The Deal
The Eagles have reportedly traded a third-round pick to Detroit for wide receiver Golden Tate, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (and Philadelphia’s Golden Tate).
The Eagles Can Do It Again
With Tate onboard, the Eagles have only one more problem to address: If they win the Super Bowl again, can they play “Back to Back” while they are partying with Meek Mill? Or would that be awkward?
Fine, that’s premature, but the defending champs just added one of the most talented receivers in football. Philly has a downfield threat in Alshon Jeffery, a reliable underneath option in Nelson Agholor, and seam shredders in Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert, but the team has lacked speed on the outside since losing receiver Torrey Smith to free agency (believe it or not, Smith had nine targets in the Eagles’ Super Bowl win, the same number as Ertz). Enter Tate, who excels at circus catches and even more circus-y runs after the catch and will provide the type of receiving option the Eagles were missing the first half of the season. Tate will be a free agent after this season, and, while the Eagles could look to extend him midseason like they did with Jeffery in 2017, it’s more likely that this is a rental deal for a repeat.
Philly needed to do something, because this season’s Eagles have not looked quite like their Super Bowl selves in 2018. They have started 4-4 and are second in the NFC East, behind the 5-2 Washington Redskins. There’s no single reason for the slow start; Carson Wentz and Jeffery both missed time recovering from injuries, running back Jay Ajayi is out for the season with a torn ACL, right tackle Lane Johnson has played below his 2017 level, and the team’s lack of depth in the secondary has been exposed at times. Yet the Eagles are just one and a half game out of first place in their division and may have added the missing link on offense.
The Eagles’ 2017 Super Bowl run was partially defined by trades. Executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman traded for Ravens defensive lineman Timmy Jernigan, Bills cornerback Ronald Darby, and Dolphins running back Ajayi at various points in 2017, and all three played pivotal roles. This trade seems like Roseman’s best move yet. A week after the Cowboys paid a first-rounder for one of the most erratic receivers in the league, the Eagles are reportedly flipping a third-rounder for one of the most underrated receivers. The Eagles are on bye this week, and their next game is against the Cowboys in Dallas. If Tate outplays Cooper in an Eagles win, it might be a perfect microcosm of how a savvy Eagles front office has built a superior football team in Philadelphia.
The Lions Believe in Kenny Golladay
The Lions, who are in last place in the NFC North but only one game out of first place, were able to punt early on Tate because of the emergence of receiver Kenny Golladay, who already may have been the best receiver on the team. With Tate set for free agency and the team boasting a talented receiving corps that also includes Marvin Jones Jr., the Lions pounced on the Eagles’ offer.
The specifics, however, are interesting, because Detroit won’t exactly gain a pick. Tate is set to be a free agent after this season, which would likely put the Lions in line for a third- or fourth-round compensatory draft pick in 2020. (The NFL invents draft picks out of thin air for teams who lose prominent free agents.) Now the Eagles will be the team who likely “loses” Tate in free agency instead of Detroit, so Philly would be the one to get the compensatory pick. In essence, Detroit lost a half-season of Tate to make its potential 2020 third- or fourth-round compensatory pick into a definite 2019 third-round pick, slightly accelerating the team’s ability to replenish its talent. It’s a marginal gain that the Lions might regret if they narrowly miss the playoffs, but it’s also an endorsement of Golladay, who was drafted in the third round of 2017 at 96th overall—the same pick the Lions would likely have if the Eagles repeat.
