Eagles Trade Rumors: Torrey Smith Still Drawing Interest From Philadelphia
Torrey Smith. (USA Today Sports)
The Philadelphia Eagles are still interested in trading for a wide receiver before Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline, according to a report from Pro Football Talk. Mike Florio, who originally reported the Eagles’ interest in 49ers pass catcher Torrey Smith, specifically notes Philadelphia’s talks with San Francisco “are still not dead.”
The Eagles’ interest in trading for a receiver makes sense. Philadelphia’s lackluster receiving corps has struggled this season and the Eagles need to supply promising rookie quarterback Carson Wentz with more offensive weapons.
Another reason why these trade rumors are plausible is due to Howie Roseman’s penchant for making deals. No NFL team has been involved in more trades than the Eagles since 2010.
There’s no guarantee a deal gets done. Eagles head coach Doug Pederson firmly denied trade rumors earlier this week when he could have easily deferred to Roseman.
Adding Smith would give the Eagles a big-play, deep threat they sorely lack. Smith currently ranks second in career yards per reception (17.2) among active NFL players.
The 49ers could be motivated to get a deal done because they’re off to a poor start this season with one win in seven games played. San Francisco could be looking to sell players for draft picks before the deadline.
Acquiring Smith would be a $2.9 million cap hit for the Eagles this season, according to Spotrac. The Eagles currently have about $9.4 million in cap space, according to Over The Cap. Smith’s cap hit would be $8 million for the next three seasons after this year assuming no changes are made to his contract.
It remains to be seen what the Eagles would have to give up in exchange for Smith. One can also wonder how immediate Smith’s impact would be as he gets adjusted to a new offense in the middle of the season.
It will be interesting to see if the Eagles pull off a deal before the 4:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday afternoon. Stay tuned.