Philly Gets a #1 Overall Pick? One Trade Target for Each NFC East Team Before the Trade Deadline
Photo Credit: Richard Rodriguez, Getty Images
Washington Commanders: Jonathan Jones, CB, New England Patriots
Photo Credit: Pats Pulpit, SB Nation
The Washington Commanders have been quite a surprise to this point in the season, as many expected them to be a middle of the pack team at best going into the year. Now sitting at 5-2 following a 40-7 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, the Commanders are in a prime position, sitting atop the NFC East. As such, they should look to fill holes before the November 5 deadline.
One of the biggest needs for this team is at the cornerback position. After drafting Emmanuel Forbes in the first round just last year, this may come as a shock. However, Forbes’ play to this point has been lackluster and he seems to have fallen out of favor with head coach Dan Quinn, as he is now playing less than 40 percent of snaps. Forbes still has potential, sure, but for the immediate future, the Commanders still need help.
And help they would receive by acquiring Jonathan Jones of the New England Patriots. With New England head coach Jerod Mayo describing the Patriots as being in a “multi-year rebuild”, it feels safe to assume that a 31-year old player would like to go to a team with more immediate aspirations. While Jones’ stats are not off the chart, his presence is still known and his veteran leadership in a young locker room could pay dividends for Washington’s success. Jones would also get the chance to be on a team with potential to make noise in the NFC this season and Washington would benefit by shoring up a position they need assistance in a major way.
New York Giants: Draft picks
Photo Credit: Jeff Roberson, AP Photo
If this feels like a bit of a cop-out answer, I sincerely apologize. However, the Giants have looked rough dating back to the 2023 season. The Daniel Jones experiment has continued to yield middling results, the team lost one of its biggest stars in free agency to a division rival when Saquon Barkley joined the Philadelphia Eagles, and star tackle Andrew Thomas suffered an injury in Week 6, sidelining him for the rest of the season. Even with Malik Nabers getting healthy, the Giants still could only muster three points in a 3-28 loss to the Eagles on Sunday.
At this point, this team needs to be looking towards the future. They have bright spots such as the previously mentioned Nabers and Thomas, and even more potential in defensive standouts Kayvon Thibodeaux and Dexter Lawrence to name a few. With that said, the majority of the team, including the most important position, quarterback, are not in a great position for the future and fans are left disappointed week in and week out.
The 2025 class may be lacking in bonafide star talent at QB, but at receiver and running back, this class is shaping up to be potentially massive. When a team has as many holes as the Giants, it is worth it to consider acquiring as many draft picks as possible, to help convince stars to come to the team in free agency as well as maintaining in-house talent. It is unclear what exactly the value would be for some of these players on the roster currently, but there’s value in accumulating picks to get as many tries at a star, or at least solid rotation pieces as possible.
Dallas Cowboys: Budda Baker, S, Arizona Cardinals
Photo Credit: Mark Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports
The Cowboys find themselves with a disappointing but manageable 3-3 record going into their Week 7 bye. Dak and Ceedee have continued to ball out, but with injuries to their top defensive stars in Demarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons, “America’s Team” has been left in a poor spot and haven’t been able to get pressure. Because of this, another major issue with the team was exposed as once players got past Trevon Diggs or Jourdan Lewis, safeties Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson have been unable to stop much.
With an issue prevalent at safety, it would make sense for the Cowboys to look to fill that slot to keep pace within the NFC East by bringing in fresh talent and bolstering their secondary. One way they could do this is by acquiring Budda Baker from the Cardinals. Baker was a hot commodity in the offseason as frequent rumors circled around him potentially as it’s not often a six-time Pro Bowler is being shopped around. Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort has let reporters know that discussions for trades involving Baker are already underway as the deadline approaches.
For Baker, he would get to go to a team with more of a championship window and aspirations than the Cardinals have currently. For the Cowboys, Jerry Jones would get to tell fans he did something for them while also bolstering a poor secondary unit. If the Cowboys can keep compensation low, this could be just the move to get them back on track to playoff contention.
Philadelphia Eagles: Travon Walker, DE, Jacksonville Jaguars
Photo Credit: Big Cat Country, SB Nation
In the offseason, the Eagles knew a looming deal with pass-rusher Haason Reddick was on the horizon and ended up trading him to the New York Jets for a conditional third-round pick. Reddick’s holdout saga finally came to a close after Reddick lost out on millions of dollars by refusing to appear until this past week. With Reddick gone, the Eagles signed defensive end Bryce Huff from the Jets in free agency for a three-year $51.1 million contract. To this point, Huff has not lived up to either the contract or expectations as he has only amassed six tackles and 1.5 sacks through six games.
While Huff is getting acclimated to the defense and his presence may become more known, for now, the Eagles could use another pass-rusher to get to the quarterback. Outside of the Giants game on Sunday, the Eagles have had a tough time getting pressure and it has hindered their success at times.
The 2022 NFL Draft’s #1 overall pick Travon Walker could potentially be the answer the Eagles need in that department. While Walker’s production has not been what one would expect from a first overall draft pick, his presence would still be felt on a struggling pass rush in Philadelphia. There’s another major contributing factor to this potential trade and that is Walker coming from Georgia, which is where many members of the Eagles defense currently comes from. Those players won a national championship in college together and they could reunite to make the Eagles defense one to be feared in the push towards the playoffs.
