Adrian Fedkiw
Let’s remember who the Philadelphia Eagles just traded with.
The Cleveland freaking Browns.
They always screw it up at the quarterback position. If there’s one team that would pass on a franchise guy when they finally had a chance to get one, it’s the Browns. Twenty four different starting quarterbacks since 1999, let’s keep that in the back of our minds.
Good luck, RGIII.
Let’s get real, though, the Eagles just gave up a huge haul to obtain the No. 2 overall selection in next week’s NFL Draft. They sent their eighth overall, third round (77th overall) and fourth round (100) picks this year along with a 2017 first-rounder and 2018 second-rounder to Cleveland for that No. 2 and a 2017 fourth rounder. In reality it’s actually a bit more because you can include the trades of Kiko Alonso, Byron Maxwell and DeMarco Murray in the deal as well. Philadelphia shipped Maxwell and Alonso to the Miami Dolphins to move from 13 to eight and Murray was traded to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a swap of fourth-round picks.
It’s bold, it’s daring and it’s a bit crazy.
I like it!
The trade can be simply broken down like this. The Eagles clearly think they won’t have this type of opportunity again of being in the top ten and landing a true franchise quarterback. Cleveland knows it stinks and can attack the position next year while bringing in a bunch of picks to jump-start the rebuild and finding out if the quarterback whisperer and head coach Hue Jackson can work some magic with Robert Griffin III.
Sure, the Eagles have a plethora of holes to fill and keeping those picks would’ve plugged a few of them, but I don’t picture this current roster as one that’s going to make a deep playoff run in the next few years. Sam Bradford is simply not getting you there.
I’m looking at what this team could look like three years from now. If the Eagles find their future franchise quarterback in this draft and lock up Fletcher Cox and build the defense around him, all of a sudden there’s some serious potential. Cox is still just 25 years old as well. I am completely OK with being mediocre for a few years while waiting to get the picks back. This current team how it’s made up is basically treading in mediocrity already.
According to the draft trade chart, let’s say the Eagles are an average team over the next two years, the Browns received 435 extra points in the deal, basically the equivalent of the 2018 second rounder (430 points) the Birds are sending them. The fourth rounders basically cancel out because the fourth Cleveland received is the second selection of that round, but I expect the Browns to be really bad next year and picking in the top three again.
Because the picks are spread out, it’s actually not too too bad. That’s contingent on if their quarterback pans out and if he does, nobody will remember the cost in five years.
Even though there’s been conflicting reports, North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz appears to be the quarterback that drops to No. 2. California’s Jared Goff is the more pro-ready prospect and might be able to start in Week 1. The Rams are also in a position to win now with Todd Gurley in tow at running back and a scary defensive front seven which includes defensive end Robert Quinn and defensive tackle Aaron Donald.
There is a lot to like about Wentz.
The first thing that pops out at me is his athleticism for a 6-foot-6, 230-pounder. He’s very adept at stepping up in the pocket and escaping pressure when it collapses and making people miss in the open field. North Dakota State called designed runs for him, which will translate to the pros when he’s around the goal line.
The next thing are his feet, quick release, arm strength and touch. When I watched the combine back in February, I couldn’t help but notice how light and smooth Wentz’s feet were on his dropbacks compared to the rest of the quarterbacks. The ball also comes out of the his hand very effortlessly and while he might not have the strongest arm in the draft, he’ll have no trouble flinging it on those 18-yard deep outs. Wentz also has the ability to drop it into the bucket on deep patterns and in the back corners of the end zone when inside the 20.
The last thing is his competitiveness and NFL Network’s Mike Mayock compared him to Philip Rivers in that aspect. Quite the praise! He’s a leader and fiery on game days.
The question marks are there, too. What about his lack of competition and the fact that he has just 23 starts and 612 pass attempts at the FCS level? And due to that lack of competition, those windows are much larger and more receivers run free than what he’d see in the SEC for example. I’d also like to see his accuracy improve.
Eagles head coach Doug Pederson has used the word “smart” a lot when asked about the traits he looks for in a quarterback this offseason. He wants one that wins, has the work ethic, intangibles and toughness. These are all characteristics Mayock said Wentz had. These are also traits that Alex Smith in Kansas City had. Smith is also sneaky athletic and ran for 498 yards in 2015, the fourth highest among quarterbacks. Pederson can take advantage of Wentz’s wheels just as he did Smith’s.
He fits what Pederson likes and the Bison did run a west-coast offense. Overall, I’m a big fan of Wentz and believe he has the ability to be a fringe top-10 quarterback in the NFL.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hc71jjBY7U
And to the people who have already given up on him because they can’t get past the FCS label, let me throw this at you.
Five non-FBS quarterbacks have been taken in the first round since 1978: Doug Williams (17th, 1978), Phil Simms (7th, 1979), Ken O’Brien (24th, 1983), Steve McNair (3rd, 1995) and Joe Flacco (18th, 2008). Three of those guys won a Super Bowl and another was a yard short of potentially winning one. O’Brien was the only one to not play in a Super Bowl, but he wasn’t an FCS quarterback.
So every FCS quarterback who has been drafted in the first round over the last 38 years has at least made it to the big game.
Let’s take a look at some teams who have traded up into the top six over recent years. The Browns were involved in three of the five deals listed below. They lost out on one, tied in another and the other is still too early to call.
