Throughout the offseason, the Eagles were constantly forced to hear about their underwhelming secondary. Ahead of Tuesday’s final-cut deadline, GM Howie Roseman decided to do something about that weakness by dealing for an upgrade.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Eagles agreed to a trade with the New Orleans Saints for veteran safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson. The report came shortly after the news that the team released fellow veteran defensive back Anthony Harris, who was a full-time starter last season.
Why trade for Chauncey Gardner-Johnson solidifies Eagles’ defense
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Eagles will trade a 2023 fifth-round pick and a 2024 sixth-round pick to the Saints for Gardner-Johnson and a 2025 seventh-round pick.
The Eagles acquiring Gardner-Johnson is a sign that the team wants to make a run in the wide-open NFC. Roseman has thoroughly upgraded Jonathan Gannon’s defense this offseason, bringing notable names like Haason Reddick, James Bradberry, Jordan Davis, and Kyzir White into the fold.
According to Pelissero, the Eagles plan to use Gardner-Johnson specifically at safety. The versatile defensive back has played nickel corner, free safety, and strong safety in New Orleans. In Philadelphia, Gardner-Johnson will partner with emerging young starter Marcus Epps in Gannon’s zone-heavy scheme. Epps and Gardner-Johnson fit Gannon’s desire to have interchangeable safeties.
Gardner-Johnson will complement Epps, as the former is a physical attacker while the latter is a coverage-heavy speedster. The Eagles still don’t have great depth at the position, but adding Gardner-Johnson allows the Eagles to keep some younger pieces behind him and Epps.
The Eagles will likely hang onto fellow hybrid DB Josiah Scott as the immediate backup to Epps and Gardner-Johnson. K’Von Wallace, Andre Chachere, and undrafted rookie Reed Blankenship are also in play as the 53-man roster cutdown deadline looms.
According to Pelissero, the Saints and Gardner-Johnson failed to negotiate a contract extension. Roseman isn’t afraid to spend on talented in-house defenders, and an extension could be possible for Gardner-Johnson in Philadelphia.
Gardner-Johnson’s temperament is a bona fide match for Philly and head coach Nick Sirianni, as the fan base and coach are known for their rowdy nature. Gardner-Johnson is an enforcer and bully in the secondary, and he brings an edge that has been missing since Malcolm Jenkins left town in 2020.
Even after this deal with New Orleans, the Eagles still own a pair of the Saints’ premium picks in the future.
The Eagles traded the 16th, 19th, and 194th overall picks in this past April’s NFL draft to the Saints for their 18th, 101st, and 234th overall selections this year. They also added the Saints’ 2023 first-round pick and 2024 second-round pick in the swap.