The Philadelphia Eagles passed on DeVante Parker two years in a row

Had the Philadelphia Eagles traded for DeVante Parker when they had the chance in 2018 and 2019, the final outcome of Week 13 may have been very, very different.

What was the single biggest difference-maker in the Philadelphia Eagles‘ unconscionable loss to the Miami Dolphins?

Was it Doug Pederson‘s borderline unhinged playcalling? The defense’s inability to get to Ryan Fitzpatrick in the pocket? Jalen Mills and Ronald Darby putting on their best Bradley Fletcher/Cary Williams impersonation?

None of the above. No, the biggest difference between the Eagles and the Dolphins was that Miami had DeVante Parker, and Philly did not.

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Now sure, the Eagles did have Alshon Jeffery back from an ankle injury, and the 29-year-old super-possession receiver put up a season-high 137 yards and a touchdown on nine catches, but Parker had 159 yards and two touchdowns on only seven catches, and all but willed the Fins to the most unlikely win of the season.

Parker may have also inadvertently cost the Dolphins a shot at the number one overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, but hey, they kind of deserve it for frying the playoff aspirations of every Birds fan in the Delaware Vally.

But, you may ask, why am I bringing this up? Well, Parker almost was an Eagle, or at the very least could have been.

You see, some six months removed from having his fifth-year option declined, Parker was linked to the Eagles as a potential 2018 trade deadline target, before Howie Roseman opted to take things in a different direction and flip a third – the Dolphins’ asking price – to the Detroit Lions for Golden Tate.

Boy, that move aged well.

And yet, that wasn’t the only chance Roseman had to acquire Parker. Again on the block, this time because of the Dolphins’ mid-season fire sale, the Eagles again had an opportunity to trade for Parker back in October, but again, opted to ship a fourth-round pick in 2021 to the Cleveland Browns for Genard Avery – a linebacker/defensive end who has played all of 12 snaps in midnight green.

Not to add insult to injury, but the Eagles probably could have had Parker and the remainder of his two-year, $10 million deal for a fourth-round pick as well, albeit one in 2020, not 2021.

But alas, yet again, Roseman declined to do so. Who knows, had DeSean Jackson re-injured his abdominal injury in Week 7 instead of Week 9, maybe the front office would have pulled off a deal to acquire a legitimately talented receiver with deep threat ability like Parker or Temple-alum Robby Anderson, but unfortunately, we may never know.

What we do know, however, is that Parker almost single-handedly toppled the Eagles’ hopes of winning out, all the while looking like a legitimately talented player worthy of the number one receiver moniker.

Next. Jordan Howard can name his own price. dark

Now look, if we’re being honest, there’s no way the Philadelphia Eagles could have predicted that they would lose to the rudderless Miami Dolphins, even if Fitzpatrick has a 3-3-1 record against the team. If that were the case then sure, I imagine DeVante Parker would be rocking a midnight green jersey, but still, after months of receiving struggles, it’s hard not to watch what the 26-year-old Louisville product did against Jim Schwartz‘s secondary and feel a serious case of (non)buyer’s remorse.

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