NFL Trade Rumors: One Eagles offensive lineman is available

Philadelphia Eagles offensive guard Chance Warmack is one of several players available for trade as the NFL’s cut down day looms this weekend, according to a report from Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.

Five days from now is cut-down day, which means trade talk is about to heat up across the NFL. And the last year or so has provided proof that teams are far more open to dealing, and dealing for, veterans than ever before.

With that backdrop, I’ll repeat what was in this space last week: Offensive linemen are the hottest commodity out there on the market, making it good to be a team with any sort of depth up front. You could see it in what the Bills put in front of Allen on Sunday, and what Josh Rosen has had to operate in front of in Arizona. The league just doesn’t have enough of the big guys.

Who could be moved? Colts OT Austin Howard, Raiders OT Jylan Ware, Eagles OG Chance Warmack and Bears C Hroniss Grasu were among the names I’ve heard as available, with Howard and Warmack carrying extensive starting experience.

I’ve been saying for some time now that trading Warmack makes a lot of sense for the Eagles.

First of all, Warmack figures to be expendable for Philadelphia. The Eagles are likely going to carry the following nine offensive lineman (at least): Jason Peters, Stefen Wisniewski, Jason Kelce, Brandon Brooks, Lane Johnson, Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Isaac Seumalo, Matt Pryor, Jordan Mailata. With Seumalo filling in for Wis ahead of Warmack in the Eagles versus Browns game the other night, we know Warmack is the fourth guard option at best. And with the emergence of Pryor, who has had a good camp, Warmack could arguably even be fifth option.

A big thing working against Warmack’s value is his lack of versatility. Seumalo can literally play all five offensive line positions. Pryor, who measures in at 6-7, 338 pounds, is a guard/tackle type. Warmack is limited to both guard spots.

And then there’s the money, which is always relevant. Warmack’s 2018 cap number is $2,031,250, which is significant for a guy who might not even be active on game day. Cutting him would save $1,156,250. But trading him would allow the Eagles to gain an extra $500,000 to bring the total savings up to $1,656,250.

The only factor that appears to potentially be saving Warmack’s spot on Philadelphia’s 53-man roster is his connection with Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland. The two were connected at Alabama before Warmack was selected as the No. 10 overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.

But keeping Warmack isn’t ultimately Stoutland’s call. Eagles executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman has final say on player personnel decisions. And you can bet your behind that if he gets a good trade offer, Warmack could be as good as gone.

So, what does a good trade offer for Warmack look like? To me, it’s worth shipping him out for as little as a conditional seventh-round pick, since the additional cap savings is a factor. But given Warmack’s experience (51 career starts) and pedigree, maybe the Eagles can get a non-conditional seventh or even a sixth.

Last year, Roseman traded two backup offensive linemen before the regular season started. He shipped Allen Barbre to the Denver Broncos for a 2019 conditional seventh-round pick. Roseman also moved Matt Tobin AND the Eagles’ 2018 seventh-round pick for the Seahawks’ 2018 fifth-round pick. This illustrates Breer’s point about teams being desperate for offensive line help.

We’ll soon see if Roseman can add to the Eagles’ plentiful draft stock. Philadelphia is currently projected to have as many as 12 picks in the 2019 NFL Draft. Warmack’s value is arguably worth more to the Eagles in a trade than it is watching him get overpaid on the Eagles’ bench before he becomes a free agent after this season.