Well, this was unexpected.
For the second day in a row, Howie Roseman has made a trade.
This one is much more of a shocker than the Birds trading Kenny Pickett to the Cleveland Browns, however.
The terms, according to a report from NFL insider Ian Rapoport:
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES RECEIVE — OG Kenyon Green, 2026 fifth-round pick
HOUSTON TEXANS RECEIVE — S C.J. Gardner-Johnson, 2026 sixth-round pick
Wow.
One year after re-signing him in free agency, CJGJ is unexpectedly gone.
There’s a lot to unpack and make sense of here. Some initial thoughts:
- This obviously isn’t the first time the Eagles moved on from CJGJ. They had interest in re-signing him when he was a free agent after the 2022 season but his asking price seemed to be much higher than the Eagles and, really, any team wanted to pay. CJGJ ended up having to settle for a one-year deal with the Detroit Lions. He then returned to Philly last year. Much was made about the Eagles bringing his swagger and play-making ability back to their defense. But while those are definitely benefits to having CJGJ on the roster, perhaps there are some drawbacks that the Eagles don’t really love.
- The Eagles were in a spot where both CJGJ and Reed Blankenship were up for contract extensions. CJGJ has no more guaranteed money in his deal after 2025 and Blankenship is entering the final year of his contract. Perhaps the Eagles felt they couldn’t pay both … and chose keeping Blankenship instead.
- Trading CJGJ clears just $211,000 in cap space while creating $4.7 million in dead money.
- The Eagles will need a new starting safety next to Blankenship. Sydney Brown is the top internal candidate to take over that role. The Eagles also have Lewis Cine, Tristin McCollum, and Andre’ Sam under contract. They could look to sign a free agent safety and/or select one in the 2025 NFL Draft.
- Green, who turns 24 on March 15, has an intriguing pedigree at the No. 15 overall pick from the 2022 NFL Draft. But he hasn’t played well to this point. Green ranked 83rd out of 84 guards graded by Pro Football Focus as a rookie in 2022. He then missed the entire 2023 season with a shoulder injury. Green then ranked 78th out of 79 guards in 2024. Maybe Jeff Stoutland can help turn his career around. But maybe Green just isn’t very good. Also, his NFL experience has come at left guard and the Eagles are potentially going to move him to right guard to compete with Tyler Steen for the starting RG spot.
- Speaking of, it seems like the Eagles are not anticipating Mekhi Becton to return. That’s not shocking but it is a bummer.
Ultimately, it’s hard to really love this deal for the Eagles.
