Eagles Trade for Jason Peters: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

On Friday news broke that the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills had come to terms on a trade that would send two-time Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters to the Eagles in return for one of Philly’s first-round picks (28th overall), a fourth-round pick, and a second-day pick in the 2010 draft. 

When I first started hearing about this trade, my feelings were mixed.  I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about the deal. 

And so, I give you The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of the Jason Peters trade:

The Good.  One of the Eagles’ biggest needs was a left tackle.  They let Tre Thomas move on to Jacksonville in the offseason.  There was talk that the Eagle front office and Andy Reid would be content to move either Todd Herremans or Shawn Andrews to left tackle.  This would have left Nick Cole or Max Jeans-Gilles to start at the vacated guard position. 

While that would have given them a serviceable offensive line and one that would probably still be considered one of the better lines in the NFL, it would also have left them with less depth on the line and the uncertainty of how Herremans or Andrews would have performed at left tackle. 

Acquiring Peters gives them a potentially dominant left tackle who is only 27 years old.  They still have Cole and Jeans-Gilles on the bench as backups to fill in if there is an injury.  Adding Peters at left tackle, Stacey Andrews at right tackle, and keeping Herremans and Andrews as the starting guards now gives the Eagles an offensive line that could potentially be one of the most elite in the NFL.

The Bad.  During the Andy Reid-Donovan McNabb era the one thing that Philly fans have consistently clamored for is the addition of a true top-flight wide receiver. 

That wish was answered for a short period of time with the addition of Terrell Owens.  Proponents of the “Eagles need a wide receiver” argument point to the fact that in the year the Eagles had T.O. they made an appearance in the Super Bowl. 

What so many people seem to forget is that the Eagles made their run through the playoffs to the Super Bowl without T.O. 

Is a wide receiver really needed?  That is up for debate.  The trade for Jason Peters tells you what side the Eagle front office comes down on in that argument. 

The acquisition of Peters pretty well guarantees there will not be a trade to bring Anquan Boldin to Philadelphia.  The Eagles signed Peters to a four-year contract extension worth $53 million. 

I really can’t see them bringing in Boldin and giving him a huge contract as well, which is the whole reason he wants out of Arizona in the first place.

The Ugly?

The Ugly.    I am pretty excited about this trade, right up until the point I think about The Ugly.  The Eagles will be paying $60 million the next six years for a guy that gave up 11 sacks last year to protect McNabb’s blindside. 

Some will argue that his inconsistent play last year was largely due to him missing offseason workouts and training camp.  Peters elected to hold out of training camp because he was upset over his contract situation. 

Maybe that was the reason for his poor play, but maybe it wasn’t.  Either way, it puts a little bit of doubt in our minds when we think about whether this was a good move for the Eagles or not. 

Did the Eagles get a dominant left tackle to anchor their offensive line for the foreseeable future or did they just pick up a lazy, overpriced underachiever in a move that they will regret for a long time?