If Eagles Want to Save Season, One QB Should be Of Interest

It's important to recognize that the Philadelphia Eagles could have been impacted by the New York Giants winning in Week 7, at least in terms of what they might decide to do at the trade deadline. 

It's fair to say Philadelphia entered this week with questions it had to answer, and how teams played in the NFC East would likely determine the answer. 

The Eagles take on the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football, so as of now, there's no answer on how Philadelphia has played. However, the Giants came away with the win, putting them a game ahead in the NFC East with a 4-2-1 record. At 2-4, Philadelphia isn't exactly in the worst spot to make the playoffs by winning the division, but things look a bit less likely than they did a couple of weeks ago.

As for what Philadelphia might do at this year's trade deadline, if it believes it has to land a player who can make a nice-sized impact under center, trading for a quarterback might be the plan. 

The Eagles ultimately have to figure out whether they want to continue to give Tanner McKee the keys to this offense or go around and trade for a guy like Mac Jones, who figures to be one of the best backups in football and has a chance to be a legitimate starter somewhere else if he wasn't with the San Francisco 49ers.

The 49ers, at 6-1, figure to be buyers at the deadline. Moving on from Jones could let them get a player in return from Philadelphia, while the Eagles could also move on from some draft picks and help San Francisco at the deadline or in the future. 

Regardless, The Athletic believes the Eagles could be interested, which is interesting given their record.

“Jones is one of the best backup quarterbacks in the league. He should, at some point, get another chance to start. That will most likely come in 2027, as Jones is in the final year of a two-year deal he signed with the 49ers. But could a team in need of a quarterback — like the Eagles, if they don’t take the retool avenue — convince the 49ers to make a deal with an over-the-top offer? 

“It’s unlikely. But again, we’re trying to have fun here. The 49ers are contenders after a 6-0 start, and keeping some insurance behind MVP frontrunner Brock Purdy makes more sense,” The Athletic wrote.

Jones isn't a perfect player by any means, and as we saw during his time with the New England Patriots, when he's started for an extended period, there have been some issues to question. 

However, he's also gotten some chances in San Francisco because of the injuries quarterback Brock Purdy has dealt with. If Jones can play like he did in those moments in Philadelphia, the Eagles will find themselves in one of the more interesting positions in football and have a chance to win at a much higher level than they currently are.