Philadelphia Eagles: Pursue a player like Grant Delpit in an Andre Dillard trade

The Philadelphia Eagles are finding themselves at a weird spot heading into the 2021 NFL trade deadline.

They aren’t particularly good, as their 2-5 record flatly shows, and they don’t project to magically turn that around anytime soon, but the team has shown a strange willingness to keep up the facade of trying to win games using veteran stopgaps like Eric Wilson, Anthony Harris, and Marcus Epps, even if the trio have collectively shown very little to warrant a longer look in the City of Brotherly Love.

And yet, it’s not like the Eagles have found themselves in a position where a mid-season trade could right their sinking ship either, as their roster has more holes than Howie Roseman has picks to plug them, which is saying a lot, considering the team’s deep war chest.

So naturally, with quite a few teams reportedly showing interest in stealing away Andre Dillard from the Eagles in time for a playoff push, one has to wonder if Roseman and company would be willing to trade away one of the team’s few young trade chips for a draft pick that won’t be of any use until after the season comes to an end.

If, say, the Cleveland Browns are willing to offer, say, a third-round pick for Dillard now, who is to say a similar deal won’t be on the table come March?

No, for my money, if the Philadelphia Eagles are going to trade Andre Dillard midway through the season to a team in need, they need to at least get back a player who could similarly play into their future.

Grant Delpit fits that bill.

Grant Delpit could be the Philadelphia Eagles’ next great free safety.

Who are the Philadelphia Eagles’ safeties in 2022?

Could it be Anthony Harris and Rodney McLeod? Potentially so, but not necessarily, as the duo are both unrestricted free agents heading into the offseason.

How about Marcus Epps? He too is entering a contract year, and after turning in a less than impressive showing in a “contract game” on Week 7, his future prospects with the team are murky at best.

What about K’Von Wallace and Andre Chachere, the only two safeties on the roster currently under contract for 2022? While the duo does have decent enough upside, neither have shown much of anything on the field to warrant a guaranteed starting spot sans any sort of competition.

Granted, this isn’t the worst situation for a team to find themselves in. Safety is one of the least valued positions in the league today, and very good ones can often be found off the street on relatively team-friendly deals, as evidenced Xavier Woods’ success in Minnesota.

With that being said, if you can get a good, young safety with elite measurables, they can still carve out a long and healthy career with their respective team.

Friends, Grant Delpit has entered the chat.

Measuring in at 6-foot-3, 208 pounds, Delpit is the sort of big, fast safety that you don’t often see in the NFL. Though he largely deployed as a deep safety during his time at LSU, defensive coordinator Dave Aranda moved Delpit around his defensive backfield fairly frequently, with the IGM Academy product being deployed on everyone from receivers both outside and slot to tight ends and even running backs, depending on the situation.

Granted, Delpit did earn a bit of a reputation for being an inconsistent finisher, as his missed tackles percent was one of the highest in all of college football, but when you make highlight-reel play after highlight-reel play, many a talent evaluator will overlook a few lapses in judgment here or there.

Clearly the Cleveland Browns didn’t have too much of an issue with Grant’s tackling, as they made him the 44th player selected in the 2020 NFL Draft, coming off the board one spot before eventual Super Bowl champion Antoine Winfield Jr.

From there, Delpit suffered an Achillies injury at camp that required a season-ending trip to IR and he was forced to bide his time for an opportunity to take the field in 2021.

Thus far, that has happened, but not in quite as big a role as many expected.

You see, back in March, the Browns poached away the crown jewel of the safety market, John Johnson III from the Los Angeles Rams. While Delpit – or JJ3 – could conceivably kick it over to strong safety in 2022, when Ronnie Harrison hits the open market, the duo are both far more suited to play the free spot, especially in a defense like that of Joe Woods, who came up in the Wade Phillips school.

Even if the Browns do like to play a big nickel package more often than most other defenses around the league, would they really hold off on trading a part-time player midway through his second season for an immediate upgrade at a position of need, especially with Richard LeCounte playing decently well in reserve action?

Considering this is a year meant to evaluate players for the future, why not bring back a player like Delpit alongside a pick in a trade involving Andre Dillard instead of trying to secure a slightly better pick at the expense of the depth chart? At least get a guy back who could potentially help the team moving forward.

How many long-term starters do the Philadelphia Eagles have in place on defense? Josh Sweat, Javon Hargrave, and Fletcher Cox – barring trade – appear safe, as do Darius Slay and Avonte Maddox. But outside of their core five, there are far more questions than answers sprinkled across the Eagles’ depth chart. While trading for Grant Delpit wouldn’t automatically fill one of those spots, securing his services alongside a Day 3 pick feels like a better return than a Day 2 pick and no player, especially with double-digit games left to play.