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The Philadelphia Eagles made an unconventional decision to trade with a hated divisional rival during the NFL draft. They moved up two spots by sending a third-rounder to the Dallas Cowboys to steal DeVonta Smith.
It has been well-documented that the New York Giants wanted to take Smith at No. 11. The Eagles got him at No. 10 following the trade. However, Giants general manager Dave Gettleman revealed that Philly called him first about a possible draft-day deal. Eagles general manager Howie Roseman isn’t afraid to trade with anybody, per Gettleman, and the Giants considered doing something.
“That was part of it. Howie (Roseman) is not afraid to trade with anybody,” Gettleman told reporters, via CBS Sports. “I had a conversation with him earlier in the week and he said, ‘Dave, do you have any problems trading with me?’ I said, ‘No, if it works for both of us, it works for both of us.’ They made the trade [with the Cowboys] and we decided to trade back.”
The sticking point was Smith. Once the Eagles found out the Giants were locked in on the Alabama receiver, they pivoted to making a deal with the Cowboys. And the Giants walked away “livid” for missing out on Smith, per ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg.
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Deshaun Watson Remains Top Option for Eagles
Deshaun Watson’s legal drama continues to play out in the courts, but that won’t stop speculation over his next destination. Especially not after the Houston Texans chose former Stanford quarterback Davis Mills in the third round.
Watson isn’t expected to play another down in Houston. Meanwhile, the Eagles are still considered the front-runners to land his services in 2022, according to NBC Sports’ Peter King. He listed Philadelphia and Carolina as having the best odds of getting Watson.
3-1: Philadelphia. A likely need, plus Eagles are in perfect position to deal with three first-round picks (if Carson Wentz plays three-quarters of the Indy season).
3-1: Carolina. Owner David Tepper would find the resources to do a deal.
5-1. Washington. The major need is there. Is the will to make a deal there?
Jalen Hurts’ Job to Lose in Philadelphia
Roseman recently jumped on a call with SiriusXM NFL Radio and talked about the quarterback situation in Philadelphia.
While he’s still not ready to declare Jalen Hurts the undisputed starter in 2021, the way he’s been constructing the roster certainly looks like that’s the case. He invested a first-round pick in a receiver, then added a running back in the fifth round while holding onto Pro Bowl tight end Zach Ertz. Roseman said it’s on Hurts to “grab the job and kind of run with it.”
“You’re judging him off of four NFL starts in a tough situation with all the injuries that we had. We wanna see him grab the job and kind of run with it, and see what you do over a period of time,” Roseman told SiriusXM. “We want to be in a situation where we get as much information as possible, give him the best opportunity, you know, build that offensive line, give him the right weapons, put him in a system that really maximizes his ability, and then go from there.”
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