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If the Philadelphia Eagles make any more trades before the 2026 trade deadline, it should almost certainly be as sellers, not buyers.
Now sure, could Roseman find a bargain on the margins and make a move, like if a team is willing to take a conditional seventh-round pick for a player at a position of need – safety, anyone? -instead of releasing them? Absolutely, Roseman is the king of that kind of trade, and while they don’t always work, the idea of bringing in a player with multiple years of cheap control makes plenty of sense for a team looking to retool heading into the future.
But when it comes to the sort of win-now deals that Roseman has pulled off in the past, deals for players like Golden Tate, Jay Ajayi, Jaelan Phillips, and Kevin Byard to help fortify a position of need, there’s no need to invest a future asset in a short-term return when a playoff berth is rather unlikely with Jalen Hurts out for the rest of the season.
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And yet, if the right deal came around, one that could help Philadelphia both now and into the future for years to come, would Roseman really stick to his resolve and remain closed for business? Or would he look at the books, look at how his – usual – QB1 likes to play, and take a shot at a long-term piece, especially since they could be had at the tender age of 25 due to concerns about the lack of a contract extension?
If the Eagles want to trade away players like Moro Ojomo, Riq Woolen, or even Saquon Barkley, that is within their rights and could pay off in a big way like June’s big AJ Brown trade, but if they can steal Sam LaPorta away from the Detroit Lions, it could end up paying massive dividends not just now but for years to come.
The Eagles could replace Dallas Goedert with Sam LaPorta long-term
While the Eagles have long been a team that built around the run, with their elite offensive line play arguably the defining characteristic of Philadelphia in the 21st century, no matter who was running the show or calling plays, elite tight end play hasn’t been too far behind, as it seems like the team has gone from top-tier option to top-tier option year after year.
From LJ Smith to Brent Celek, Zach Ertz, and now Dallas Goedert, the Eagles have been able to draft, develop, and start homegrown tight ends for the better part of 20 years, and tried to pull that magic trick off again in 2026 when Roseman began the TE rush on Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft by selecting Eli Stowers 54th overall out of Vanderbilt. So far, the returns on Stowers haven’t been great, with Jeff McLane famously calling the collegiate Commodore “unplayable” during camp back, but it’s hard to say either way, as he’s yet to see actual NFL action after being placed on IR before Week 1.
Could Stowers become the next Ertz, Goedert, or even LaPorta? Sure, but right now, that’s far from a guarantee, which is why the Eagles can’t fully count on him as their future after Goedert’s run comes to an end one way or another.
Right now, LaPorta is a top-5 tight end and has the potential to be a top-3 option in a very good offense. Sure, he isn’t Trey McBride, the best tight end in the NFL right now, or Brock Bowers, who is fighting for that crown, but he’s averaged 63.2 yards per game, which ranks third in the league, and is less than a yard away from Isaiah Likely in the second spot. LaPorta is a supreme athlete, with a 3-cone drill, broad jump, and 40-yard dash all within the 89th percentile for tight ends, according to MockDraftable, and the Iowa product is even a much improved blocker since entering the NFL, to the point where even his coach, Dan Campbell, has called him “more valuable than ever” for the Lions as recently as last season.
Throw that all together, and LaPorta is the kind of weapon who can help the team’s offense for years to come, both as they look to evaluate talent with McKee under center and when Hurts eventually returns in 2027.
Now, would it be somewhat irresponsible for the Eagles to give up a Day 2 pick, maybe even a relatively high one like the second-round pick they got back from the Ravens for Jurgens, to bring LaPorta to town during a losing season? Most certainly, but it’s unlikely he will be allowed to reach free agency otherwise this coming offseason and could end up being franchise-tagged by the Lions if the two sides can’t come to a long-term agreement.
Because the Eagles have a number of quality players on expiring contracts like Goedert, Woolen, and Ojomo, who knows, maybe Roseman could package a win-now player with a pick and get back a long-term piece he can build around who will cost less than a WR1 or other elite weapon at a high-priced position. If Stowers is a bust, Hurts could have a new favorite weapon for the rest of the decade, but even if he can play, the duo could form a dynamic 1-2 punch the likes of which most teams would struggle to contain.
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