Irreplaceable?

I have to admit. I am not the most objective person when it comes to Desean Jackson. He is not what I would consider a class act and his fiery attitude can be interpreted negatively as well. Still, if the Eagles are going to think about trading their #1 WR, I assume they are taking some very important things into consideration.

1. Production – This needs to be the first thing any team thinks about when considering or even listening to offers about any starting player. The amount of production Jackson has given the Eagles is, at the least, adequate. Jackson totaled 1300 yards and 9 touchdowns on 80+ catches this past year and it wasn’t by accident. He isn’t the guy you would want running your slant routes but I don’t know, those stats tell a story to me. Some would argue that it was the added amount of snaps that the Eagles ran this past year that gave Jackson more opportunities and stats. I would say that McCoy leading the league in rushing throws that argument out the window because the Eagles have run the ball more than or the same amount as any team in the league in the last few years. With Maclin and Cooper (along the addition of Darren Sproles) coming back for, at least, one more year, word around many circles is that these guys can replace D-Jax production but that is a tough sell in my opinion. Sproles is not going to take that many snaps away from McCoy, who was among the league leaders in snaps last year, and I do not believe that he will be thrown into the slot as often and many analysts believe. At the most, Sproles will play 20 snaps a game. Any more than this and Chip Kelly will be changing his running philosophy significantly. Unlike New Orleans, the Eagles have a franchise running back who will take 90% of the carries regardless of his backup. No one knows how Maclin will look this year and thinking he can come back with the vigor of an Adrian Peterson in the recovery department is a stretch, even for Maclin’s talent. Cooper functioned as the WR that benefited from defenses playing 20-25 yards off the ball because of the blazing speed on the other side. Thinking that Maclin will scare the defenses the same way will be a mistake.
2. Skill Sets – In order to “replace” any player, you have to find someone who either has the same skill set or a better one. No one on the Eagles roster has D-Jax’s skill set and even if you believe Maclin does, are Coach Kelly and Howie Roseman willing to think bet on Maclin that way after such a significant injury? I wouldn’t. You could argue that Kelly wants bigger bodies and I wouldn’t argue with that. However, we would see a switch in how defenses have played the Eagles in the past few years as the safeties begin creeping up and opposing defensive coordinators begin calling shorter zone concepts. Such is the price the Eagles had to pay before the Eagles had Jackson and Reggie Brown was our starter (remember him?).
3. The Draft – Here is where trading Jackson becomes understandable. This year’s draft has depth at the WR position that has GMs and analysts foaming at the mouth. Speed, size, and physicality is present in almost 7 WRs this year, which is unheard of. If the Eagles believe that D-Jax can be replaced with one of these guys, this would give me cause for pause. If the Eagles went out and grabbed a 1st or 2nd round WR, a legitimate claim could be made that he would be able to beat Riley Cooper in the lineup and, unless Chip Kelly plans on using 3 WRs, 1 TE, and 1 RB on a regular basis (which is feasible), then that pick won’t be as productive as we believe (see how these things connect?). Nonetheless, the draft is deep but I don’t think the Eagles can use a top pick on a WR when they have clear holes at multiple positions on defense.
4. Cap Hit – This is something we all know for a fact that Howie Roseman isn’t missing. The Eagles could legitimately want to get from under all the money on the back end of Jackson’s contract and grabbing a talented rookie who can give you 4 cheap years could be the answer to their prayers. I value Jackson a lot, but his contract is a hefty price to pay for a smaller guy who all but disappeared against the Saints in the playoffs last year. Finding a team willing to take his cap number will be a task all in itself, which leads me to my last point of consideration.
5. Compensation – This is the last thing that the Eagles should consider before trading Jackson, simply because the other things are factors even before you pull the trigger on his trade. Word in NFL circles are saying he is worth a 3rd rounder, which makes sense because he was drafted in the second round. Still, there is no projected 3rd round player with Jackson’s abilities and there is no reason to believe that a 3rd round WR that will come in and make that sort of offensive impact on a run dominated team. If the Eagles can find someone willing to pull a “Brandon Marshall” trade (two 3rd round picks) then the balance changes, but to think that Jackson was worth nothing more to the Eagles than a 3rd round pick is laughable.

Like I said before, I am not a very objective person when it comes to this specific speedy wideout, but I am willing to admit it when the Eagles have good and bad ideas. I wouldn’t consider trading D-Jax a bad idea and I wouldn’t say that D-Jax can’t be replaced in some sort of way because stranger things have happened. I am just pointing out the fact that the Eagles product we are used to seeing offensively is about to be altered drastically from the potential absence of the smallest guy on the field. If everything falls into place for the Eagles and they grab a game changer in the 3rd round, then Howie and Chip have pulled off a heist. But if the chips don’t fall accordingly, people will be forced to remember what it means to lack speed on the outside (Ask McNabb in the early 2000s). So is D-Jax irreplaceable? Nope, but good luck trying.