The former Eagles defensive end and two-time Super Bowl champion joined the Inside the Green Room podcast and discussed the outlook for the Eagles in their first season under head coach Nick Sirianni.
The Eagles have spent most of the offseason projecting a rebuilding mindset after trading away Carson Wentz. They've added draft capital in future years, spent modestly in free agency (largely because they didn't have any money, but still!) and seemed to be okay with taking the long view.
And yet insiders across the league keep coming back to the idea that Howie Roseman is eyeing a big, bombshell move before Week 1 of the 2021 season.
ESPN insider Dianna Russini is the latest reporter to sound that alarm. She joined 98.7 ESPN on Thursday, and at one point during her appearance she dropped this intriguing nugget about the Eagles:
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"I don't want to make any predictions, but I still think they're going to wind up doing something big before the start of the season to improve their roster."
Howie Roseman making a splash move instead of patiently building? Doesn't sound like him at all!
Russini had more in store when pressed on the subject, and whether she had any intel about the Eagles' rumored interest in a Deshaun Watson trade:
"I don't know anything at this point, firm. It's obviously rumors. [...] Trading [Deshaun Watson] is on the table. They're open to it. I was on "Get Up" for three months saying it's not happening [...] They've changed their tune. I've heard, and even just continued talking with them, that it's still on the table. They've got to deal with these lawsuits, I think that's going to go away. And I think this is going to come back to light this summer, guys, and I think the Eagles could be a team in on it."
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Winds have been swirling around Watson and the Eagles for months now, from CBS's Jason La Canfora to NBC Sports' Peter King. Roseman's interest in adding Watson sounds like the real deal.
There are so many questions in a possible Watson trade - first and foremost being the result of the more than 20 lawsuits against Watson for alleged sexual assault and misconduct. Even if the lawsuits are settled, there will likely be some Eagles fans uncomfortable with the idea of Watson joining the team.
And then you start thinking about what the trade would cost. The 2022 first-round pick the Eagles added from their trade down is almost certainly gone, along with maybe another first-round pick. Would the Texans also want Jalen Hurts? Just so many variables.
Watson is clearly a good football player, but the question marks surrounding his situation - and the moral quandry the Eagles organization would be forcing on its fanbase - would be too much for my blood, were I running the team.
But Roseman is nothing if not determined to make a splash, and this is one rumor that simply isn't going away.
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