ESPN suggests the Eagles make a trade with the Lions

The NFL trade deadline expires tomorrow at 4:00 PM ET on Tuesday, October 30. We’ve already seen the Eagles rumored to be interested in a number of players: Le’Veon Bell, LeSean McCoy, Emmanuel Sanders, etc.

Most of the trade rumors involving the Eagles have been focused on running backs, wide receivers, or cornerbacks. It only makes sense since those are positions of need for Philadelphia.

But those aren’t the only positions where the Eagles could use some help. Defensive line is also a significant need with the Eagles relying on guys like Treyvon Hester and Bruce Hector to play meaningful snaps at defensive tackle. Derek Barnett’s injury has also forced the Eagles into using less of a rotation at defensive end. It’s clear the coaching staff doesn’t have a ton of trust in Josh Sweat considering the rookie only played four defensive snaps in Week 8.

The Eagles’ need for defensive line help is what inspired this trade idea from ESPN’s Mike Sando:

Philadelphia Eagles acquire DL A’Shawn Robinson from the Detroit Lions for a fourth-round pick

The Eagles’ defensive line rotation took a big hit when Derek Barnett suffered a season-ending injury. Robinson, a second-round pick in 2016, could help fill some of the void even though he’s a defensive tackle, not an end.

”Robinson could be a great fit in a Timmy Jernigan-type move for Philly,” an evaluator said. “Detroit just gave up a fifth for [Damon] ‘Snacks’ Harrison. If you’re Philly, tell the Lions they can get a better pick back, and see if [GM Bob] Quinn takes it.”

Robinson played a season-high 42 snaps against Seattle on Sunday, but before that, he was averaging 24 snaps per game. That was down from 44 last season, when the Lions had a different coaching staff.

Again, the idea of adding to the defensive line isn’t a terrible one. But this ain’t it, chief.

Robinson isn’t a Jernigan-like player who’s going to push the pocket. This is a guy who has 2.5 sacks and eight quarterback hits in 38 career games played. Zero of those stats have come this season.

It’s true that Robinson is a really good run defender. But the Eagles, who are allowing the fourth fewest rushing yards per game this season, don’t need to be spending a valuable fourth-round pick for this kind of player.

Also, I feel like this is some terrible logic by the NFL evaluator that Sando consulted here. The Eagles should give up a higher pick for a player who is lesser than Damon Harrison? Robinson is younger and cheaper than Harrison but that doesn’t move the needle enough.

There are some other trade suggestions on Sando’s list that are more interesting for the Eagles’ sake. For example, if LeSean McCoy is going to be available for the price of “[Packers backup defender] Josh Jones and a conditional late-round selection” the Eagles should see if they can beat that. Or if DeVante Parker, who the Eagles have reportedly contacted the Dolphins about, is going to get moved, Philadelphia might want to be in on that.

It’ll be interesting to see what Howie Roseman does prior to Tuesday’s deadline. His ability to be shrewd inspires confidence that he might be able to make an intriguing move.