Everything is quiet. Maybe a little too quiet.
At least that’s part of the thinking behind a report by Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports about the possibility that the Eagles will land from Pro Bowl quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Here is part of what La Canfora wrote:
Do not dismiss the Philadelphia Eagles as a strong contender for Deshaun Watson. Many sources connected to the property whispered this feeling so that I would ignore it.
And the more you think about it, the more sense it makes. The more you wonder why you haven’t explored the avenue before. The more you ponder why more is not being reported on this front. Because the craziest things happened in the league, by far.
Of course, the Eagles are never ashamed to be aggressive and, in particular, Howie Roseman is one of the most aggressive GMs in the league when it comes to doing business.
But there are more layers to this. One is whether or not the Eagles would be able to assemble a package strong enough to land Watson. Another is whether or not Watson would be willing to give up his no-trade clause to come to Philadelphia, an organization in the process of retrofitting. And lastly, Texans have so far been very resistant to the idea of switching Watson, despite the QB making it clear that he did in Houston. Does that change? When does that change?
Although the Eagles may not be able to compete with a team like the Jets (who have choice # 2 in the draft), they have four choices from the top 85, including # 6, and 11 choices in total for this next draft. Therefore, they could probably put together a decent package to send to Houston. But it’s not like they are alone, either. Many teams will try to acquire Watson.
Here’s a little more of La Canfora:
Some at the head of the Eagles would try to reject the idea of their interest by noting that there must be about 30 teams paying close attention to this situation, but my feeling is that this is much more than a peripheral idea; I have a feeling that this is something that the property and management would very much like to see happen.
“I heard that it is very much related to the level of ownership,” as a league source said.
“No action for the Eagles,” said a GM. “You have to be killing them.”
Another GM said, “Would Howie negotiating with Watson surprise me? No. Now that you mention it.”
OK, that still seems unlikely, but the part about owner Jeffrey Lurie being involved in the QB discussion is definitely in line with what we heard from the NovaCare Complex. We recently heard an ESPN report that Lurie instructed Roseman and the front office to form the team around second year quarterback Jalen Hurts.
But if there’s a quarterback that would make you change those plans, it’s Watson. If there is any chance of acquiring Watson, the Eagles will have to explore that option. Watson is only 25, was three times a Bowler and was still able to thrive in Houston last year when the franchise collapsed around him.
We know how much the Eagles value the position of defender and Watson is already elite and is still on the rise. Did the Eagles really catch you? It doesn’t seem likely, but if they have a keen interest, that is definitely justified.
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