Will the Eagles make a move before the trade deadline?

On Monday, Nick Sirianni made a statement that suggests this will be a quiet trade deadline. The fourth-year Philadelphia Eagles coach said “I love the team that we have” while adding “I think this team is really coming together.”

Indeed, the Eagles are 5-2 — riding a 3-0 streak in October. But Howie Roseman has control over the roster. Sirianni knows the longtime general manager has a penchant for making deals. He knows it’s pointless for him to say anything definitive when Roseman is “always looking at ways he can improve the football team.”

Teams with such high expectations tend to be buyers at this time of the year. But Roseman may have already taken his biggest swings. The Eagles spent lavishly in free agency on Saquon Barkley, Bryce Huff and C.J. Gardner-Johnson. They reached long-term extensions with A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson and Jake Elliott. They traded for Jahan Dotson in training camp. Is there little else (or little available) to acquire? With less than a week until the Nov. 5 trade deadline, here are the main factors to consider as the Eagles mull over their next move.

What’s Philly’s draft capital again?

The Eagles have 15 picks over the next two draft cycles — an arrangement impacted by eight draft-day trades earlier this year plus the Haason Reddick and Jahan Dotson trades.

Since Roseman returned to power in 2016, the eight deals the Eagles have executed near the trade deadline have all involved either acquiring draft capital or trading it away. The Eagles traded away a sixth or a seventh in three of those deals. They don’t have any picks beyond the fifth round in 2025. They acquired a 2022 sixth-round pick from the New York Jets by trading away quarterback Joe Flacco during the 2021 season. (Regarding Kenny Pickett or Tanner McKee: The Eagles have historically kept three QBs on the active roster.)

Why edge rusher no longer requires a major trade

This would’ve been a different conversation a month ago. Since his September slump, Bryce Huff has 1.5 sacks and a tackle for loss. Nolan Smith (who was also absent in the backfield in September) has 2.5 sacks and two tackles for loss in his last three games. Both edge rushers, who split roles in base and nickel packages, are now adequately supplementing Josh Sweat — the most stable member of the position group with three sacks and four tackles for loss in 2024.

The Eagles still must consider the long view. Brandon Graham has strongly considered retirement. Sweat’s contract also expires after this season. Will the 2018 fourth-round pick reach an agreement on a second extension with the Eagles? Sweat may consider Reddick’s failed holdout with the Jets as a case study for how to (or how not to) negotiate a long-term deal. But the Eagles still must prepare for the possibility of needing to fill at least one roster spot along the edge. (Third-round rookie Jalyx Hunt’s recent play suggests he can take on substantial snaps in 2025.)

It may prove difficult for the Eagles to fill a potential void with a proactive deal before this year’s trade deadline. The “dream big” options — Maxx Crosby, Myles Garrett — aren’t for sale. So needy teams like the Detroit Lions, who lost Aidan Hutchinson to injury, will be hustling more to scoop second-tier options like Cleveland’s Za’Darius Smith. That leaves a market with edge rushers like Denver’s Baron Browning (on the trading block, per NFL Network) whose contracts are expiring. A half-year rental would cost the Eagles capital they don’t really need to spend on depth they don’t really need.

“It’s hard to improve your team drastically this time of year,” defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said. “I mean, 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 that, you know, where you’re getting a guy that you’re gonna have for a few years, where it’s more of a bigger trade than swapping guys, trading the sixth for a seventh, those type of things.”

Fangio attributed the dissonance in expectation versus reward partly to unfamiliarity. He said it helps if the acquired player “had been with you somewhere along the line and has system knowledge and comfortability.” Fangio was Denver’s head coach when they drafted Browning in 2021. Positions that more heavily require on-field communication — like inside linebacker and safety — also typically are “a little harder” to transition into than at cornerback or along the defensive line.

Why depth in the secondary shouldn’t be a source for trade bait

The Eagles secondary is not in the same tattered state that warranted the Kevin Byard trade before the deadline last year. Roseman made certain of it. The front office spent a portion of the $13 million it saved by releasing Byard on his replacement, Gardner-Johnson, in free agency. The Eagles then spent their first two draft selections on Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.

All three additions are starters in a 2024 secondary that’s already leveraged its depth. Starting cornerback Darius Slay, 34, has left the field three times with various in-game injuries, and backup Isaiah Rodgers, acquired in Aug. 2023, reinstated from a one-year gambling suspension in April, underlined his value by deflecting a deep ball that was intercepted while playing in relief of Slay against the Bengals. It would be surprising, to say the least, if the Eagles did anything to disrupt such stability after finally securing it.

