Philadelphia Eagles: Why wasn’t Jordan Hicks in the Zach Ertz trade?

Trading a former superstar a near-decade into their career with a team is never easy.

Fans build strong connections to players, especially ones who play their game the “right” way, and to their credit, the best players find a way to embed themselves to the tapestries of their adoptive homes to become a part of the community off the field, ice, or court.

Can players who don’t fully “buy-in” still become fan favorites? Most definitely. Fletcher Cox never left his Mississippi roots, and he remains very popular around this part of town. But when a player like Connor Barwin moves to Fishtown, starts attending shows at Union Transfer, and gets his own Yards signature beer, it ingratiates him to a fanbase even when his production doesn’t quite match expectations.

Zach Ertz unquestionably falls into the Barwin category of players, and like with CB, his exit from town is like a prolonged breakup that is ultimately the best course of action but still stinks nonetheless.

With that being said, the Philadelphia Eagles didn’t just trade Ertz for nothing. Despite some quibbling with the return Howie Roseman procured, he still left the deal with two future assets that could help the team down the line.

But why, I ask semi-rhetorically, didn’t Roseman focus on the Eagles’ on-field issues right now, with a spot in the playoffs somehow still up for grabs? Why didn’t he look at the team’s depth chart and say, “Jordan Hicks, the Philadelphia Eagles need Jordan Hicks.”

The Philadelphia Eagles waited too long to re-acquire Jordan Hicks.

When the Arizona Cardinals drafted Zaven Collins 16th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, it effectively spelled the end of Jordan Hicks’ future in the desert.

… and when I say “effectively spelled the end,” I mean that quite literally.

That’s right, according to the man himself as relayed by Josh Weinfuss of ESPN, general manager Steve Keim called up Hicks and informed him that he wouldn’t be competing for a starting inside linebacker job spot in 2021, with the roles instead going to Collins and Isaiah Simmons sans any sort of camp competition.

This, understandably, hurt Hicks. After spending two seasons as an every game starter on the inside, being demoted without a chance to even compete for his long-time spot led the former member of the Philadelphia Eagles to ask for a trade; a request that Keim explored but ultimately didn’t honor.

Why? Because Hicks ultimately did find his way onto the field and is currently tied for the most defensive snaps on the team with Budda Baker at 380.

Yeah, if Hicks was available a few months back, he certainly isn’t anymore.

Now granted, had Howie Roseman called up Keim and offered a one-for-one deal centered around Hicks and Zach Ertz during the preseason, he might have been rejected outright. The Cardinals ultimately got in on the Ertz deal because their top tight end, Maxx Williams, was placed on season-ending IR with a knee injury, likely wouldn’t have been as into a deal for a second premier pass-catching tight end for a scheme notorious for spending the ball out with three, four, even five wide receiver sets.

That, unfortunately, is just how the cookie crumbles sometimes; a marginal player turns in a breakout campaign, a star falters, and, most often of all, injuries change the entire planning process of a franchise regardless of their record.

Would it have been nice to bring Jordan Hicks back to the City of Brotherly Love? Most definitely. Even at 29, Hicks is a prototypical 4-3 middle linebacker, and he’s largely left his injury-prone distinction in the rearview, as he’s appeared in every game he’s been eligible for as a member of the Arizona Cardinals. *sigh* At least Davion Taylor played fairly well for the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 6; I guess that’s something to hang our collective hat on.