What the Allen Barbre trade means for the Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles released traded veteran offensive lineman Allen Barbre to the Denver Broncos on Wednesday (story here). Here’s a deep dive on all the implications of this deal.

The Eagles get a draft pick

The Eagles received a conditional 2019 draft pick in exchange for Barbre. That’s better than getting nothing. Then again, it’s possible Barbre doesn’t meet the conditions and the Eagles don’t get a pick.

The exact pick details haven’t been reported, so I’m just speculating here. But given the fact the Eagles were going to just cut him, I doubt Denver’s pick is virtually guaranteed to convey.

The Eagles free up cap space

Philadelphia saved $2.1 million in cap space by trading Barbre. The Eagles also saved nearly $1.5 million by cutting Marcus Smith so that’s $3.6 million in total savings. According to the NFLPA’s salary cap report, the Eagles had $6.9 million in cap space, so now that figure is up to $10.5 million.

The Eagles could use this money to sign (or trade for) a free agent cornerback. I highly doubt it’s Darrelle Revis, as I explained here.

Philadelphia can save another $4 million by cutting Ryan Mathews when he’s healthy. That’s not expected to happen until August at the earliest. If the Eagles don’t use any of that $14.5 million this year, they can roll it over to next offseason in order to help with re-signing some of their 18 impending free agents.

The Eagles lose offensive line depth

Barbre was a pretty decent starter for the Eagles in 2016. Pro Football Focus graded him 16th out of 73 guards last season. The 33-year-old wasn’t going to start for Philadelphia in 2017 with Isaac Seumalo taking over his job, but he could have been a valuable backup to have at every position on the offensive line save for center. Barbre could have been a nice fallback plan in the event Seumalo struggles.

The Eagles no longer have a major logjam at guard

Barbre figured to be the top backup at both guard spots, but now Wisniewski is that guy. If the Eagles kept Barbre, it looked like Warmack might not fit on the roster. He only received $500,000 guaranteed, so it’s not like he was a roster lock. With Barbre gone, however, Jeff Stoutland’s former protege should probably make the team. One less offensive lineman on the roster could also be good news for the likes of bubble guys such as Dillon Gordon and Tyler Orlosky.

The Eagles must feel confident in Big V

Barbre also figured to be the top backup at both tackle spots. The Eagles originally planned to start him at right tackle when Lane Johnson was suspended last year. But then the team changed their mind and went with Halapoulivaati Vaitai instead. Big V struggled out of the gate but eventually settled in. Now he’ll likely be the main swing tackle with Barbre gone.

The Eagles probably made the right move

Getting rid of Barbre worsens the Eagles’ offensive line, yes, but I don’t know if the dropoff to Wisniewski at guard or Vaitai at tackle is that significant. Even if it is, this was going to be Barbre’s last year with the team anyway. He’s on the final year of his deal and he turns 34 next June.

If you don’t view the Eagles as a legitimate Super Bowl contender this season, then how upset can you really be they didn’t keep him? At least Philadelphia received a conditional pick and cleared $2.1 million in cap space that can be used next offseason.

Now we turn it over to you. Do you approve of the Barbre trade?