A firing? Big trades? The Eagles need a change and ‘everything should be on the table.’ Here’s what they’re saying.
The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday and the Birds will have extra time to regroup thanks to the bye. Is now the time for a big shake-up?
The Eagles are now on a seven-game losing streak following their 19-11 home loss to the Giants. For the Birds, it marked their third consecutive loss to an NFC East foe; for New York, it was their first win at Lincoln Financial Field since 2013.
The Eagles arrive at a potential inflection point following the loss, as the trade deadline looms and a bye week follows. There has been plenty of speculation surrounding what comes next and what changes the team could make in the coming days. Here’s a look at what the national media is saying.
‘Everything should be on the table’
With the trade deadline at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, the Eagles could look like a different team coming out of their bye week. CBS Sports analyst Pete Prisco gave off a list of names that could potentially be dealt. It included a player in Saquon Barkley who has remained the subject of trade rumors despite the Eagles reportedly telling him he wouldn’t be moved.
“Yeah, I think [Moro] Ojomo on the defensive line will be dealt because he’s in the final year of his contract, they don’t want to bring him back,” Prisco said. “So, I think he’s gone. Nolan Smith, another guy in the last year of his contract, you might trade for him. Somebody might need a designated pass rusher. At times he can look really good.
“What about [Saquon] Barkley? If somebody is interested in Barkley, do you make that move?”
Eagles offensive guard Landon Dickerson, cornerback Riq Woolen, tight end Dallas Goedert, and Barkley were also listed on CBS Sports’ list of 20 players who could have the biggest impact if dealt.
“After Philadelphia dropped to 2-7 with a loss to the Giants, everything should be on the table,” Tyler Sullivan wrote. “That includes moving on from Pro Bowl guard Landon Dickerson, who has been among the Eagles players reportedly mulled over in trade talks. … They’re reportedly not looking to deal Barkley. Again, maybe that’s simply because the right offer hasn’t come across Howie Roseman’s desk yet.”
» READ MORE: Answering your AMA questions about the Eagles at the trade deadline: Who’s likely out, who’s untouchable, 2027 plans
‘There’s got to be some sort of shift’
Roseman has some decisions to make when it comes to deciding which players to potentially move ahead of the deadline. But they aren’t the only ones. There are also decisions to make regarding the coaching staff. Should Nick Sirianni be on the hot seat after losing seven straight?
Former quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles, who turned some heads last week by questioning the Eagles’ culture, doesn’t see firing Sirianni as a possibility.
“I think it would be a major mistake to fire him at any point, after this season or during the season,” said Foles on The SZN podcast. “Coaching in Philadelphia is very difficult. … It’s not a city that anyone can play in and that anyone can coach in. With that being said, he’s navigated Philly sports for going on six years. He’s had a ton of success.”
However, Foles does believe there will be some kind of changes during the bye week.
“I don’t like getting rid of coaches because then you’re short of coaches and that hurts with game planning,” Foles said. “But I think it’s been tough enough where at least those conversations are had. There’s got to be some sort of shift.”
» READ MORE: Eagles trade deadline tracker: Rumors, potential moves, and biggest deals from around the NFL
Does that mean taking play-calling duties away from Sean Mannion? Or perhaps something more drastic, like a firing?
As for the rest of the season, Foles believes the Birds will end the season with a 5-12 record — defeating the Arizona Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, and either the Dallas Cowboys or the Giants.
There is a ‘blessing in losing’
At least one ex-player is looking on the bright side. Former Eagles running back LeSean McCoy believes losing this season could potentially lead to a blessing.
“We got a lot of starters on our team. Sit them down,” McCoy said. “Make sure they’re healthy for next year. And we’re going to lose some games, that’s what it is. We don’t do it much but we’re doing it this year.
“I do think though, the blessing in losing is we can go out there and get us that player from Ohio State, Jeremiah Smith. If we go out there and get him, oh my God, we’ll be back where we left off. A.J. Brown left. Jeremiah Smith is here. That’s the move. And if anybody can do it, Howie Roseman can do it. … We’ll be back to Super Bowl contenders.”
A crucial crossroads is here. The Eagles have reached the bye and, as timing would also have it, the NFL trade deadline, mired in their worst stretch of the Nick Sirianni era. There’s no doubt the franchise needs to course correct, but how? With who? Will players be on the move? Could coaches’ jobs be on the line? The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane and Olivia Reiner conduct an autopsy of the Eagles after their seventh straight loss - a 19-11 defeat to the New York Giants - and look at the big picture of an organization that has swiftly fallen far from its Super Bowl glory two years ago. Listen here.
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