The reinvention of the Philadelphia Eagles continues with the team acquiring the No2 overall pick in next week’s draft from the Cleveland Browns.
In return for the No2 spot, the Browns get the Eagles’ No8 pick and third- and fourth-round selections this year as well as Philadelphia’s first-round pick in 2017 and second-rounder in 2018. The Eagles pick up a conditional fourth-rounder from Cleveland in 2017.
The move means that the Eagles are probably moving for a quarterback with Jared Goff and Carson Wentz expected to go No1 and 2 in this year’s draft. The Los Angeles Rams have already traded up to get the Tennessee Titans’ No1 overall pick. Most pundits expect the Rams to go for Goff, which would put Wentz in line for a place on the Eagles roster.
Philadelphia already have a solid stock of quarterbacks. Sam Bradford, the No1 overall pick in 2010, is due to make $17m this year while Chase Daniel is one of the league’s highest-paid back-ups. If the Eagles do pick Wentz or Goff, he is likely to sit on the bench before making the step up to starter. The team’s executive vice president, Howie Roseman, appeared to confirm that in a statement after the move was announced. “Let me be clear, Sam Bradford is our starting quarterback,” Roseman said on Wednesday. “We told Sam that. We intend to support him and the moves we made this offseason we believe will give us a chance to compete this season.”
The Eagles employed such a tactic when they selected Donovan McNabb No2 overall in 1999. Oddly, the man McNabb backed up that year was the Eagles’ current head coach, Doug Pederson.
The Eagles have already started to rebuild elsewhere. Chip Kelly was fired in December last year and the team will be led by the former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Pederson this season.
