Despite some offseason losses on the coaching staff and roster, the Philadelphia Eagles were able to reload in the offseason. While there could be a few hiccups acclimating some of the younger players into larger roles, they look prime to contend for a Super Bowl again in the 2023 season.
A lot of the defections from Philadelphia came on the defensive side of the ball. Javon Hargrave, T.J. Edwards, Kyzir White, C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Marcus Epps all departed in free agency. Ndamukong Suh, Linval Joseph and Robert Quinn all remain free agents as well.
That is a lot of contributors from last season’s defense not returning this year as the team will be turning a lot of those snaps over to the Georgia Bulldogs defense. The Eagles have drafted multiple players from that record-setting unit who will be relied upon this season to fill in the gaps.
Those players have massive potential, but throwing them into the fire is certainly risky for a team with championship aspirations. Bringing in some veterans to help ease the transition wouldn’t be the worst idea.
One player who could pique the interest of the Eagles is Jerry Hughes of the Houston Texans. Philadelphia had 70 sacks last season with a record four players recording double-digits. But, you can never have too many pass rushers.
Even at 34 years old last season, Hughes showed he’s got plenty left in the tank. His 9.0 sacks led the Texans and were the most he has had in a season since 2014 with the Buffalo Bills. It was impressive as Houston lacked an established pass rusher opposite of him, so he could find it to be even easier getting after the quarterback in Philadelphia.
What could a trade between the Eagles and Texans look like? A suggested trade would be Philadelphia sending a 2024 fifth-round pick to Houston in exchange for Hughes. At the start of a lengthy rebuild, Houston would appreciate the added draft capital. Trading Hughes would also clear $5 million in cap space if done after June 1st.
The Eagles adding Hughes would be the rich getting richer. They already have a vaunted pass rush but he would help keep them at that level. Acquiring Hughes would hopefully bear more fruit than the Quinn acquisition ahead of the deadline, but the motivation would be the same.
Roseman and company would rather have Hughes on the roster than have to game plan blocking him if he is traded somewhere else. The Eagles would also provide him a chance to compete for a title again after the Bills opted not to bring him back in 2022.
