The Philadelphia Eagles already won the 2019 NFL trade deadline
While the Philadelphia Eagles didn’t make another move before the 2019 NFL trade deadline, Howie Roseman already won out with the acquisition of Jordan Howard.
With 4 pm EST officially passed, I think it’s safe to say the Philadelphia Eagles have won the 2019 NFL trade deadline.
That’s right, despite pulling off just one move within 24 hours of the deadline – flipping a 2021 fourth rounder to the Cleveland Browns for “thick and strong” defensive end Genard Avery – Howie Roseman stuck to his guns, kept his options open, and made the most effective move of the 2019 NFL calendar year: Trading a 2020 fifth-round pick to the Chicago Bears for Jordan Howard.
I know, I know, this move is old news, but what can I say, it was a slow day.
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Despite having an opportunity to trade multiple high-profile picks to the Jacksonville Jaguars for Jalen Ramsey, multiple mid-profile picks to the New York Jets for Leonard Williams (or Robby Anderson), or even a mid-round/player flyer on Marcus Peters, Roseman held pat to avoid giving up long-term assets for a short-term gain, even if said gain was substantial.
The trade for Howard, however, was so cost-effective that it became almost ludicrous to turn down when compared to his production.
With 3,370 yards and 24 touchdowns amassed over his first 67 NFL games, Howard ranked among the best statistical rushers in the NFL from 2016-18. While one could argue that those numbers should be taken with a grain of salt, as Howard was largely available because of his ‘one-dimensional’ style of play, snagging a 24-year-old Pro Bowler at a position of need on a rookie contract has to be considered a major win – even if the running back position has become considerably undervalued.
Take away the names and positions, and based on accolades alone, there isn’t too much separating Ramsey and Howard as far as their early accolades and standing in relation to the rest of the league.
And best of all, the Eagles received a full season of Howard’s services for their draft pick, as opposed to the limited production the team will receive from Avery.
Through the first eight weeks of the season, Howard has rushed the ball an even 100 times for 443 yards and four touchdowns. While those numbers are downgrades from his tenure in Chicago, in large part because of Miles Sanders‘ development, Howard is still on pace to rush for 886 yards – the first running back to hit that mark as a member of the Eagles in a single season since LeSean McCoy back in 2014 (yes, seriously).
As the leaves start to fall, daylight gets shorter, and the air gets colder, Howard could become an ever more vital factor in Doug Pederson‘s offensive assault, and could pass into the one comma club for the first time since 2017 – just in time for a brand spanking new contract.
Next. Leonard Williams could have been unstoppable. dark
So no, while the Philadelphia Eagles didn’t make a monster trade for a mid-season difference-maker, the team already knocked the best bang-for-your-buck move out of the park earlier this season in Jordan Howard. Howie Roseman, you did good, even if it came in the most anti-climactic manner possible.