Obviously the most-discussed blockbuster was the one between the then St. Louis Rams and Washington Redskins when the Redskins parted ways with three first-rounders and a second to navigate up from No. 6 to No. 2 so they could draft the 2012 NFL Rookie of the Year Griffin.
That collection of assets eventually turned into Michael Brockers, Greg Robinson, Janoris Jenkins, Isaiah Pead, Rokevious Watkins, Alec Ogletree, Stedman Bailey and Zac Stacy. The Rams won the trade based on value, but the Redskins have won the NFC East twice during that time frame and posted a 26-38 record, while the Rams have recorded a 27-36-1 mark. So who really won?
The Jets moved from 17 to No. 5 in 2009 so they could take USC’s Mark Sanchez. In addition to the 17th pick, New York gave up its second-round pick and three players, defensive end Kenyon Coleman, safety Abram Elam and quarterback Brett Ratliff to the Browns.
Cleveland wound up trading back twice more and took center Alex Mack with the 21st pick. With a pair of extra sixth-round selections, acquired from the Tampa Buccaneers and Eagles (Philly took Jeremy Maclin at No. 19), the Browns added Coyie Francies and James Davis. The second-rounder wound up being David Veikune. Besides the pro-bowl center Mack, not much back in return for the Browns. Sanchez didn’t live up to expectations, but did lead the Jets to a pair of AFC Championship Game appearances in his first two years as a starter. I’d give the Jets the win here as crazy as that might sound, but for the purposes of this column we’ll call it even.
The Dolphins jumped up from No. 12 to third overall in 2013 so they could select Oregon edge rusher Dion Jordan, who has been a bust. They sent a second-rounder to Oakland, which took D.J. Hayden at No. 12 and Menelik Watson in the second. Neither of those guys have panned out either so we’ll call this one a wash.
The Buffalo Bills got up from No. 9 to fourth in 2014 so they could take Sammy Watkins. The Bills also traded a first and a fourth to the Bills in 2015, which wound up being Cam Erving and Ibraheim Campbell. The Browns also moved one spot up to No. 8 in 2014 so they could snag Justin Gilbert. We can’t really judge this one yet because it’s still early, but let’s remember that this was also the same draft which featured Mike Evans and Odell Beckham. Was it really necessary for Buffalo to trade up? I’d give the edge to the Bills here if I did have to grade it.
The big trade-up winner came in 2011 when the Atlanta Falcons worked their way up from 27 to No. 6 so they could select Julio Jones. The Falcons also added a second rounder and a fourth that year to go with a first and fourth in 2012. Cleveland eventually picked up Phil Taylor, Greg Little, Owen Maricic and Brandon Weeden. That fourth-rounder wound up being used to trade up for Trent Richardson.
Out of the trades, I’d say there was a victory on both sides of the ledger for a team trading up or down, two were a wash and the other is to be determined, although the team that worked their way up is winning. It’s great if you can obtain a bunch of picks, but you still have to hit on them.
Following the Maxwell, Alonso and Murray trades, the Eagles had to fill holes at cornerback, safety, outside linebacker, running back, wide receiver, guard and a tackle for the future.
They’ve been able to plug some of those holes by signing younger free agents Rodney McLeod and Brandon Brooks to backloaded deals. Philadelphia locked up the 25-year-old McLeod to a five-year, $35 million deal, but he’s just a $2.6 million cap hit for 2016. The 26-year-old Brooks inked a five-year, $40 million pact and is a cap hit of $3.2 million. The same backloaded concept was also used with the extensions handed out to Malcolm Jenkins, Lane Johnson, Vinny Curry, Sam Bradford and Zach Ertz.
Howie Roseman might look at those two free-agent acquisitions almost like a pair of high-priced draft picks. McLeod and Brooks will still be in their primes when Wentz is ready to start and by backloading the deals, the Eagles may not have money to spend down the line, but Howie will have his picks back by then.
You’d think the Eagles would also be able to snag a second or third-round pick back for Bradford, whether it’s this year or next. Bradford was reportedly “hot” about the deal and is demanding a trade, but would Philadelphia ship him before or during the draft?
Bradford is a cap hit of $12.5 million this season and the Eagles would save just $1.5 million in cap space due to a dead money value of $11 million if they traded him prior to June 1st. That dead money value drops to $5.5 million if Philadelphia elects to ship him away after June 1st. Next year the cap hit rises to $22.5 million with a $5.5 million dead money value. Philly would save $17 million in cap space if it traded him after the season and you’d think a potential trade partner would renegotiate his contract.
The New York Jets and Denver Broncos need starting quarterbacks. Maybe Roseman would elect eat the money if the Jets or Broncos were desperate enough to send a second-rounder for him. And hell, maybe the Broncos would even be willing to ship the Birds their first (I highly doubt it). It’s tough to be content with Sanchez as your starting quarterback.
If the Eagles wait until after the draft and Denver or New York would still like to add Bradford after June 1st, then maybe you can work something out, but it’d be preferred to deal him after 2016 is over.
Philadelphia’s initial reaction to the trade was that of disgust. I’m in the minority of liking the swap and hope Wentz (he’ll be the pick most likely) gets booed when he gets the call up to the stage and shakes Roger Goodell’s hand.
You guys remember the last time we vehemently disagreed with the Eagles’ No. 2 overall pick, right?