Eagles may have found the perfect trade partner in Jon Gruden's Raiders

Share

In case you haven’t been paying attention to happenings out west, the Raiders stink. 

They’re 1-5 and it sure looked like Derek Carr was crying after taking another hit this weekend. If he was upset before, Carr might want to ignore this report from Jay Glazer, who says the Raiders are now shopping receiver Amari Cooper and safety Karl Joseph. 

A safety and receiver, huh? Those just happen to be two of the Eagles’ biggest needs right now. 

And the Eagles should at least take a look and maybe make a phone call. 

Amari Cooper 

Even though he suffered a concussion this weekend, the Eagles should probably at least take a look at the 24-year-old Cooper. The former first-round pick is now in his fourth NFL season and has averaged over 14.0 yards per reception. 

He’s not a Mike Wallace-type burner, but he can stretch the field and would give the Eagles a better option than Jordan Matthews or Kamar Aiken opposite Alshon Jeffery. Simply put, it seems like the Eagles need playmakers. And there’s no guarantee Wallace will return this season from that fractured fibula. 

Cooper would fit under the cap this season and next year is on his fifth-year option season at a hefty price of around $13 million. But if the Eagles traded for him, they could sign him to an extension and I never really worry about money when it comes to Howie Roseman. He can figure it out. 

Cooper has just 22 catches for 280 yards, but had a 128-yard game just a few weeks ago. He’s still got it. Not sure what the price would be — maybe it would be too high — but if the Raiders are really selling, the Eagles should at least be shopping. 

The asking price might turn out to be prohibitive though.

Karl Joseph

This one is a little tricker, just because I think the Eagles really value players who know their defensive system to play safety. 

But Joseph is another first-round pick and he played at West Virginia and the Eagles seem to like players from WVU. Joseph hasn’t lived up to his draft status, but maybe a change of scenery could help him. 

If the Birds bring in a safety, it would eventually allow Avonte Maddox to go back in the slot until Sidney Jones (hamstring) is healthy again. 

But even if they traded for a safety tomorrow, he might not be ready to play until after Jones is already back and then it would just send Maddox to the bench. 

Maybe the Eagles go after a safety, but I’m not expecting that to be as quick a fix as a position like receiver or running back. Trading for a safety who hasn’t previously played under Jim Schwartz would be more of a long-term move. 

Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Flyers, Sixers and Phillies games easily on your device.

More on the Eagles

Contact Us