ClutchPoints
After making a trade earlier in the week to bring in Michael Carter II from the New York Jets, reuniting him with the man who drafted him, Joe Douglas, the Philadelphia Eagles did it again on Saturday afternoon, acquiring Jaire Alexander and a 2027 seventh-round pick from the Baltimore Ravens for a 2026 sixth-round pick.
Suddenly, the Eagles went from a team with major needs at cornerback to a squad with more defensive backs than they have snaps to play, with the potential to make even more moves in the future, like to acquire a pass rusher like Jaelan Phillips or Jermaine Johnson II, both of whom have been linked to the team via trade.
And as for the Ravens? Well, they’ve now made two trades where Eric DeCosta turned a late pick into an earlier one, having to surrender a player both times in order to make that happen.
Sitting at 3-5 following an early-season losing streak, the Ravens are somehow still in play for the AFC North due to a series of blunders by the Cleveland Browns, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Cincinnati Bengals, with a Lamar Jackson return the potential catalyst for a major later-season comeback. Even if the addition of Alohi Gilman has worked in the Ravens’ favor so far, saying goodbye to Odafe Oweh and Jaire Alexander doesn’t exactly send the best message to the rest of the league, especially after a huge Thursday Night Football win.
Will moving Alexander change the fate of either the Eagles or Ravens all that much? Maybe yes, maybe no, but it’s clear the two teams made the moves for very different reasons and thus have to be evaluated accordingly.
In a vacuum, acquiring Alexander is pretty cut-and-dry.
While Alexander graded out as one of the worst cornerbacks in the NFL so far this season, albeit in limited action for the Ravens, very few cornerbacks can effortlessly transition from one scheme to another and maintain their level of play, especially when the rest of the defense is among the worst in football. In Green Bay, Alexander played at a Pro Bowl level at times when healthy, and while he’s older and has already spent time on the bench in 2025, a spot in Vic Fangio’s scheme might unlock some of that old play in a way Zach Orr couldn’t unleash.
Fortunately for Philadelphia, this move wasn’t made in a vacuum, and with Alexander, Carter II, Kelee Ringo, Jakorian Bennett, Adoree’ Jackson, and Mac McWilliams now all on the bench, Roseman now has the ability to make another move, including one or even two of his young defensive backs in a package for a ready-made pass-rushing upgrade.
In the lead-up to the trade deadline, Ringo has been linked to a number of teams around the NFL, and for good reason. While he hasn’t been particularly good in 2025, he hasn’t been horrible either, and still has all of the...
