Why the Eagles Should Trade Saquon Barkley and Rebuild

Segment Spotlight: Quick Hits From Pushing The Odds with Matt Perrault

Eagles Face a Potential Roster Reset as Raiders Weigh Kirk Cousins Trade

If Saquon Barkley is healthy, the Eagles should consider trading him. If he is not healthy, Philadelphia may still look to move him. Howie Roseman has done an incredible job, but the Eagles should explore unloading anyone who could bring back valuable draft capital.

This feels like the end of the current run. Philadelphia held the group together for one more championship push, with Barkley rushing for 2,000 yards and helping the Eagles win a title. He will be remembered as one of the great Eagles running backs who carried the team to a championship, but the history of running backs after 2,000-yard seasons is brutal. There may not be much productivity left for the remainder of his career.

A broader reset could also involve Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni. Debro has discussed for months the possibility that Hurts will not be Philadelphia’s starting quarterback next year and that Sirianni may no longer be the head coach. The Eagles should consider trading anyone who can return draft capital and enter the upcoming draft prepared to pursue their next quarterback. As many as five or six quarterbacks could be selected in the first round in April.

Kirk Cousins could be a stopgap option for Philadelphia if the team moves on from Hurts. The Raiders should be shopping Cousins, who could potentially return a third- or fourth-round pick. The Eagles could acquire him as a placeholder until a first-round quarterback is ready.

Mendoza looks like a project. There are concerns about his ability to read NFL defenses and whether he is as athletic as some believe, although those concerns could prove wrong. Clint Kubiak is a very good head coach, and the Raiders should use the next two weeks to showcase Cousins with the intention of trading him before Mendoza plays.

The Raiders also have a realistic chance of losing their next five games, which would extend their losing streak to nine and take them from 3-0 to 3-9. At that point, the season would have completely fallen apart.