The trade deadline is steadily approaching, and it is no secret that the Eagles need to be big buyers these next couple of weeks if they have any Super Bowl aspirations. With the heartbreaking news of Jalen Ramsey being traded to LA, fans are calling for Howie and company to go after a big name CB (ie Patrick Peterson or Chris Harris). But, history shows, they are more than likely to address their defensive line issues first.
This is where the Jets come into the picture. Rumors sprouted this past week that Jets defensive lineman Leonard Williams had popped up in trade rumors, and reports say Howie was one of those to call. Hate it or not, the trade would make sense. Over the past couple of seasons the Eagles have prioritized pass rush over secondary talent. Jim Schwartz believes a good pash rush could cover up a secondary's short comings. That mentality helped the Eagles win their first Super Bowl in 2017.
This year, aside from the Jets game where they got 10 sacks, the Eagles pass rush has been anemic, with four sacks in the other five games. Losing both Malik Jackson and Tim Jernigan up the middle has been a disaster for the Eagles, as Akeem Spence and Hassan Ridegway just haven't been wrecking as much havoc as Jackson and Jernigan would be. Helping the pass rush will therefore help the secondary, which has been abysmal.
As for Williams, he was a 6th overall pick in 2015, who is set to become a free agent after the season. His season stats are lackluster so far this season, but Jets DC Gregg Williams says, "He's graded out high each and every week, and doing things that maybe don't show up [in stats]". As for his career, Williams has 17 sacks and 32 TFL.
With the Eagles on the market for some sort of help, keep an eye out for Leonard Williams moving.
