Philadelphia Eagles: Justin Reid is an ideal trade target

If the Philadelphia Eagles make another trade before the November second deadline, it’ll likely be as sellers.

Sure, they may execute a deal involving swapping players with additional compensation sprinkled on top like they did with Tay Gowan in the Zach Ertz deal, but to center a deal around a player expected to either win now or remain with the team long-term feels like a longshot.

I mean, remember how Howie Roseman’s last big midseason trade went? In all fairness to Genard Avery, he certainly has found a role as the team’s starting SAM linebacker, but my goodness, he certainly hasn’t lived up to the fourth-round pick surrendered for his services.

With that being said, the Eagles most certainly do technically have the assets needed to pull off basically any trade they desire, especially as the prospects of not making the playoffs become more and more realistic. If the right player becomes available, one who is young enough to remain with the team indefinitely but developed enough to transcend a very young coaching staff, you’d have to think Roseman would at least sniff the situation out.

Justin Reid very well may be one of those players.

The Philadelphia Eagles haven’t had a safety like Justin Reid since you know who.

The Philadelphia Eagles are not a team loaded with playmakers.

Sure, they have a few players like Jason Kelce, Darius Slay, and the dynamic duo of Fletcher Cox and Javon Hargrave who strike fear in the hearts of opposing play callers, but those players are all either over 30 or darn near close.

They also, to be fair, have a few very intriguing young players who could one day work their way into that conversation, players like DeVonta Smith, Josh Sweat, and Jordan Mailata to be specific, but for one reason or another – read: Howie Roseman’s poor drafting – the middle class of 24-28-year-old All-Stars are notably absent in the Eagles’ orbit.

Trading for Justin Reid can fix that.

Measuring in at 6-foot-1, 203 pounds, Justin is the younger brother of Eric Reid, who spent seven years in the NFL split between the San Francisco 49ers and the Carolina Panthers. He played his college ball at Stanford, was drafted in the third round back in 2018, and has gone on to become one of the better young safeties in the NFL over his three and a half seasons with the Houston Texans.

Oh yeah, did I mention he wears number 20 for Texas’ other football franchise? That’s a good number for safeties.

Though he’s largely been used as a free safety playing under Romeo Crennel and eventually Lovie Smith, Reid has experience playing all over the defensive formation and has been a very effective performer across the board. He’s a willing tackler, a decent enough blitzer, and one of the better ballhawks in the NFL from the safety position, with seven picks and 23 passes defensed over his 49 games and counting with the Texans.

And the best part? Reid is athletically gifted enough to make any of these plays due to his elite testing numbers at the broad jump, cone drill, and almighty 40-yard dash.

If you’re looking for a safety with legit 4.4 speed who can blanket cover an entire side of the field, Reid is your man. If you’re more interested in securing a safety with great vision who can make plays on the ball in zone coverage, then Reid again is your guy. Really, the only thing Reid isn’t ideally built for is being a pure box quasi-linebacker, but if you want that guy, Washington’s nameless football team is desperate to get off of Landon Collins’ contract and would surely love to make a deal.

Between you and me, I’d rather have Reid.

So why, you may ask, would the Texans want to trade Reid if he’s so good.

Easy: He’s in the final year of his contract, and they are really bad.

Assuming Reid wants to test the market and secure a contract with a team not presently engulfed in incredible controversy – not that Philly is much better – the Texans will at best get back a third-round compensatory pick in 2023 for his services if he walks in free agency. Now granted, could the team avoid such a future by placing the franchise tag on Reid? Sure, but considering the team’s immediate prospects, how would that really help? It’s not like they’re going to win a championship next season.

If the Eagles swoop in and offer a third-round pick for Reid’s services, it would likely be enough to secure his services for the remainder of the season and give Roseman a chance to either extend him out long-term or sign him to a franchise tag for the 2022 NFL season.

Considering Rodney McLeod’s age and just how hard it’s been to replace Malcolm Jenkins, securing Reid’s services would effectively lock up one of the team’s safety positions long-term and secure one of those playmakers that have largely eluded Roseman as a talent evaluator.

If you can’t draft and develop a difference-maker, you might as well trade for one, right?

One way or another, the Philadelphia Eagles need to raise their base level of talent. While having a ton of draft picks will certainly help to achieve that goal, assuming they don’t procure three Danny Watkinsons, identifying and trading for young, ascending playmakers who are more than just prospects is a solid secondary option too. If Justin Reid is available, Howie Roseman should be interested point blank period.