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With Philadelphia Eagles training camp slated to start later this week, the team has filled one major roster hole.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Philadelphia has signed veteran cornerback Steven Nelson to a one-year deal worth north of $4 million.
A surprise release of the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier this offseason, the 28-year-old Nelson has been among the most-underrated and consistent cover guys over the years.
Throughout the past three seasons, he’s started 46 of a possible 48 games — recording a combined 153 tackles, 32 passes defended and seven interceptions. According to Pro Football Focus, Nelson has posted the 11th-best grade among NFL cornerbacks since 2019.
Coming off a 2020 season in which they yielded an opposing 102.4 quarterback rating, this was a priority for the Eagles. Below, we look at three more moves Philadelphia should make before its Week 1 outing against the Atlanta Falcons.
Philadelphia Eagles trade Zach Ertz
Rumors about a potential trade of this three-time Pro Bowl tight end have existed since the winter. Ertz, 30, is set to count $12.72 million against the cap in 2021. He saw a major downtick in production last season and has been angling for an extension.
After signing Nelson, it makes sense from a salary cap perspective for the Eagles to trade Ertz here soon. Unfortunately, Philadelphia’s brass has been demanding too much in return for the veteran tight end. It might now be time for front office head Howie Roseman to bite the bullet and move Ertz for a mid-to-late round pick.
Philadelphia Eagles sign Tre Boston
Among the most-underrated safeties in the game, it’s still surprising that Boston remains on the open market with training camps getting going. The 29-year-old former North Carolina star is a true centerfielder with a ton of range in the defensive secondary. Over the court of the past five years, Boston has recorded a combined 39 passes defended and 14 interceptions.
If Philadelphia were to move off Ertz in a trade, it would be able to bring in Boston as another late-offseasona addition to the secondary. He’d certainly be an upgrade over the combination of Marcus Epps and K’Von Wallace next to starting strong safety Anthony Harris.
Philadelphia Eagles trade for Deshaun Watson
Watson opted to show up for Houston Texans training camp this weekend after an offseason filled with trade rumors and troubling allegations of sexual misconduct. The idea for Watson was simple. He didn’t want to get fined $50,000 per day for holding out.
By now, it’s well known that Deshaun Watson has requested a trade from the Texans. That didn’t change once he showed up for camp. The backdrop here being Philadelphia’s reported interest in the reigning NFL passing yards leader and the bounty of first-round picks the team could offer up. If things were to be settled on the legal front ahead of Week 1, it makes too much sense for the Philadelphia Eagles to trade for Watson. They could offer up sophomore quarterback Jalen Hurts as part of a package, adding one of the top-five quarterbacks in the NFL in the process and changing the trajectory of the organization in a big way.