NFL Insider Discusses the Eagles Ahead of the Trade Deadline

There is no more interesting figure heading into the NFL trade deadline three weeks from now than Eagles general manager Howie Roseman.

Long ago cemented as one of the league’s true wheeler dealers and someone generally a fulcrum of deadline activity, Roseman has already completed one very significant trade ahead of the cutoff.

Roseman received two draft picks from Baltimore, including a 2028 second-round selection, for an offensive lineman of questionable health and acumen at this stage of his career. That was highly unusual with Roseman on the "sell" side of that trade rather than buying talent to boost his team in the moment.

That crystalizes just how weird this deadline is for the perennial Super Bowl contender.

The Eagles have one of the worst offenses in the NFL and one of the most suspect offensive lines – making the trade of two-time Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens even spicier.

You see it came after the retirement of star right tackle Lane Johnson and another injury to guard Landon Dickerson; with superstar running back Saquon Barkley hurt and top receiver DeVonta Smith hurt, Roseman must navigate a blood clot issue with former Super Bowl MVP quarterback Jalen Hurts that has ended his season.

That injury, and how the Eagles handled it, has also engulfed the franchise in scrutiny and begs major questions about where their season is going, and what 2027 holds for head coach Nick Sirianni and the quarterback position.

It’s a lot to sort through, while at the same time the NFC East remains a total disaster with no wins in two weeks for any team in that division and it quite possible that a club below .500 wins the division and gets to host a playoff game where anything is possible.

The Eagles do still boast talent on defense and Lombardi Trophy pedigree, plus it just so happens that the NFC East is incredibly middling and a viable path to a home playoff game still exists for the Eagles despite all their woes and a 2-4 record. Roseman knows that fanbase expects/demands to be in the playoffs every year.

So, what will he do?

"They're still trying to win the Super Bowl," longtime Eagles team president Joe Banner, who was leading the team when Roseman was brought into the organization and helped steward his eventual rise to GM told me recently.

"They still think they can. We've seen teams win Super Bowls with right tackles that were okay. He’s not doing this to give up. In fact, I guarantee you he's been on the phone trying to find somebody he can trade for."

I checked back with Banner after the team announced Hurts was out with blood clots in his lungs and he suggested that with that update, the Eagles might not be heavy buyers anymore.

Everyone else we talk to in the NFL expects Roseman to make trades to position them for the future if nothing else, Banner included. How significant remains to be seen.

As we hear it, the Eagles are trying to move standout offensive lineman Landon Dickerson to another team as soon as he is healthy and trying to rebuild their offense line on the fly.

We had two personnel executives suggest to us that Roseman could add a depth running back if Barkley’s hamstring is a major issue, with one suggesting a possible reunion with former playoff hero Kenneth Gainwell (Tampa Bay), while they could find a depth receiver as well.

In the bigger picture, Sirianni entered the season on the hot seat. His offense has been horrible, the offensive staff remains under intense questioning and the Hurts situation – whether he should have traveled with the team to London with this condition – is one that tends to impact jobs.

Several general managers told me before the season they believed Sirianni needed another run in the postseason to keep his job; and that’s seems a stretch.

The Eagles were heavily invested in evaluating QBs in the 2026 draft, thought about taking some high in that draft and multiple GMs told me had Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby been allowed to enter the supplementals, then perhaps Roseman would have used a second-round pick to try and land him (that process is a weighted lottery based on previous year results).

"This was already the end for Hurts," one GM said. "Howie was looking for his next guy. No guaranteed money left on his deal, no contract extension. He was ready to move off of Hurts.

"You know those guys, they go through coaches. (Doug) Pederson won the Super Bowl and was gone two years later. I didn’t think they were coming back before all the Hurts (injury) stuff came out."

Another GM told me before the season "Howie is in the QB market in 2027," and he believed Sirianni needed a fast start to quell the Eagles starting to prepare behind the scenes for their next head coach. As everything has played out, it seems both will be gone and time will tell what Hurts’s medical condition means for the resumption of his playing career.

Few people understand how Roseman thinks more than Banner, who spent years discussing player evaluations, salary-cap nuance and negotiating strategy on trades and contracts.

Few have this portal into Roseman’s mind and perspective. Banner also continues to watch film and talk to execs around the league, remaining very plugged into the Eagles franchise to this day, sharing a lifelong relationship with owner, Jeffrey Lurie.

Banner was with the Eagles from 1995-2012; he hired Roseman in 2000 and by 2010 he had become the GM. Roseman also has enough of a body of work in this league for other executives to know what makes him tick.

This deadline is complicated in ways like never before with the layers of injuries on his offensive line complicated by the Hurts situation. However, some scouts I trust deeply believe that veteran quarterback Joe Milton, recently brought in for depth, can be functional for them if youngster Tanner McKee struggles.

The Eagles’ philosophy, dating back to Banner’s early years there, is to win at the point of attack and build an offense from the line out. Patching that up on the fly won’t be easy, but Roseman is driven, beyond competent and is able to juggle the future.

He is always willing to think outside the box. He is always looking to get better.

"Howie’s not done," the first GM said. "No way. He’s not going to be a seller because he made that trade. He is trying to get better, now. Trust me."

The Giants have major injuries problems, lost their starting QB for the season and look to be on their third starter already after Week 6.

The Cowboys have already basically neutered their young defensive coordinator and have an overmatched head coach who seems to be losing his grip.

Commanders coach Dan Quinn has become the face of failed NFL game management, he doesn’t seem to even know what down it is anymore. QB Jayden Daniels is a serious injury risk, and Washington has won four of its last 18 games.

Could Roseman acquire a tackle from the tanking Dolphins who would be an upgrade? Would landing James Conner from the Cardinals make sense when he is back from IR if there are lingering concerns with Barkley? Or Tony Pollard from the failing Titans? Maybe a lineman from the Titans while he’s at it.

If nothing else, he won’t go quietly. You can count on that much.

"Howie has a plan," said one longtime NFL executive who used to work with him. "He’s not going to punt on this season. He’s going to try to fix his line. He might add a skill guy (WR, TE or RB). He’s not going to sit on his hands, even with all this shit going on."