Eagles Secure Elite Pass-Rusher in Masterful Projected Trade

The November 5 trade deadline is right around the corner and Super Bowl hopefuls will be looking to make upgrades to their roster. This includes the Philadelphia Eagles.

GM Howie Roseman is no stranger to making big moves at the trade deadline. In 2022, he gave up a fourth-round pick for Robert Quinn. Last year, he acquired safety Kevin Byard from the Titans in exchange for a fifth and a sixth-round pick. In order to get the Eagles closer to contending for the NFC title, Roseman needs to do the same this time around.

One intriguing trade candidate the Eagles should consider is star defender Za'Darius Smith of the Cleveland Browns. The 32-year-old pass rusher's contract is up at the end of this year and only carries a $1.2 million cap hit.

The Eagles should be able to acquire the three-time Pro Bowler with a third-round pick. Philadelphia owns whichever is the worst third-round pick between the Dolphins and them in the 2025 NFL Draft.

The Browns, after starting the season 1-6, are presumably interested in moving the veteran defensive end. In fact, Smith has already talked about potentially being open to getting traded ahead of the deadline.

Smith may be past his prime, but he is still playing at a high level. Starting in all seven games this season and playing 56% of the defensive snaps for the Browns, Smith already has four sacks, three tackles for loss, and five QB hits for the season.

The Eagles haven't been able to fill the hole created by Haason Reddick on the defensive side of the ball. Their big offseason addition Bryce Huff has failed to make the impact the front office was hoping for. Considering Brandon Graham's age, it would behoove the Eagles to address their pass rush needs and it's hard to imagine them doing better than Smith.

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