Trade deadline hits while Eagles return to work | Early Birds
The trade deadline is on Tuesday, and the coordinators speak.
/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-pmn.s3.amazonaws.com/public/K6Y7VPEMR5DD3DV6YB6VYW4TU4.jpg)
Good morning, Eagles fans. This is a Halloween edition of Early Birds, with the Eagles reporting to the NovaCare Complex after a day off to get ready for Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos.
With the trade deadline at 4 p.m., we'll have the latest on Philly.com if the Eagles make any moves. In-season trades are rare in the NFL, although there were two on Monday. The Eagles are legitimate contenders who could be looking for upgrades, and Howie Roseman is known to be aggressive. The Eagles will add a player to the 53-man roster this week one way or another because Jordan Hicks is not yet on injured reserve.
Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz and offensive coordinator Frank Reich will hold news conferences at 1:30 p.m. Schwartz's unit is coming off one of its best games of the season, as explained in Monday's Early Birds. Reich's offense will have a tough challenge against the Broncos defense, which is one of the best in the NFL. The matchup of Lane Johnson vs. Von Miller is one to watch.
On the day after games, it's always revealing to look at playing time distribution. Wide receiver Torrey Smith took a season-low 46 percent of the offensive snaps, with Mack Hollins (26 percent) and Marcus Johnson (30 percent) taking on a greater workload. That's partly because the Eagles had a big lead late in the game and played their reserves the final nine offensive snaps, but it will be worth monitoring whether the young receivers continue to receive more playing time.
If your friends haven't subscribed to Early Birds, it's free to sign up here to receive the newsletter in your inbox every weekday. I want to know what you think, what we should add, and what you want to read, so send me feedback by email or on Twitter @ZBerm. Thank you for reading.
— Zach Berman
What you need to know about the Eagles
Will the Eagles make a trade on Tuesday? Find out what Doug Pederson has to say.
The Eagles must improve their pass protection, Les Bowen writes.
There's a lot of ambiguity about whether Fletcher Cox injured 49ers tackle Joe Staley, and Bowen writes that the film didn't offer Pederson any clarity.
Bob Ford tells you how a surprising Eagles season can become shocking.
What did Jeff McLane learn in the Eagles-49ers game?
Paul Domowitch gives you five reasons the Eagles won.
Listen to the latest Birds' Eye View podcast.
From the mailbag
For those who didn't see the news, the Seahawks acquired Duane Brown from the Texans on Monday night. That's a big addition for the Seahawks, who are the Eagles' biggest challenger in the NFC. The move certainly improves their offense, but I don't think the Eagles should make a move in response. They should make a move that's right for them, independent of what the Seahawks did. The Eagles are limited in high draft picks — I can't imagine them dealing a 2019 second-round pick considering they lack second- and third-round picks in 2018 — so that's a tough price to match if they wanted to try to get a similarly significant tackle. I still think the best move for the Eagles would be a pass-blocking running back at an affordable price. I'd call Indianapolis to see what it would cost to get Frank Gore. That would help the offense. As for the offensive line, my guess is the Eagles stick with Halapoulivaati Vaitai at left tackle. If they add an offensive lineman, I think it's for depth purposes.