“I think it’s a good group with good depth,” Sirianni said of the secondary last week. “Those guys work hard, and they’re good players, and I’m really pleased where we are right now.”

That second-year cornerbacks Kelee Ringo and Eli Ricks don’t have significant on-field defensive roles projects the illusion of an immediate surplus. The Eagles don’t need to look beyond last season to know how swiftly depth players can be called upon. And, looking forward, they must prepare themselves to fill both their starting lineup and subpackages post-Slay and Avonte Maddox (whose contract expires this year). There’s also no indication yet that James Bradberry, who switched to safety in the offseason, will be available in 2024 to offset any depth changes.

Some further thoughts on Ricks and Ringo…

Ringo: The 2023 fourth-round pick has a good reputation within the NovaCare Complex. Roseman, Sirianni and other members of the coaching staff have expressed excitement about Ringo during his development. It’s reasonable to suggest they’d like to see their investment through. Ringo remains under contract through 2026, and he’d be in the mix to fill in post-Slay. Meanwhile, Ringo is quietly embedding himself into the fabric of the team. No Eagle plays more on special teams. He’s at times a Dime defender. His readiness on the sideline yielded playing time. Slay missed nine plays against the Saints after hurting his left knee when offensive tackle Trevor Penning blocked him illegally beyond the sideline, and Fangio said Ringo subbed in instead of Rodgers because Ringo “was up and ready to go for the game.” Teams don’t easily part with such players.

“Hard to find guys that are 6-2, 215 pounds that can run a 4.3 40, then play with the discipline and aggressiveness that he has,” special teams coordinator Michael Clay said. “… The more he plays the better he gets and the more confident he gets. You can see from his first game ever to now the confidence has really (increased) tenfold. So, you know, always excited to have Kelee on our side.”

Ricks: The sixth cornerback on the depth chart has totaled eight special teams snaps in 2024. He’s been active for two games. He’s been inactive for five. Ricks, undrafted in 2023, is under contract through 2025. The Eagles have been content holding onto Ricks as an insurance policy this season. His cap hit is nominal (0.4 percent, per Over the Cap). His trade value is likely minimal and therefore not worthwhile. Any team who peruses their scouting report on Ricks while exploring the cornerback market must also rely mostly on his 2023 film. Ricks revealed he still needs refining while filling in at nickel and cornerback at various points. Fangio acknowledged Ricks hasn’t yet played defense this year, but added Ricks “had a nice (training) camp, and if he has to suit up and be ready to go, he’ll be ready to go.”

Depth is playing out at key positions of need

The sources of concern within Philadelphia’s short-term depth (offensive line) and long-term depth (linebacker) both aren’t precarious enough to warrant extra acquisitions. They may very well be the position rooms that are opened up for sale.

Mailata must miss at least two more games while on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. If the recovery timeline extends longer, backup left tackle Fred Johnson has proven he can provide the Eagles stability. Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said Johnson “did a tremendous job” in Sunday’s win over the Bengals, in which Johnson was sometimes left one-on-one against three-time Pro Bowler Trey Hendrickson. Hendrickson entered the weekend with seven sacks. He did not sack Jalen Hurts.

“You just can’t say enough good things about what Fred did on Sunday,” Moore said.

Beyond Johnson, the Eagles have yet to fully field Darian Kinnard — a guard/tackle that starting right tackle Lane Johnson said in training camp was “a name that’s consistently rising.” Starting right guard Mekhi Becton (currently sidelined with a concussion) also played tackle in four seasons with the Jets, and, with backup Tyler Steen available at guard, Becton could also be an option along the perimeter.

Among their linebackers, the Eagles already released what would’ve been their biggest trade piece. Devin White, who signed with the Houston Texans last week, played 32 snaps and had three tackles in their Sunday win over the Indianapolis Colts. White might’ve netted the Eagles a late-round pick. But the parties hashed out terms in which White essentially bought himself the opportunity to pursue a role with any team by providing the Eagles financial savings from his one-year, $4 million deal.

Starting “Mike” Nakobe Dean and fifth-round rookie Jeremiah Trotter Jr. are the only linebackers who are under contract beyond this season. But Zack Baun’s production during his one-year deal might, at last, procure the sort of agreement on an extension Roseman’s front office has recently been remiss to secure.

(Top photo of Howie Roseman and Jalen Hurts: Brooke Sutton / AP)