The Philadelphia Eagles must cut their roster down to 53 players by Tuesday afternoon. But some of the decisions have already been made. The Eagles acquired quarterback Sam Howell in a trade with the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday morning, and the deal should put the quarterback room on notice.
After two players failed to seize the third quarterback job this preseason, the trade for Howell could be just the beginning and put another embattled signal caller on the block ahead of Tuesday’s deadline.
Eagles Should Trade Dorian Thompson-Robinson Trade to Raiders
With Howell in the fold, it sets the Eagles quarterback room up with Jalen Hurts as the starter, Tanner McKee as the second QB, and Howell as the third. That leaves Kyle McCord and Dorian Thompson-Robinson likely to be left off the team’s final roster, which could open them up for trade possibilities.
One of those possibilities could be the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders solidified their starting quarterback position by acquiring Geno Smith from the Seattle Seahawks last spring, but their backup situation got thrown into flux when Aidan O’Connell suffered a fractured wrist in their preseason finale with the Arizona Cardinals. O’Connell is expected to miss 6-to-8 weeks with the injury, but it creates an immediate need for a stopgap.
The Eagles have two quarterbacks they probably aren’t going to keep. If they want to keep a player on the practice squad, there’s a good chance McCord and Thompson-Robinson could clear waivers. But when it comes to which player they want on the practice squad, they may decide to keep McCord as a sixth-round rookie.
This leaves Thompson-Robinson expendable. While his career numbers (880 yards, 1 TD, 10 INT, 52.6% completion rate) don’t inspire confidence, he’s made at least five starts and appeared in 15 games during his career. There’s also an upside as a dual threat that has struggled with the Cleveland Browns and the Eagles.
Of course, you could make these arguments against the Raiders being in favor of a trade. But there aren’t a lot of good options out there – especially after former Eagles QB Carson Wentz signed with the Vikings on Sunday. In all likelihood, Thompson-Robinson will be released and the Eagles will move on. But it’s at least worth a phone call to see if a team like the Raiders could be interested.