Philadelphia Eagles: DeVante Parker is a perfect trade target

After missing out on the “big named” wide receiver options in the first round of free agency, more than a few fans of the Philadelphia Eagles were underwhelmed by the addition of ex-Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Zach Pascal.

Sure Pascal has played under Nick Sirianni and even had his best professional seasons paired up with the Eagles’ head coach in Indianapolis in 2019 and 2020, but his 2021 season was underwhelming, and, according to Pro Football Focus, graded out as the 94th best receiver in the NFL regardless of team.

Do you know how many wide receivers were eligible to be ranked in PPF’s system? Yeah, that’d be 94.

Yikes.

Now granted, Pascal isn’t really the worst wide receiver in the NFL. In actuality, he’s a fine third/fourth option on a team looking to rotate in and out receivers with schematic versatility, but for folks looking to secure a veteran difference-maker, his addition falls a bit short of that expectation. Fortunately, a player who fits that bill a good bit better just became available thanks to the Miami Dolphins’ addition of Tyreek Hill; a player who totally won’t drive anyone with a keyboard crazy due to the spelling similarities of his first name to another member of the Philadelphia Eagles.

DeVante Parker’s game would fit fabulously with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Since the Miami Dolphins initially started toying with the idea of trading DeVante Parker about three years ago, the Philadelphia Eagles have always felt like a logical trade destination.

The 14th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft – six picks before the Eagles selected Nelson Agholor, if you care – Parker has outlasted four head coaches, nine quarterbacks, and dozens of trade rumors and, through it all, has averaged 675 yards and 3.4 touchdowns over his seven professional seasons.

But now, with Cedrick Wilson, Tyreek Hill, and Jaylen Waddle all either signed, traded for, or drafted in the last 12 months, he finds himself potentially the fourth option in new head coach Mike McDaniel’s offense.

Needless to say, a trade might be in order.

With two years left on a four-year, $30.5 million contract he signed with the Dolphins back in 2019, trading for Parker would only cost an acquiring team $3.34 million versus $5.4 million in dead money if traded by Miami before June 1st, a number that jumps up to $6.04 if the deal happens post-June 1st. Though his addition likely won’t cost nothing, as pretty much any team in the NFL can afford to sneak his contract under their cap, for a late Day 2 pick, or maybe even a fourth-round pick if the market is stingy, the idea of adding a 29-year-old receiver with a proven track record of success under everchanging circumstances could pique the interest of more than a few general managers.

Should Howie Roseman be one of those general managers? Yes, yes, 1000 times yes.

Assuming the Eagles don’t add another player to their receiving corps this offseason – which feels unlikely but hey, let’s go with it – Parker would immediately slot in as the team’s 1B receiver opposite DeVonta Smith, presumably playing the X versus Smitty’s flanker. He’d likely sit higher on the offense’s pecking order than Quez Watkins, who is more of a speedy cherry on top than the main course, and would provide Jalen Hurts with a second proven outside option.

Remember how Hurts would favor one side of the field, and Nick Sirianni would scheme up flood plays to accommodate that preference? Well, let’s just say that’d happen a whole lot less with viable outside options on either side of the line of scrimmage.

With Parker folded into a receivers room that also features Smith, Watkins, Pascal, and Greg Ward – and potentially other players – the Eagles could still very well leave the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft with a wide receiver but wouldn’t have to focus as hard on selecting a player with a specific style of game, as parker could play X, Z, or in the slot if need be, as could Smith and Watkins too. Where rolling into the forthcoming season with another sub-6-foot-2 receiver might have seemed foolish in the pre-Parker era could now be looked at as a shrewd draft strategy, as it would show that Howie Roseman preferred a player like Chris Oliva over someone like Drake London, assuming they are both on the board at 15, 16, or 19.

It’s not often that a trade only has upside, but in this case, the only negative of acquiring Parker at the trade deadline is the pick surrendered for his services; a pick in a draft the Eagles have 10 selections in.

If I were to tell you the Philadelphia Eagles could exit free agency with a 6-foot-3, 219-pound 29-year-old wide receiver who averaged 834.7 yards and five touchdowns over each of the past three seasons, most fans would be all about the acquisition. If that addition cost, say, a fourth-round pick, it might not be as popular, but at this point, with all of the big names off the board, I would imagine it would still earn positive marks from even the more skeptical observers. That, my friends, is the opportunity presented to the Eagles by the Tyreek Hill trade, and they would be silly to not at least explore what it would take to bring DeVante Parker to South Philadelphia, as his game would fit in perfectly with DeVonta Smith and Quez Watkins.