Eagles fans want to trade nearly every player we asked about in our 'Save or Trade' poll. They only saved three.
We put 16 players on the trade block, including several key contributors, and asked readers to weigh in on their futures. They’re ready for changes.
Last week, after the Eagles’ 38-21 loss to the Cowboys on Monday Night Football and just about two weeks from the NFL trade deadline, we decided to look ahead at which players Howie Roseman and the Birds might move before the 4 p.m. Tuesday deadline. And Eagles fans didn’t hold back.
It’s unlikely many minds were changed after the Eagles were beaten for the sixth straight week, falling to the lowly Commanders and earning themselves a spot in the basement of the NFC East. Following the loss, Marcus Hayes wrote that the Eagles should “sell, sell, sell” — in addition to firing offensive coordinator Sean Mannion. Jeff McLane wondered if owner Jeffrey Lurie would move on from Nick Sirianni in the hopes of jump-starting another successful run (it’s worked before). And even former players think it’s time to pack it in.
» READ MORE: Eagles trade deadline tracker: Rumors, potential moves, and biggest deals from around the NFL
If the results of our first ever Eagles “Save or Trade” poll are any indiction, the fan base agrees. With less than a week left until the NFL trade deadline — and one more division game standing in the way — here’s what we found:
The trades
If Eagles fans ran the front office, they might have a tough time filling out the roster for the rest of the season. Of the 16 players we nominated as potential trade chips, the majority of Eagles fans are ready to say farewell to all but three.
Here are the 13 players fans said they would trade at the deadline, which is well above the six players we identified as most likely to be dealt:
LB A.J. Epenesa: The former Bills pass rusher has three recent seasons with six-plus sacks, but he’s yet to get to the quarterback since joining the Eagles this offseason. Making it tougher is that Epenesa has played in just 17% of the defensive snaps. Despite a solid resumé to lean on, 85% of fans are ready to trade him. We believe he’ll stick around, though.
» READ MORE: The Eagles could lead the NFL in dead salary cap money in 2027. Would a trade-deadline fire sale make things worse?
CB Jonathan Jones: Epenesa wasn’t the only player with over 80% of fans ready to move on. The same can be said for a pair of Eagles cornerbacks. The first is Jones, a licensed pilot who has barely seen the field this season, whether that’s on defense (12% of snaps) or special teams (17%). While Jones has a lot of experience (78 starts) and two Super Bowl rings, 84% of readers voted for him to be traded. His age (33) might make it more difficult for Roseman to get a good return, which is part of why we think he’ll stay.
CB Riq Woolen: Unlike Jones, Woolen has been a regular starter following his offseason acquisition. But like Jones, 84% of fans are ready to trade him. Woolen has received a 62.5 overall grade from Pro Football Focus this season, which ranks him 50th out of 102 qualified corners. He has value, and we think Roseman makes a move as Woolen’s name continues to appear in trade rumors.
WR Hollywood Brown: The former 1,000-yard receiver struggled to get on the field early this season and hasn’t been able to turn it on, despite the absences of the team’s top two wideouts, but that hasn’t stopped trade rumors from materializing. Over the last two games, Brown has four catchers for 47 yards on seven targets. While 82% of fans want to trade Brown, we think he’ll stay.
» READ MORE: Memo to Howie: Trade Saquon, Landon Dickerson, Zack Baun, and maybe Jalen Carter ASAP | Marcus Hayes
S Marcus Epps: Epps has fought through injuries this season after earning a starting job out of camp. Because of those injuries, he’s only started three games (and appeared in three others). Perhaps still pining for the days of Reed Blankenship, 80% of fans are ready to see him play elsewhere, but we think he stays.
CB Michael Carter II: While our writers think Carter sticks around, 76% of fans are ready to move on from the part-time starter who was a deadline acquisition a year ago. That might be tough, however, if Carter reaggravated his abdominal injury against the Commanders. He played just one snap.
LB Arnold Ebiketie: The Eagles added the former Temple and Penn State pass rusher this offseason to bolster their depth after several productive years in Atlanta, but he hasn’t made much of an impact here. Through eight games, he’s played in just 49% of the team’s defensive snaps and has yet to record a sack. Perhaps that’s why 75% of Eagles fans are ready to move on, even though we think he’ll stay.
