The Philadelphia Eagles remain atop the NFC East with a 5-0 record. After smashing five teams with big defeats, the franchise is a hot favorite to earn a Super Bowl this year. However, the injury-plagued squad has been a major headache for them prior to week 6.
Prior to the second half of the regular season, the Eagles need to boost up their defense as the upcoming contests are going to be more challenging. With the aim of solidifying the D-line, the team is reportedly eyeing Jeremy Chinn of the Carolina Panthers, the NFL’s only winless team this season.
Eagles may pursue Jeremy Chinn’s trade
The Eagles were banking on their safeties, Reed Blankenship, Justin Evans, and Sydney Brown, at safety this season. However, Brown missed some snaps due to an injury, urging the franchise to add a veteran to fill the void. According to NFL analyst and reporter Cam Marino, the Eagles are expected to bring speed and athleticism to the corps by pursuing Chinn ahead of Oct. 31’s trade deadline.
This is not the first time the Philly front office has showcased interest in the 6-foot-3, 220-pounder, as according to FOX Sports insider Jay Glazer, the franchise almost selected him in the 2020 NFL Draft before moving to draft a quarterback instead. The defender is in the final year of his rookie contract, and Philadelphia might not count a heavy amount to enroll him in their roster.
Why doesn’t Jeremy Chinn get to see the field?
Chinn got the chance to appear in only 55% of all defensive snaps for the Panthers in 2023. Last year, he recorded 70 tackles, a quarterback hit along with 1.0 sacks, albeit his performance in the offseason got heavy praise from the Panthers’ front office, and hence, his lack of appearance on the field remains a mystery.
However, Carolina’s defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero addressed the issue saying they are following a comprehensive approach to let the players in the position play on the field. He also added the decision to let him play in combination with other veterans aimed at improving the run game and pass situations.
“There is specialized packages for him. We’re obviously trying to play him and Troy (Hill) at that nickel position and then have Jeremy in some of the dime positions. Getting more third downs is how we get him on the field obviously and then some of those specialized first and second down deals too. Our execution level, our ability to play the run game better and get into more pass situations is going to allow that to happen.”
Nevertheless, Evero’s take didn’t seem logical as well, given the Panthers’ ongoing struggle on the defensive side. Back in September, Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer revealed that the fourth-year defender might not mess with the revamped Carolina defense under new head coach Frank Reich.
Now, it remains to be seen if the Panthers, who are reprotedly chasing Bengals WR Tee Higgins, actually keep Chinn in their new plan or if the Eagles step up to pick him.
What do you think will be the likely scenario? Tell us in the comments.
