The trade Eagles needed to make at 2024 deadline
After much hype, excitement, and speculation, the 2024 NFL trade deadline has come and gone, and the Philadelphia Eagles have done nothing... outside of releasing Albert Okwuegbunam and trading for Jahan Dotson before the start of the regular season .
Disappointing? You bet, especially while watching the Washington Commanders and Dallas Cowboys get better by acquiring Marcus Lattimore and Jonathan Mingo . But it's impossible to say how close Philly came to acquiring an apple of their eye, or whether they were even serious about anyone on the market at all.
Will fans eventually find out? Maybe yes, maybe no, but until then, folks will have to speculate on what could have been, especially if the teams around them get better and better heading into the future.
With that being said, why not take a look at a trade the Eagles should have made and why it would have been such an effective addition to their roster, both for what the player can do on the field and how he can help the players around him?
Folks, the Philadelphia Eagles should have traded for Calais Campbell , and if he was available, it makes very little sense why they didn't.
Calais Campbell is still very productive at 38
On paper, trading a future draft pick for a 38-year-old defensive lineman is the antithesis of a sound team-building strategy. Campbell has been in the NFL for 17 seasons, was drafted in the second round when George Bush was still president – if you can believe it – and is three years older than Kellen Moore, who he faced off against three times as a pro when the Boise State product was the Detroit Lions' backup QB from 2012-14.
And yet, you wouldn't know how old Campbell is by his on-field production, as he's remained a very productive player who has started all but two games he's appeared in since 2010.
Over his impressive 17 season career, Campbell has recorded 107.5 sacks, good for a little over six sacks per season. While he hasn't cracked double digits since 2018, he did have 6.5 for the Falcons last year and already has two this season in just 287 defensive snaps for the Dolphins. With ten games left to play, Campbell could still end up with a half dozen sacks on the year or even more, which isn't really a good way to judge the effectiveness of a defensive lineman but is a practical stat fans can easily turn to.
What tells a better tale of just how good Campbell has played is his PFF rating, which has been above 80 in three of his last four seasons and currently ranks him as the fifth-best interior defensive lineman in the NFL out of 201 qualifying candidates. Campbell ranks 20th overall in pass rush grade at 72.5 and is even better against the run, ranking fourth league-wide at 79.4 despite having "down" traditional stats on the year.
Had the Eagles brought in Campbell, they would have had two of the top-10 interior defensive linemen in the PFF system in addition to Jalen Carter, but adding the 38-year-old would have impacted the team more than just statistically, as his presence as a leader could have been incredibly valuable for Philadelphia in 2024.
Calais Campbell could mentor Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter
In 2024, the Eagles' defense is young.
Sure, they have a few veteran players from the past regime who are still holding on, like Brandon Graham and Darius Slay, but they are regularly starting seven defensive players who are on rookie-scale contracts, including two actual rookies, and as a result, the unit is growing together under their new defensive coordinator Fangio.
Adding a player like Campbell, a former Walter Payton Man of the Year who is about as respected as any defensive lineman in the year, would be a fantastic way to help players like Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Milton Williams, and Moro Ojomo take a step forward in the pursuit of an elite long-term unit worthy of a new nickname.
Now granted, adding Campbell to the roster would take snaps away from someone, but is that really a bad thing? Carter is playing nearly 80 percent of the Eagles' defensive snaps in 2024 and may end up surpassing his 2023 total before Thanksgiving, with more than a month left to play in the season. Adding another legit rotational player who could play base 3-4 defensive end or kick it inside to play defensive tackle on obvious passing downs would have made life easier for the Eagles long-term, as it's clear Fangio feels a whole lot better about Carter being on the field than any other defensive lineman on the roster.
The Eagles' edge rushers need snaps to grow
While adding a defensive tackle who could soak up snaps and ease the burden on Carter would have been a good idea, it becomes even more so versus adding an edge rusher when you break down the numbers and really consider the Eagles' success in 2024 and beyond.
You see, unlike at defensive tackle, where the Eagles have three different rookie-scale players who have played at least 40 percent of the defensive snaps, Philly only has one edge rusher who fits that bill in Nolan Smith, who barely fits the criteria at 42.01 percent. In front of Smith is Joash Sweat at nearly 64 percent and Brandon Graham, who, at 36, has played 23 more snaps than the 2023 first-round pick.
And as for 2024 third-round pick Jaylyx Hunt? Well, if it feels like he hasn't done much in 2024, that's likely intentional, as he's only played 17 total snaps this season versus 113 on special teams.
Had the Eagles traded for an edge rusher who was more likely than not going to be a short-term answer, like, say, Arden Key, is there any way fans could trust that a stopgap veteran would take snaps away from Sweat and Graham, who are playing too much, instead of Smith, who is playing a little less than he should? Swapping out Huff for Key? Sure, do that if you'd like, but at this point, the Eagles are probably too old at defensive end without a clear star at the position, and adding more players of that profile feels like the wrong way to build the team instead, especially if there is no one missing piece that will put the Eagles over the top.
