The NFL trade deadline is now less than a week away, which means there could be some major moves coming for the Eagles in the very near future. The Eagles could look to recoup some value for several players prior to the deadline, especially players without a long-term future in Philadelphia.
Here's a look at three pending free agents who the Eagles should use as trade deadline bait.
A plethora of teams in the contender conversation could use some added depth at the linebacker position. Meanwhile, the Eagles aren't in the contender conversation, but they're deep enough at linebacker to get by if one is traded away.
So, the Eagles should do what they can to move on from veteran A.J. Epenesa. Not necessarily because he can't play, but because he doesn't appear to have a future with the franchise.
It seems unlikely that the Birds would bring him back in free agency over the offseason, so they should try to recoup some value while they can. Granted, they probably wouldn't get much more than a late-round pick in a potential deal, but something is better than nothing.
The Browns were interested in Epenesa over the offseason, and even signed him initially before opting out of the deal following concerns about his physical. Perhaps they'll revisit that interest now that he has shown that he's healthy enough to play. On the season, Epenesa has appeared in six games and tallied seven combined tackles and one pass defended.
This one is obvious. Brown has no future in Philly beyond the current campaign , but there are plenty of teams out there who would be interested in adding an extra weapon for a potential playoff push.
Just last season, Brown caught 49 passes for 587 yards and five touchdowns with the Kansas City Chiefs. Perhaps a reunion with the Chiefs is in the cards? Star quarterback Patrick Mahomes certainly wouldn't be upset about the addition of another viable option to throw to.
Based on how his season is going, the Eagles would be better off trading Hollywood Brown in the coming days. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
If not the Chiefs, other contenders, including the Rams, Bills and 49ers, could possibly be interested in a veteran receiver like Brown. Given his lack of action with the Eagles (4 total receptions), Brown would likely welcome a change of scenery.
As a young defensive lineman with plenty of promise, there is ample interest around the NFL in Moro Ojomo, including from the Jaguars , according to a report from ESPN . As opposed to the first two players listed above, Ojomo would likely fetch a nice return for the Eagles in a potential trade if they use him as bait prior to the deadline , which they should.
The Eagles already have a ton of money tied up in the defensive line moving forward thanks to the massive contracts of Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis, so there's a real chance that they won't be able to pay Ojomo market value over the offseason. It's also fair to wonder whether they'd want to pay him a ton, as opposed to allocating that money to a different position.
If the Eagles were contending this season, there would be a real argument for holding onto Ojomo, even without the uncertainty about his long-term future with the franchise. But since that isn't the case, they should try to recoup as much value as possible.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/eagles/onsi as 3 Pending Eagles Free Agents Who Should Be Used as Trade Deadline Bait .
