The rebuilding Eagles are drawing heavy attention around the NFL as the trade deadline nears, league sources said, with other teams making repeated inquiries for star defensive tackle Fletcher Cox and emerging offensive tackle Andre Dillard. And though Philadelphia’s aggressive general manager Howie Roseman is likely not done making trades, the odds of a blockbuster are not high.
The Eagles have recently traded tight end Zach Ertz and veteran quarterback Joe Flacco, and remain very open to moving other veterans in the final year of their contracts, league sources said. But this is not a fire sale, sources said, the likes of which is going on in Houston with most of the roster available for trade, and the Eagles will be judicious about not just dumping salary of players who could still help them in 2022 and beyond.
Philadelphia (2-5) has three first-round picks in the next draft — provided Carson Wentz continues to play a high percentage of Colts snaps — and is hoping to have a nucleus around those rookies by the time next season begins, and that’s likely to include some of the veterans who have become so attractive to contending teams. Cox is one of the better defensive linemen in franchise history and the kind of inquiries that have come in thus far aren’t close to facilitating a trade for him. He is not a player the Eagles are marketing or hopeful of moving. Dillard, a first-round pick in 2019, needed time to develop as a tackle but has improved this season; he continues to draw outside interest.
The Eagles do have a core of other players with expiring contracts that includes defensive linemen Derek Barnett and Ryan Kerrigan, center Jason Kelce and safety Rodney McLeod. At this point is more likely they would deal a pending free agent over someone with term remaining on their deal, with Roseman’s reputation as a dealmaker adding to the inquiries the team is receiving.
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