If you look back at Howie Roseman's trade history during training camp, he tends to make deals near the end of August and the beginning of September. With that in mind, everyone loves a nice hypothetical, "throwing darts" type of unlikely to actually happen "trades that make sense" post, right? Cool. Let's do one of those, and thanks for the clicks.
Bears CB Tyrique Stevenson to the Eagles for a fifth-round pick
Why it makes sense for the Bears: You may remember Stevenson as the guy who was taunting Commanders fans while the guy he was supposed to be covering caught a game-winning TD on a Hail Mary. Oops!
Stevenson was also slowed by injuries during training camp, and his spot as the CB2 is being challenged by other corners on the Bears roster. It's also perhaps noteworthy that there's a new coaching staff in Chicago than the one that was there when the Bears drafted Stevenson.
It might be time for a change of scenery.
Why it makes sense for the Eagles: Stevenson has talent. He was a 2023 second-round pick who has already started 30 NFL games. In two seasons he has 164 tackles, 6 INTs, 3 forced fumbles, and 28 pass breakups. He also has two years left on his rookie contract.
Stevenson would need time to get acclimated to Vic Fangio's system, but he could be a "buy low" player who can help later in the season.
The Eagles have also proven that they'll trade for talented players with loud personalities, as evidenced by their acquisition of C.J. Gardner-Johnson in 2022.
Falcons EDGE Arnold Ebiketie to the Eagles for Azeez Ojulari and a third-round pick
Why it makes sense for the Falcons: They drafted a pair of edge rushers in the first round in Jalon Walker and James Pearce, and they signed Leonard Floyd in free agency. They also spent a third-round pick a year ago on Bralen Trice.
Ebiketie was a 2022 second-round pick who is scheduled to become a free agent next offseason.
The Falcons are also light on 2026 draft capital after trading their first-round pick to land Pearce, so they can use more ammo there.
Why it makes sense for the Eagles: Ebiketie has 12 sacks over the last two seasons. 5 of his 6 sacks in 2024 came in the last 5 games. He would immediately become the Eagles' third edge defender in the rotation behind Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt, and ahead of Josh Uche.
The Eagles expressed some level of interest in Ebiketie in 2022, when they brought him in for a pre-draft visit.
They currently own two third-round picks, plus they are projected to be awarded an additional third-round compensatory pick for the loss of Milton Williams in free agency.
In this scenario, Ojulari would be the fifth edge rusher in the pecking order, at best, so the Eagles would seek to get out of his $2 million guaranteed salary. Ojulari could also help the Falcons fill in their depth behind their young edge rushers.
Browns QB Kenny Pickett, if he is cut and clears waivers
It was revealed about a week ago that Tanner McKee has a non-surgical finger injury on his throwing hand. McKee had that hand in his pocket both during the game and postgame, so we were unable to see exactly what kind of protective device he had on it. He may or may not be ready for the Week 1 opener against Dallas.Meanwhile, rookie Kyle McCord is likely to be the QB3. McCord is perhaps worth further development, but he does not seem ready to play in a real game.If McKee is going to miss any substantial amount of time, the Eagles need a capable quarterback who can play if Jalen Hurts goes down.Having been with the Eagles a season ago, Pickett knows the offense and the players, obviously.
The Browns named Joe Flacco their starter, and they have a pair of drafted rookies in Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. The Browns could in theory keep four quarterbacks, but if they opt to cut one of them, Pickett appears to be the most expendable.
If the Browns were to cut Pickett, he would be subjected to waivers since he only has three accrued seasons of NFL service. The Eagles won the Super Bowl, so they are last in the waiver wire priority order. They could just sign him if he clears waivers.(Note: The NFL does not allow a player to be traded from one team and then back to the original team until two years have passed, so a trade for Pickett would not be an option.)And yes, I realize this isn't a trade, but shut up.
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