NFL Trade Rumors: “Keep an eye on the Eagles and Kareem Hunt”

As of this article’s publish time, we are about 24 hours away from the 2022 NFL trade deadline. Teams have until 4:00 PM Eastern on Tuesday, November 1 to make deals ... or hold their peace until the offseason.

The Philadelphia Eagles already made a deal last week when they acquired Robert Quinn from the Chicago Bears. But there are indications that Howie Roseman is still trying to further boost a roster off to a 7-0 start.

The latest buzz comes from Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports. He’s yet another reporter connecting the Eagles to Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt.

This rumor comes a few days after Jimmy Kempski (my BGN Radio co-host) wrote the following for PhillyVoice:

Going forward, not that “NFL sources” are really needed to confirm the obvious, but Roseman and the Eagles are continuing to look to improve their roster for the stretch run, per NFL sources. It is believed that the most likely position that they will address is running back.

NFL insider Jay Glazer also noted that he could see the Eagles trading for a running back.

The possibility of the Eagles trading for Hunt dates back to the offseason. There was even a moment during the Eagles’ joint training camp sessions with the Browns in Berea, Ohio where Hunt was seen talking to Nick Sirianni prior to practice.

Sirianni and Hunt both have ties to Ohio and they overlapped in the AFC West for a bit, for whatever it’s worth. Just because they were talking doesn’t mean the Eagles are definitely trading for him ... but it is interesting and noteworthy.

As noted by Kempski, the Eagles’ interest in adding a running back isn’t necessarily an indictment of Sanders. It’s about adding depth to a position where the Birds aren’t super comfortable with the options behind their top running back. Hunt’s pass-catching ability also seems extremely relevant considering the Birds don’t have an inspiring option in that regard. Sanders has regressed as a passing game asset every year since his rookie season. Kenneth Gainwell has failed to establish himself as a quality receiving option; his eight targets have resulted in five catches for 29 yards. Gainwell has just two grabs in his last five games played.

Acquiring Hunt would give the Eagles a clear RB2 behind Sanders. For the rest of this season, at least. Hunt is scheduled to be a free agent after 2022. His impending free agent status limits the value he’ll return in a trade, which is why a fourth-round pick seems doable. One could argue it might even be too much; the Birds gave up a fourth-round pick for Jay Ajayi in 2017 when he had one year remaining on his deal.

One can understand why there will be those who do not want the Eagles to trade for Hunt. He was released from the Kansas City Chiefs after video emerged of him shoving and kicking a woman in February 2018.

Hunt is currently set to suit up for the Browns in their Monday Night Football matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Browns might already be planning to deal Hunt regardless of what happens in this game. But a divisional loss that drops them to 2-6 could only further motivate them to be sellers ahead of Tuesday’s deadline. Something to monitor.