McNabb Trade Breakdown
by Jody Jamieson
6/4/2010
On Sunday night NFC East rivals Philadelphia and Washington completed a stunning trade with the Eagles sending Donovan McNabb to the Redskins for a 2010 second round pick and a conditional pick in 2011. Shockwaves reverberated around the league when the trade was announced, and now it is time to dissect who got the better end of the deal. Being an Eagles fan I obviously have a vested interest in this one, but I’m here to break down the trade in a fair and impartial way.
Philadelphia
As much as the Eagles Front Office has danced around the issue over the past few weeks, there is no question that for the first time in a decade, the team is rebuilding. Trading away Reggie Brown and Chris Gocong doesn’t suggest full rebuild, but letting Sheldon Brown (traded for picks), Brian Westbrook(released), Shawn Andrews (released), Will Witherspoon (option not picked up) and now McNabb leave shows that the rebuild is officially underway.
While Philly isn’t the most patient city in the world, this makes absolute sense for a team who went into the offseason getting old and full of holes. The trade for Jason Peters didn’t pan out too well in Year 1, and there are too many question marks on the offensive line. Defensively they are very weak at linebacker and safety in both talent and depth. Realistically even with McNabb, right now it would be hard to envisage seeing a winning season out of the 2010 Eagles.
While it never really makes sense to make a divisional rival better, the Eagles aren’t likely to be competing over the next couple of years. By the time they have completed any rebuild McNabb will likely be on his last legs. It gives Kevin Kolb the chance to take control of the offense. Kolb had a couple of good performances in 09 when McNabb was on the shelf, and he now has a chance to build a good relationship with DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin.
Washington
The Skins essentially addressed two problems with this move. They added a franchise quarterback to aid their playoff push while freeing up pick #4 in the Draft, which will now almost certainly be used to take Russell Okung. Having McNabb at QB and Okung at LT makes much more sense than Jimmy Clausen and a second round tackle or Okung and a second round rookie quarterback.
The Redskins have lacked three things over the past couple of years. A franchise quarterback, a healthy and effective left tackle and a premier Head Coach. Right now they are two-thirds of the way there, and will likely add the third piece in a few weeks time. Picking up Mike Shanahan was always going to make Washington legitimate and he’s made some smart moves this off-season. Adding Larry Johnson wasn’t one of those smart moves, but getting his quarterback in without parting with pick #4 is a great decision.
In my opinion Washington put the final nail in the 2010 Eagles coffin by picking up their long time signal caller. Their defense is ready to carry the team to the next level, and now it’s time for the offense to catch up. Adding McNabb is a great first step in the right direction.
Recap
Donovan McNabb versus the Eagles will be a strange experience over the next couple of years, but you won’t want to miss it. Philadelphia got what they needed for their rebuild and Washington got what they needed to compete for a playoff spot. I’d like to call this trade a push, but it’s always better to win than rebuild, and the window is officially open for Washington.
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