CB Kelee Ringo: Ringo, a fourth-round pick in 2023, is one of the Philly Dawgs, but he hasn’t quite matched his former college teammates’ output on the field. Ringo has made eight starts at corner in his career, but has not played a defensive snap this season. Instead, he’s become a special teams regular. We don’t think he’ll go, but if Roseman can get a seventh-rounder, maybe he’ll pull the trigger and please the 75% of fans who voted Ringo out.
DT Moro Ojomo: Ojomo, who has been the subject of trade rumors, is on an expiring contract and could be enticing to a contender as a rental, even if he doesn’t have a sack this season. The Eagles likely can’t afford him, given recent deals with Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter, so we think the Birds will try to make a deal here — and 68% of readers say they’d be OK with that.
TE Dallas Goedert: There were questions after last season about whether Goedert would be back, but he ultimately returned on a one-year deal as the team tried to load up and make a run back to the Super Bowl. With the Eagles likely out of contention and Goedert on an expiring deal, he’s another player we believe could have a new home by Tuesday. Despite his eight and a half seasons in Philly, 67% of fans are willing to trade him.
G Landon Dickerson: The run of readers (65% of them) agreeing with our picks continues with for the third straight player, as both sides say it’s time to move on. If Dickerson is traded, that would leave the Eagles with just 40% of their starting offensive line from Week 1 after Lane Johnson retired and Cam Jurgens was traded. But Eagles fans aren’t done trading O-linemen.
LB Nolan Smith Jr.: Our writers also identified Smith as a likely trade candidate, but our readers are pretty split. Just 57% think Smith should be traded. Smith, another former Georgia Bulldog, could find himself in a similar position to Ojomo as the odd man out after Jonathan Greenard signed a big contract and Jalyx Hunt likely in line for the next one. That’s part of why we think the Eagles will look to move him.
G Tyler Steen: If Steen (55%) and Dickerson are traded — and we think they will be — then that would leave Jordan Mailata as the lone remaining starter on what once was considered the best offensive line in football. A certain Fresh Prince meme comes to mind.
» READ MORE: Nick Sirianni’s Eagles are burning. Jeffrey Lurie may prefer his Eagles rise from the ashes of Sirianni’s tenure.
The saves
So which three players survived this hypothetical trade deadline? Two of them might be expected, but one of them certainly isn’t like the others.
RB Saquon Barkley: There were rumors that Barkley might be available at the deadline, but ESPN reported over the weekend that the team plans to keep the veteran running back for the rest of the season. He’s signed for two more seasons and said after the loss to the Commanders that he “would love to be here” and “I plan on being here.” That’s good news because 59% of voters — and our writers — picked to save Barkley from being traded.
LB Zack Baun: Like Barkley, Baun is one of the team captains and was a key cog in the team that won Super Bowl LIX. But sentimentality can’t be the only thing keeping fans from trading two of the team’s more valuable assets, since they seem fine parting ways with several other starters from that team, including Dickerson, Goedert, and Smith. Of the players in question, no one got as much support as the Bald Eagle (75%).
» READ MORE: The Eagles’ season is unraveling. Here are some early 2027 NFL draft story lines to keep an eye on.
OT Fred Johnson: Johnson is the third member of the most recent Super Bowl team to be spared by fans, so maybe there is something to the nostalgia aspect. But in this case, the results may also speak to the current state of the Eagles’ offensive line, since Johnson (58%) received nearly the same save percentage as Barkley. Our writers also agree Johnson should stick around, partially because it’s tough to get good value for a backup, even if he’s been serviceable filling in when needed.
The Eagles have problems. Eight games into the season, that much is sure. But which ones are symptomatic, versus the ones that are systemic? From the head coach to the personnel, from coordinators to the front office, The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane and David Murphy scrutinize the micro issues that point to some of the larger dilemmas the Eagles now face: should they start to pack it in, and who will be held accountable for the team’s shortcomings? Listen here.
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