4 trades Philadelphia Eagles need to make to win the NFC East

New England Patriots CB Stephon Gilmore

Stephon Gilmore is easily the most unrealistic trade target for an NFL team looking to go from “OK” to “good” or “good” to “great”, but he’s also the player who could most profoundly transform any NFL franchise. The New England Patriots did reportedly discuss a trade with Gilmore before the season started, so there is some smoke here.

This man has been the best cornerback in the game for quite some time, and he was always excellent since being a promising rookie for the Buffalo Bills out of South Carolina. Gilmore is physical, intelligent, and capable of making plays on the ball. He can do it all at the cornerback position, shadowing the best wide receivers in the game with every understanding of their nuances as route-runners.

Gilmore would take a fortune to acquire, but he would be worth a fortune to the Philadelphia Eagles. Rodney McLeod and Darius Slay are the only defensive backs truly worth building around, and the rest of the cornerbacks have struggled mightily this season.

Gilmore and Slay at cornerback with the Eagles vaunted defensive line would make this defense one of the league’s most dangerous, and it would relieve so much pressure off Carson Wentz and an offense that needs more than one trade to be competent.

Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz is one of the best in the game, and he already has Slay again. Imagine if he reunites with Gilmore from their days in Buffalo. The Eagles would be unstoppable. There is no more ambitious team in football than the Eagles, judging by Howie Roseman’s past moves. And while logistically it’s hard to work out a deal for a cornerback with Gilmore’s price tag and Bill Belichick’s own valuation of his importance, if anyone can pull it off, it’s this team.