Philadelphia Eagles: Trading for WR Allen Robinson makes little sense

Are the Philadelphia Eagles in the market for a new WR?

We’re not even two full weeks into the NFL season and the Philadelphia Eagles are already being connected to players potentially on the trade block. After he removed all Bears related imagery from his Instagram this morning, it was revealed that Chicago Bears wide receiver Allen Robinson had officially asked for a trade, and the Eagles were quickly named as a possible suitor. Philly’s lack of experience at the WR position was put on display on Sunday, but could they really be looking to pull off yet another big trade with the AFC North?

The Philadelphia Eagles have realistically been in the WR market for the entirety of the last two seasons now, as a lot of their investments in that department have really failed to connect. Alshon Jeffery has been a constant locker room disrupter since being extended, the Golden Tate trade flopped miserably, JJ Arcega-Whiteside is dangerously close to “bust” world, and DeSean Jackson still doesn’t appear to be entirely healthy.

The team had been connected to the likes of Odell Beckham Jr. and DeAndre Hopkins last season, but never ended up pulling the trigger, continuing to leave a noticeable void at the position. Rookie wideout Jalen Reagor showed flashes of being something special in his NFL debut, but he would likely benefit a ton from having a true #1 target alongside him.

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Robinson was arguably one of the most underrated players in all of football last season, really blossoming into a legitimate WR1 despite being on the receiving end of some fairly poor QB play. Lining up as the Bears’ number one target most nights, Robinson finished the 2019 season with 98 catches and 1,147 receiving yards. He put up seven touchdowns and also led the entire NFL in contested catches with 26.

Robinson is an extremely talented WR, and at just 27 years old, there’s reason to believe that he is still trending in the right direction. However, as good as he would make this Eagles offense look moving forward, trading for yet another player looking for a payday is about the last thing Howie Roseman can do at the moment.

The Philadelphia Eagles are projected to be anywhere from $50 to $70 million over the salary cap in 2020. Their money issues have already started to bleed over into their decision making, as someone like Zach Ertz is playing without a desired new extension, and the team’s lack of overall depth is a seriously glaring issue.

The going rate for WR contracts at the moment is right around $17-18 million a season, and I simply have no idea where the Eagles would pull that money from. Even if they went full nuclear and traded Ertz this season, they would still have next to no money left around to extend a guy like Robinson appropriately.

Landing a star like Robinson would also likely cost something in terms of draft capital, which again, the Philadelphia Eagles aren’t really in a position to explore. They’ve already seemingly wasted second-round picks on guys like JJAW and Jalen Hurts, and they need as many draft picks as possible moving forward as they continue to look to rebuild their roster.

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The Philadelphia Eagles get mentioned in almost every single trade rumor, it’s a city ritual at this point in time. However, Howie Roseman really sat on his hands during last year’s trade frenzy, and I expect him to do something similar here in 2020 as well. If anything, I would think the team would be looking to offload expensive talent for draft picks, as opposed to the other way around.

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