SINCE this trade could go down at any moment, I wanted to be on record with this before it all goes down.
If we trade DeSean Jackson, I think that would make Riley Cooper our #1, go-to guy.
You’re laughing. Maybe shaking your head. Perhaps frowning.
That’s fine, because at first I did too. Then I thought about it. No. I mean really thought about it. From the Eagles perspective.
Cooper is pulling in five million a year for the next four. The Eagles have made a fair sized investment there.
Jeremy Maclin has a one year deal, which fans hope will yield a longer one here. Security wasn’t a concern since Maclin rejected the five year offer from the Birds, opting for the one year deal instead. He’s banking on having a big year, to angle for more money per year, in 2015.
What are the odds that the Eagles staff will draw up game plans to pad Maclin’s stats, and drive up his 2015 asking price? Remember what I predicted as a “good” season for Maclin? Write that down somewhere. And I won’t even bring up the dreaded “I” word. But if it doesn’t go the way Maclin wants, he could be unemployed, damaged goods in 2015, and wishing he’d taken the five year offer.
Some will insist that we’ll get a rookie WR, but right now we haven’t drafted him, signed him, taught him, started him, or watched him have any success. So right now in 2014, Cooper looks like the top of the food chain as far as our WR depth goes.
If we truly become the run-based Offense that Chip Kelly says his system really favors, then we could be okay. But if our defense doesn’t improve much and we need to win shootouts to win games, I don’t see us as having the firepower.
In a real way, in order to make a DeSean Jackson trade work, our Defense has to improve.
And for those who insist the Eagles wouldn’t trade Jackson: Donovan McNabb. To the Redskins.
