Thank goodness the Philadelphia Eagles stood firm at the trade deadline

Currently stuck in mediocrity, it is a blessing in disguise the Philadelphia Eagles stood pat at the NFL Trade Deadline.

As we sit here in early November with the Philadelphia Eagles in first place in the NFC East, we would typically be debating whether the trade the Birds made to improve their roster was a good one. But not this year, not in the crazy year that has been 2020. Nope, even sitting in first place in the division, the Eagles sit at a measly 3-4-1 without much hope for a deep playoff run this winter.

Super Bowl 52 seems like it was forever ago; and with back to back seasons of regression, here we sit with another path to the playoffs right in front of us. However, the regression has continued, as this current Philadelphia team is essentially a shell of what they used to be. As the roster continues to age, the best decision is to look to get younger, and “re-tool” the roster as opposed to “rebuild.”

Trading assets such as draft picks or young players would have been incredibly unproductive, and would have further kicked the can down the road, elongating the eventual bottom falling completely out.

More from Section 215

• 4 Eagles on the Bubble Who Have Clinched Their 53-Man Roster Spots
• Best Pennsylvania Sportsbook Promos: Win $650 GUARANTEED Bonus PLUS $100 off NFL Sunday Ticket
• 3 Punters the Eagles Must Target to Replace Arryn Siposs
• Cowboys Trey Lance Trade Proves How Screwed They Are With Dak Prescott
• Devon Allen Took Britain Covey’s Job on Eagles

In 2018 when the Philadelphia Eagles acquired wide receiver Golden Tate at the trade deadline for a 2019 third-round pick, it made some sense. Fresh off their first Super Bowl with aspirations of obtaining another, adding a veteran player that could get you over the top was hard to argue against. What it resulted in was a trip to the Divisional Round, and eventually a loss at the hands of the New Orleans Saints.

2019 saw the team take another step backwards, but once again a move was made at the trade deadline. A 2021 fourth-round pick was traded to the Cleveland Browns for edge rusher Genard Avery. The move at the time was a bit puzzling, and even now looking back on it, it still does not make a ton of sense. Gone again was another future draft pick, a potential young player to be had on a rookie deal for years to come.

Oh, and the Birds also traded a 2020 fifth-round pick before the start of the 2019 season for veteran running back Jordan Howard, who played one season in Philadelphia. Gone was another potential young player on a cost controllable multi-year rookie deal. What these moves yielded was another playoff exit, this time even a round earlier; as the Eagles fell to the Seattle Seahawks in the Wildcard Round (at home too, yuck).

Are you noticing a trend? As the team continues to go backwards, they continue to punt away future young talent for players to help them win now. Thankfully, this year was a different story.

As already mentioned, getting younger is the way to go for this Philadelphia Eagles team. It has become crystal clear the current core’s championship window has closed. This is nothing to hang our heads about; I mean hey, they did deliver Philadelphia their first Super Bowl win. Teams get older and windows close; this is the nature of the NFL. The important thing is to be able to identify when this is occurring, and not letting it get away from you.

It appears the Eagles have finally reached the point of acceptance; which is huge because this is the first step in building the next great Philadelphia Eagles team.

It may suck right now, but the inactivity at the deadline was the best thing the Eagles could have done. While there certainly were some good players to be had; deciding to look towards the future will pay off in the end.