Eagles Team Headlines: Eagles Testing Trade Market For Receiver
By Kevin McGuire
The Philadelphia Eagles head to Texas to take on the Dallas Cowboys in a Sunday night showdown in AT&T Stadium. With first-place on the line, the Eagles must stay focused and follow up with another solid outing by the defense that fueled them to a win against the Vikings on Sunday.
Aside from practices, the Eagles have also been busy on perhaps improving the team mid-season with the trade deadline creeping up.
Eagles in the market for a wide receiver?
The Eagles have struggled to find any real consistency with their motley crew of wide receivers, so it stands to reason the team should be testing the trade market as the trade deadline approaches. The Eagles had been connected to a pair of rumors involving Torrey Smith of the San Francisco 49ers and Alshon Jeffery of the Chicago Bears. Either would be a clear upgrade over what the Eagles currently have on the roster, but head coach Doug Pederson is shying away from commenting on the possible in-season moves the team could potentially make.
Trades in the regular season are not as common in the NFL as they are in other leagues, but with the Eagles currently preparing to play for first-place in the NFC East, the possibility of making a run to the playoffs is becoming more realistic than most would have believed at the start of the season. For a team that has claimed to be both building for the future and to compete now, making a trade to upgrade the receiver position would push the Eagles closer to win now mode. That may not be the smartest move, unless they get an absolute steal and can lock down Jeffery to a new deal.
Rookie of the Year Showdown in Arlington
Sunday night's matchup between the Eagles and Dallas Cowboys will showcase some of the top rookies in the NFL this season. The Eagles hope Carson Wentz will shine in his first Sunday Night Football game, while the defense will be put to the test by a budding dynamic duo of Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott. Elliott's star is clearly getting bigger, and we're not talking about the one on his shiny helmet. Elliott is the favorite to win Rookie of the Year right now, as he leads the NFL in rushing. Even Prescott has moved ahead of Wentz in the Rookie of the Year conversation, according to Sports Insights. That can move in Wentz's favor with a road win against the Cowboys.
Pederson still backing Ryan Mathews
If the game is on the line, Eagles head coach Pederson does not appear ready to shy away from handing the football off to Ryan Mathews. This, despite Mathews fumbling away a football in the fourth quarter for the second time in three games. A fumble by Mathews ended up being a pivotal turning point in a road game at Detroit three games ago, and Matthews took a lot of heat for that moment. But Pederson, showing signs of being a respected players coach, has not gone out of his way to trash his top running back. In fact, as noted by Pro Football Talk, Pederson is very much backing him while also making note of the heightened caution for ball security.
