If you’ve watched Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman absolutely cook teams when it comes to trades over the last few seasons, you know that Roseman likes to be the one on the receiving end when it comes to draft picks.
He’s got a war chest of them to prove it, and he rarely makes a deal where he coughs up anything above the third round if he can help it, although he will make some exceptions — most notably sending a 2022 first round pick and 2022 third round pick to the Tennessee Titans in 2022 in exchange for superstar wide receiver A.J. Brown.
Now, just like then, the Eagles are desperate to add talent at a key position.
This time, it’s on defense, where they’ve found themselves scrambling at edge rusher with the surprise retirement of edge rusher Za’Darius Smith and an injury to former first round pick Nolan Smith, who has been on injured reserve since September 24 after he re-injured the same triceps he tore in Super Bowl LIX.
While the Eagles coaxed franchise legend Brandon Graham out of retirement for at least half of a season, an even better plan would be to trade for an elite/on the cusp of elite edge rusher.
AFC East Standout Could Be Perfect Fit
ESPN’s Matt Bowen and Jeremy Fowler think that player could be New York Jets edge rusher Jermaine Johnson, with the Jets 0-7 and clear cut sellers headed toward the November 4 NFL trade deadline.
“The Jets are not desperate to trade Johnson; good edge rushers are hard to find, and his $13.4 million salary for 2026 (a fifth-year option) is reasonable,” Fowler wrote on October 23. “But my sense after asking around is that New York would be more willing to part with Johnson than Will McDonald IV if it made any move at the position. Macdonald is in the third year of his rookie deal, whereas Johnson is in his fourth. And Johnson has garnered a bit of interest thus far.”
Jets Selected Johnson in First Round of 2022 Draft
In 2021 at Florida State, Johnson was dominant with 70 tackles, 18 TFL and 12.0 sacks on the way to being named ACC Defensive Player of the Year as well as All-American.
Johnson solidified his draft stock by running the 40-yard dash in 4.58 seconds at the NFL scouting combine and drew a comparison to 2-time NFL All-Pro and 4-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby.
The Jet took Johnson in the first round (No. 26 overall) in the 2022 NFL draft. He’s now in n the final season of his 4-year, $13.1 million rookie contract.
“Teams are circling the winless Jets, hoping to pry a starting-caliber player from a team that is going nowhere fast,” Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox wrote on October 22. “While Johnson has just one sack this season, he’s also making his way back from a torn Achilles suffered in 2024. He had 7.5 sacks and 25 QB pressures back in 2023. At 26 years old and with a contract that runs through 2026, he should interest teams looking for short- or long-term help.”
For the Eagles, who are 5-2, getting an elite edge rusher wouldn’t just be about bringing in a player who gets a lot of sacks. Just having someone teams have to account for on the edge would likely open things up for defensive tackles Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis — 2 of the NFL’s best at their position.
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