After coming up short to the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football, it's safe to say the Philadelphia Eagles' fate has been cast for the 2026 NFL season.
Sure, sitting at 3-4 doesn't feel great, especially after how well JJ McCarthy performed in his debut with the New York Giants, but the Eagles have been there before during the Nick Sirianni regime and have found ways to make it to the playoffs all the same. Jalen Hurts may be done for the season, but goodness, if Tanner McKee could unlock the offense, it might not only set Sean Mannion up for even more success into the future but could give the Eagles the best possible problem to have heading into 2027: a pair of starting-caliber quarterbacks in need of long-term contracts.
But at 2-5 in the midst of a losing streak lasting over a month? Yeah, it's hard to see a world where that team wins even the NFC East, let alone does enough damage in the playoffs to justify losing such a marquee draft pick in a very well-stocked 2027 class.
Fortunately, with one trade already on the ledger, shipping Cam Jurgens down I-95 to Charm City, Howie Roseman has a chance to add even more draft capital to his coffers as other general managers like the Indianapolis Colts' interim Ed Dodds ship off veteran linemen like Quinton Nelson and DeForest Buckner as the Eagles turn their attention to 2027 and beyond. While throwing up the white flag before Halloween may not be what most Philly fans want to see, as even LeBron James joining the Philadelphia 76ers won't cushion the blow of a lost Eagles season, if the right deal comes along, Roseman would be foolish to say no just to finish 6-11 instead of 4-13.
If opposing teams come calling about bolstering their defenses, these two defenders make the most sense for the Eagles to move now.
There's a reason why Eagles fans want to see Riq Woolen traded
When the Eagles landed Riq Woolen on a one-year contract worth up to $15 million, it looked like the Eagles had the potential to field one of their best cornerback trios of all time.
Standing 6-foot-4, 210 pounds with long arms and elite speed, Woolen looked like he could hold down the CB2 spot on the outside opposite Quinyon Mitchell full-time, with Cooper DeJean moonlighting at safety while sticking in the slot during defensive subpackages. No more counting on Kelee Ringo to finally figure it all out. No more stopgap veterans like Adoree' Jackson. At least in 2026, the Eagles would field an elite trio of cornerbacks, and the last time that happened, they won the Super Bowl.
Unfortunately, the Birds' defensive secondary simply hasn't lived up to expectations, with their safeties struggling significantly without Reed Blankenship and Woolen's athleticism failing to make up for his lapses in coverage and poor tackling.
Because almost every team in the NFL uses three cornerbacks as their base defense and Woolen's athleticism makes him attractive to basically any defensive coordinator who believes he can be molded into their vision, if Roseman puts the former Seattle Seahawks corner on the block, it's hard to imagine he wouldn't garner a solid Day 3 draft pick, maybe even a fourth-rounder like the Colts garnered for Buckner. Woolen can play in the Seahawks' old Cover 3 scheme, now has a half season in Vic Fangio's Cover 2 defense, and won the Super Bowl as part of Mike Macdonald's unit last season, proving he can not only be a win-now piece in 2026, but at 27, has the runway to become a full-time long-term starter on an offseason extension.
The only issue with trading Woolen would be that the Eagles really don't have a young cornerback who could take advantage of his absence, with Mac McWilliams more of a slot option, Ringo a borderline lost cause on defense, and Jonathan Jones nothing more than a veteran stopgap at this point. Still, between Michael Carter II and Kenny Moore II, the Eagles suddenly have options at safety next to Andrew Mukuba when everyone is at full strength, so who knows? Maybe Cooper DeJean can play more on the outside – removing safety from his plate in what has been his worst professional season – and hope that is enough to stay relatively competitive.
Moving Moro Ojomo gives the Eagles a chance to see more Ty Robinson
While trading Woolen would create a major need at cornerback for the Eagles opposite Mitchell, trading Moro Ojomo would actually do the opposite, freeing up additional pass-rushing snaps for Jordan Davis while opening the door to see if Ty Robinson's limited success can translate to a few hundred additional snaps down the stretch.
Article Continues BelowFamously drafted in the seventh round out of Texas in 2023, Ojomo has been one of the Eagles' feel-good developmental stories over the last four years, going from a player who played 68 snaps as a rookie to 740 in Year 3, recording six sacks, 38 tackles, and 12 QB hits in his breakout season. Ojomo has become the Eagles' go-to pass rusher next to Jalen Carter whenever they need interior penetration, and while that hasn't resulted in a sack so far in 2026, No. 97 pops off the tape in every game as he forces opposing quarterbacks to run for their lives out of the pocket.
Set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2026 NFL season, Fangio already said he would like to have Ojomo back, but considering there's no guarantee the veteran defensive coordinator returns in 2027, it's safe to assume that is anything but a lock. If anything, because of the Eagles' cap situation, they would probably be wise to allow Ojomo to sign a big contract elsewhere to get back a great compensatory pick in 2028… unless another team is willing to acquire him now and push that pick up a year to 2027.
If that happens, and Ojomo is playing for another team down the stretch, that would not only garner the Eagles a third-to-fourth-round pick, but free up an average of 42 snaps per game for other players to fill.
Through Week 7, Davis is only playing 35 snaps per game, and Robinson's numbers are even lower, recording just 43 on the season as a whole as the Eagles' fifth defensive tackle behind the starters and Byron Young. When the trio of Davis, Ojomo, and Robinson are all available, it makes sense that Fangio would go with his guy, as he is the best pass rusher of the group right now, but if he's no longer a member of the team? Well, Davis will have to take on more of a three-down role, which is what Roseman is paying him to do, and Robinson will get to cycle in more and show if his efforts against the Cowboys were a fluke or sustainable heading into Year 3.
Because of how the Eagles are built, they often have to let very good players leave and can only keep a select few performers on second contracts. Ojomo unfortunately isn't in that category, but Davis already is, and Robinson could be too if he shows he can be another Day 3 as a rotational pass rusher, making this sort of trade a win-win-win for the Eagles.