To say the Philadelphia Eagles' 2026 NFL trade deadline was anything but a resounding success would be putting it mildly.
With three major trades during the 2026 NFL calendar year – shipping AJ Brown to the New England Patriots, sending Cam Jurgens to the Baltimore Ravens, and making the deal of the month with the Jacksonville Jaguars for Jordan Davis – Howie Roseman added four more premium draft picks over the next two drafts, two firsts and two seconds, and will wield disproportionate control over the first 64 picks as they retool for the future.
And yet, the Eagles' immediate actions after the 2026 trade deadline show that maybe, just maybe, Roseman left some meat on the bone before the clock struck 4 PM.
Now granted, maybe there wasn't enough interest in Fred Johnson or Hollywood Brown to even garner a seventh-round pick. Maybe Roseman felt like it was only right to allow the duo to pick their own next destinations – even if they are both subject to waivers – or simply wanted to get a look at players like Evan Neal and Erik Ezukanma from the practice squad and made some room on the 53-man roster.
Still, even if reserve players like Johnson and Brown couldn't bring in the type of returns Jurgens and Davis garnered, what about the middle-class members of the Eagles' roster, players like Dallas Goedert, Riq Woolen, and Landon Dickerson, who may have only brought back a Day 3 pick but likely aren't part of the future long-term? With the Birds fully turning their attention to the future, why keep veteran players on the roster now when they might actually hurt the cause of securing the best possible pick in the 2027 NFL Draft?
The Eagles could have freed up even more playing time at the deadline
As things presently stand, the Eagles have one foot in the present and one foot in the future.
Call it a byproduct of Nick Sirianni, Sean Mannion, and maybe Vic Fangio – who appears destined to retire in the spring – fighting for their jobs, or just the general ebb and flow of the game of football, where even the worst team can take down the best on any given Sunday, but what is really gained by having players like Goedert, Woolen, or Dickerson on the field at 2-7?
Even if the Eagles won out the rest of their games, they would be 10-7. On paper, that might be good enough to win the NFC East, as its overall incompetence rivals the NFC South at this point, but can that team beat the Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers, or Seattle Seahawks in a Wild Card round clash? Based on how the last seven, no, the last nine games have looked, the answer to that question is a resounding no, as even Joe Milton becoming the second coming of Michael Vick likely wouldn't unlock an offense that can string together a game, quarter, or even drive where everything clicks on all cylinders.
So, if that's the case, why play Goedert, Woolen, or Dickerson instead of trading them away? The latter two reportedly drew interest from around the league before the deadline, and even if there might have been cap ramifications to say goodbye to any of them, the idea of keeping them to soak up snaps that would be better served on developmental players simply doesn't make sense at this point.
Like Jurgens, Dickerson is in the midst of the worst season of his career, with his pass blocking especially falling off a cliff as he deals with injuries. He looked really bad in Week 1, to the point where the Eagles placed him on injured reserve, and even after he's returned, Dickerson looks like the second-worst member of a line that features three players on rookie-scale contracts, Drew Kendall, Tyler Steen, and Markel Bell.
Would it have been tough to say goodbye to Dickerson and everything he's meant to the organization as a multi-position interior Pro Bowler? Sure, but it would be even worse if the Eagles were saddled with Dickerson's contract long-term, only for his play to no longer justify his pay. With the season all but over and Chris Kuper a real question mark to return in 2027, it likely would have made more sense to give young players a chance to showcase some growth in his system instead of hoping Dickerson is still healthy enough to play at the end of the season.
Woolen's situation is a little different because he appears interested in staying with the Eagles beyond this season, even if his contract expires in March. While his play has been up-and-down in Fangio's scheme, with missed tackles and lapses in coverage leading to some of the biggest plays by opposing receivers this season, Woolen is unquestionably a starting cornerback in the NFL and would have garnered a solid return from interested teams if he were put on the proverbial auction block.
If the Eagles do move on from Fangio and sign Jim Schwartz, as many expect, would Woolen be a better fit as a press-man corner in an attacking wide-9 front? Considering his size, speed, and success with the Seattle Seahawks, that's possible, but it's just as likely the Eagles could land their next long-term cornerback with one of their 10 first- and second-round picks over the next three drafts, or find a short-term player who perfectly fits Schwartz's scheme in free agency like Tyson Campbell, making the decision to keep Woolen a risky one.
And as for Goedert? Well, with Zack Ertz on the practice squad and Eli Stowers, the 54th overall pick in this year's NFL Draft, back from injured reserve, the Eagles would be foolish not to see what their rookie from Vanderbilt can do with extensive runway in front of him, knowing they have another veteran they can count on if need be. The winner of the John Mackey Award after amassing 769 yards and four touchdowns in 2025, Stowers has the athleticism to be a serious weapon in the NFL but is raw. How does a player stop being raw? By playing more, which should be priority number one down the stretch for Stowers, Makai Lemon, Ty Robinson, Jeremiah Trotter Jr., and the rest of the Eagles' young draftees.
In the end, maybe Goedert, Woolen, or even Dickerson may prove the doubters wrong and remain high-end pieces long-term, when winning double-digit games and making the playoffs return to being the norm in South Philadelphia. But Roseman did incredibly well in 2026 by selling early on players before their stock fell, and already looks like a genius for moving on from Brown and Jurgens. Adding a Goedert, Woolen, or Dickerson trade to that resume would have only added extra draft ammo to his coffers and increased the Eagles' chances ot a speedy rebuild.