Eagles Fleece Saints in Blockbuster Trade: Clear Path for Drafting QB

The Philadelphia Eagles were never going to use all three first-round draft picks this year. Now they don’t even have that option after sending one of them to the New Orleans Saints in a pre-draft blockbuster trade. This was a lop-sided one, too.

The Eagles won the trade and cleared the path to draft a big-time quarterback prospect in 2023. They sent three picks (No. 16, No. 19 in the first round; No. 194 in the sixth round) to the Saints in exchange for five picks (No. 18 in the first; No. 101 in the third; No. 237 in the seventh; a 2023 first-rounder; and a 2024 second-rounder). It’s a genius move for a team not thought to be completely sold on Jalen Hurts.

Philadelphia might luck into the No. 1 overall pick in 2023 where they could be looking at Ohio State phenom C.J. Stroud. Other top-tier quarterbacks expected to be available include Bryce Young (Alabama), Phil Jerkovec (Boston College), Will Levis (Kentucky), Tanner McKee (Stanford), Hendon Hooker (Tennessee), Spencer Rattler (South Carolina), and Jayden Daniels (LSU).

Or maybe Hurts excels in his second full season under Nick Sirianni’s tutelage. The Eagles make an improbable Super Bowl run and use their extra draft capital to invest in the skill positions. Remember, Miles Sanders is set to become a free agent in 2023. And the roster remains clogged with unknown options at the No. 2 receiver spot.

The moral of the story? The “clock is ticking” for Hurts in his bid to be the long-term starter in Philly. If he shows the tiniest bit of regression, then the Eagles are in great position to hit the reset button. Which they most definitely will do.

The latest Eagles news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Eagles newsletter here!

Join Heavy on Eagles!

Crazy Twitter Reactions to Saints-Eagles Trade

There’s always a winner and a loser when transactions happen in the NFL. While it’s impossible to predict the future, some snap judgments should hold true. And the majority of post-trade buzz favored Philly. The Eagles only surrendered one first-round pick in the deal, essentially swapping the No. 16 pick for No. 18. The Saints gave up two picks to move up two spots in the first round.

Pro Football Network’s Mike Kaye stressed the sneakiness of getting that 2024 second-rounder: “like looking for a quarter and finding a $100 in your couch cushion.” Meanwhile, Ari Meirov of Pro Football Focus pointed out how that 2019 regular-season finale loss to Washington has turned into the giving tree. More importantly, Eagles fans now have a strong rooting interest against a fierce NFC rival.

Howie Roseman Tried to Tell Everyone

Eagles general manager Howie Roseman predicted a big move was coming when he met with reporters last week at the Annual League Meeting. Fans had been on his case about not signing any elite free agents, aside from Haason Reddick. His plan appears much clearer now as he looks to infuse the roster with youth. And figure out exactly what he has at the quarterback position with Hurts.

“We’re looking for those opportunities every day,” Roseman told reporters. “We’re not sitting there saying, ‘We’re done. We’re done with free agency, let’s close the book.’ We’re saying if there’s an opportunity for us to improve our team from free agency, through trades, through the wire. I think the other part of this is when you have the amount of high picks we have, you don’t wanna block these players from playing time.”

Roseman continued: “We don’t want to get in the situation when we’re drafting guys in the first, second, sometimes even the third round and they don’t have an ability to play because you’re wasting a contract year. And so that gives us the opportunity to draft guys, allow them to play early in a contract, which we think is an important part of the team-building process that we’re in.”