When you are as successful as the Philadelphia Eagles were on the field in 2022, other teams are going to poach members of the franchise when they get the chance. This offseason, there were a lot of players and coaches that left Philadelphia, cashing in on opportunities elsewhere.
Offensive coordinator Shane Steichen and defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon both landed head coaching jobs, joining the Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals. Numerous starters on both sides of the ball also left in free agency, receiving nice contracts after contributing to the NFC Champions.
Their defense is where the Eagles were hit the hardest. Five different starters left in linebackers T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White, safeties Marcus Epps and C.J. Gardner-Johnson and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave.
Philadelphia began filling the hole at linebacker by signing Nicholas Morrow from the Chicago Bears, but there is still work to be done. The 2023 NFL Draft can provide some help for Philadelphia, but the trade market is where they could end up if they are seeking an established presence.
One player who could be on their radar is Devin White of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The star linebacker requested a trade from the team last week, hoping that would help facilitate talks on a new contract.
White is projected to sign a massive contract, which the Buccaneers don’t seem interested in paying currently. If they do entertain trades, the Eagles have been named a potential landing spot by Bucky Brooks of NFL.com.
“Talk about the rich getting richer … General manager Howie Roseman is certainly no stranger to wheeling and dealing. Despite the Eagles’ reluctance to pay big bucks for off-ball linebackers in the past, they could see White as a key ingredient to a championship-caliber defense. The veteran would give Philly another playmaker to feature as part of a dynamic pressure package under new defensive coordinator Sean Desai. White could add a new dimension to a defense with a deep-and-talented rotation along the front line.”
D. White would be a nice replacement after losing Edwards and K. White in free agency. While both of those players performed at a high level for the Eagles, neither possesses the ceiling that White does, who has one All-Pro season under his belt already and a memorable run during Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl run two years ago.
Acquiring him in a trade certainly won’t be cheap, but general manager Howie Roseman has done an excellent job managing assets. The Eagles are flush with draft picks, which the Buccaneers would be seeking while embarking on a rebuild.
