Should the Eagles trade for Jonathan Taylor?

At the height of the running back valuation debate, Colts owner Jim Irsay stuck his foot in his mouth and essentially pissed off one of Indianapolis’ most effective playmakers. It’s been a few weeks since RB Jonathan Taylor requested a trade after talking to Irsay, and despite what the owner said at the time, the team has apparently given the running back then green light to find a trade partner.

It’s a shame that it’s come to this, because former Eagles OC Shane Steichen is probably a head coach Taylor would love to play for — Steichen was universally appreciated and respected in Philly — and would likely have a lot more fun with Anthony Richardson at QB than what he’s dealt with the past two seasons (Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan). Still, Taylor’s issue with Irsay isn’t going away, and the owner has doubled down on his unwillingness to pay big money to a running back.

So, should the Eagles trade for Taylor?

The running back group in Philly is still a bit of a question mark. Kenny Gainwell showed out during the playoff run last season, but hasn’t consistently been RB1 for the Eagles. Boston Scott may be a Giant killer, but he’s not exactly a three-down back. D’Andre Swift showed a lot of potential in the first preseason game, but we’ve only seen him in a handful of snaps. Rashaad Penny hasn’t really done much. Trey Sermon is loved by Nick Sirianni, and the RB was able to right a wrong in the second preseason game, but he still isn’t getting a ton of work with the ones. And, Kennedy Brooks has one year of experience and is a practice squad guy at best.

On the surface, the answer about trading for Taylor should be a ‘Yes, please.’ But, we all know it’s never that simple.

Eagles GM Howie Roseman spoke this offseason about how the team values the RB position, and while they signed LeSean McCoy to a long term deal, it just hasn’t worked out that way for a rusher in Philly in the years since. Miles Sanders was the closest we’ve come to an RB1 earning a pay day, but the Eagles weren’t willing to meet his needs and Sanders is now in Carolina.

The Eagles aren’t going to draft a running back in the first round, just as much as they’re not going to sign a rusher to a long term, big money deal coming off a rookie contract. It’s just not going to happen. It would be nice... every once in a while. But, it’s not Roseman’s style.

I’d argue with the GM, but he’s shown that he knows what he’s doing, and I just write blogs online. That’s fine. He can handle the situation, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to forgive him for missing out on such a golden opportunity. (I guess I’ll just have to Shake It Off.)