Howie Roseman and the Eagles have made their first move ahead of the NFL’s trade deadline, addressing arguably the defending Super Bowl champion’s biggest weakness.
The Eagles have acquired New York Jets cornerback Michael Carter II and a 2027 seventh-round pick in exchange for wide receiver John Metchie III and a 2027 sixth-round pick.
The news was first reported by NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.
The Eagles were in the market for cornerback help. So this deal for Carter, who has been a regular contributor in New York’s secondary for five seasons, makes sense on paper.
Carter has totaled 223 tackles, 26 passes defended and two interceptions in 65 games (25 starts) with the Jets. The 5-foot-10, 184-pounder has played in only five games this season, missing three weeks due to a concussion.
Carter, after signing a three-year, $30.7 million extension with the Jets, is under contract with the Eagles through 2027.
Going the other way, Metchie hardly made an impact (four catches, 18 yards) since the Eagles acquired him from the Houston Texans in August. Metchie was buried on the depth chart behind A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Jahan Dotson and even undrafted rookie Darius Cooper.
The intriguing part of this move is where Carter will line up in the Eagles’ secondary. Carter has primarily played at the nickel corner spot during his time in New York.
Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean plays on the outside in base defense and in the slot when the Eagles play nickel. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said as recently as this week that the Eagles have considered keeping DeJean on the outside full-time. But the second-year star was too valuable in the slot because of a lack of other alternatives.
Now with Carter in the fold, DeJean could move to the outside full-time. At the very least, Carter’s presence gives Fangio more flexibility.
After watching Darius Slay and Isaiah Rodgers leave in free agency, the Eagles have been hurting at the CB2 spot in nickel. Adoree’ Jackson and Kelee Ringo have struggled opposite Quinyon Mitchell, and teams have hunted those one-on-one matchups.
Now, at least in theory, the Eagles should be better equipped to address a major weakness.
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