is a little different.”
The Eagles already traded a 3rd-round pick to Washington back in August for receiver Jahan Dotson, who has all of six catches for 35 yards in seven games.
That leaves them with their own 1st- and 2nd-round picks in 2025, along with a 3rd-round pick – either their own or the one they got from the Dolphins during the draft in April (the better one goes to Washington in the Dotson deal), as well as a 4th-round pick and three 5th-round picks. Not a ton to work with there.
The Eagles don’t have a lot of tradable assets, but someone like Avonte Maddox might appeal to a team desperate for secondary help. And James Bradberry is still an Eagle too, last time we checked.
Nick Sirianni seemed open to the idea of making a deadline move while also saying he doesn’t think a big move is necessary.
“I love the team that we have,” he said Monday. “And I think this team is really coming together. With that being said, I know we're always looking for ways to improve our team. I know Howie is the best at that – of always, always, always, looking at ways he can improve the football team. I admire that and value that of how he goes to work there.
“But like I said, love the guys that we have. I think we're coming together really nicely as a team. But we'll see how this next week plays out. … Any way we can make the team better, I'm always up for that.”
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