Bye weeks odds and ends, trade discussions, more.

A semi-random scattering of thoughts worth chewing on as we sit at the midpoint of the season:

A few thoughts on these trades. Quick recap: the Birds added two DBs (Michael Carter II and Jaire Alexander) and edge rusher Jaelen Phillips. This was done for the reasonable total cost of the Birds' own 2026 3rd round pick (likely to be pick 90 or later), 6th round picks in 2026 and 2027, and WR John Metchie. Philly also got 2027 7th round picks back in both of the Alexander and Carter trades.

Michael Carter II is one of the league's top slot CBs when healthy; the catch is his health (missed some of 2024 with a back injury). He has struggled statistically a bit over the last season and a half, although the constant disfunction and coaching turnover would have a lot to do with that. Over the 4+ years that Carter has been in this league, he's allowed the 3rd fewest yards per target of the 113 corners who have faced at least 100 targets. He has the 14th lowest passer rating allowed and 22nd lowest ANY/A permitted of those players. Carter is under contract for another two years past this season but at a high number (+/- $19 million total). If he can live up to the numbers cited here, the Birds may be willing to pay it, especially since none of it is guaranteed.

Jaire Alexander has fallen a long way from being one of the league's premier corners to being let go for practically nothing by two teams in just a few months. The Packers wanted nothing more to do with him and the Ravens played him very little while they had him. Alexander may be totally cooked a la Marshawn Lattimore in DC, but the silver lining is that Philly paid basically nothing out in this trade and will owe Alexander a minimal dollar figure. This is essentially a lottery ticket with minimal downside.

Jaelan Phillips has been arguably a top 20 edge rusher since he broke into the NFL in 2021; his pressure to snap ratio of 4.22% is 26th leaguewide among both active players (10 snaps per game minimum) and among all players since 2021 (150 total snaps minimum). That speaks well to his ability to create havoc. He has familiarity with Fangio's system, having played under him in 2023. Other that the obvious concerns regarding health (Phillips had significant injuries in both 2023 and 2024), the other issue I'd have would be the transition to a significantly serious team in Philly; Phillips played for UCLA and the Miami Hurricanes in college and the Dolphins in the NFL, none of which have been serious programs over the last decade or so. If Phillips is about winning, the change of scenery may do him a world of good.

All told, this is a good haul. Phillips is the headliner in a pretty remarkable remake of the Edge room on the fly, including the unretirement of Brandon Graham and the soon return of Nolan Smith from IR. The additions of Carter and Alexander are depth plays at corner; I think there's a 50-50 shot that one of the half dozen or so corners that aren't named Mitchell or DeJean turn into a functional starter and if that happens, the DB room will be in good shape. There are a few guys that may be candidates for outgoing trades (RB Dillon, perhaps a corner), so some of those late round picks may be recouped.

Jalen Hurts update. Despite the hand wringing from certain corners of the media, let's give QB1 some props. Hurts ranks 5th in passer rating, 9th in ANY/A, 8th in completion %, 2nd in TD/INT ratio, 9th in QBR, 7th in PFF grading and 4th in rushing success rate (among QBs). If recent trends continue, most of those figures will improve. In the preseason we discussed Jalen's remarkable records against playoff teams, winning teams and top defenses; based on current standings, those records continue to improve as Hurts is 2-1 against teams currently in playoff position, 3-1 against teams currently with a winning record and 2-1 against top eight defenses. Jalen is efficient, productive and successful and all that continues this season.

Looking ahead. Philly has four toss up games remaining (@Packers, Lions, @Cowboys, @Bills) and five games in which they'll be favored (Bears, @Chargers, Raiders, @Commanders, Commanders). Green Bay and Detroit took unexpected losses this weekend but will be dangerous. Dallas' offense is usually lethal in Texas and that will not be an easy game either. The Chargers' loss of Joe Alt and the Commanders' mounting injuries all but ensure those games will see Philly as notable favorites. Chicago looks rough on defense and inconsistent elsewhere. The Raiders are terrible but Buffalo looks like a difficult game, especially on the road. Add it all up and Philly should be able to get to 12 or 13 wins without much trouble. If they manage to beat the NFC North winner, they'll have tiebreakers over the other three likely divisional winners; an inside track to the top seed. Of course, this requires continual good health and the revamped pass rush and corner rooms to jell quickly. The three games after the bye will tell the tale; winning at least two of them sets Philly up for a repeat championship run.

BONUS: Giants fans are terrible. My brother and I took his oldest son for his first Eagles game to MetLife Stadium for that Thursday night Giants matchup. They open the parking lots five hours before kickoff, and Eagles fans made up most of the early arrivals. Our lot had more Eagles fans than home team fans. The stadium personnel were expecting an Eagles home game, based on how apathetic the Giants fan base has been lately. There were significant empty seats that didn't get filled till the second (or in some cases the third) quarters. The fans behind us were loud, drunk, and didn't know anything about their own team (one guys had no idea of who Brian Burns was or where he came from). To their credit, they knew enough to know that the Eagles were likely to win, but changed that tune once New York took over ("I told you I had a feeling!" from the same guy who had been proclaiming how bad the Giants were a couple hours earlier). The Giants fan base was so quiet in the first half (even with a lead) that I could hear Jalen's signals while the Eagles had the ball. It took till the third quarter for them to sound like an actual home crowd.

All in all, no matter what bad things anyone might say about the Philly fanbase, we'll never be accused of being what the Giants fans are now: disinterested and apathetic.

FLY EAGLES FLY!