Trade Doesn't Look Good For Eagles, Especially After Doing "Deep Dive"

PHILADELPHIA – One week was the span of Jaire Aleander’s career with the Eagles. Is it even worth putting that on the back of a football card or even on Pro Football Reference?

Anyone looking for more light shed on the situation will have to wait until the next time general manager Howie Roseman talks to reporters, which probably won’t be until the season ends, because Nick Sirianni did nothing more than confirm that Alexander's decision to step away from the game was health-related and wish him his best.

The coach declined to give anything more detailed when asked about what the Eagles knew about the injury when they shipped a sixth-round pick in this spring’s draft to Baltimore the day before the NFL trade deadline, getting him and a seventh-round pick in 2027 back.

There are no givebacks, so the Eagles won’t be getting their sixth-rounder back and sending Baltimore the seventh-rounder they gave to the Eagles along with Alexander.

The timing of Alexander’s decision is curious, especially after Roseman said he believed the risk was worth the reward on a player who had surgery to repair a PCL last December, and one who had played just 14 games the previous two seasons before signing with the Ravens as a free agent.

Howie Roseman On Jaire Alexander

“With Ja, I remember when he signed in June with Baltimore thinking what a great signing by them," said Roseman. "It didn't work out the way that he wanted or that they wanted or he wouldn't have been available to us. But the relationship we have with Baltimore, being able to have honest conversations and understanding what he went through a little bit in training camp and getting back to health, (he) obviously missed a lot of time last year.

“Then just really doing a deep dive on him and how successful he's been, what we thought of him last year when we were in Brazil playing them, and then for the first part of the year. Then, having (passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach Christian Parker) CP who's with him and getting to know the mindset of the player. Sometimes in this league, you acquire information, you watch everything and you feel like, ‘Hey, the risk is worth the reward here.’ I think when you talk about (him) still (being) a young guy, knowing where his health is at now, feeling healthy, feeling good, we felt like the risk was worth the reward with him.”

The deep dive didn’t go deep enough, apparently, and maybe those conversations with the Ravens weren't as honest as the GM thought. Or maybe Alexander just had a change of heart about his future in the seven days that he was with the Eagles. It happens.

Whatever it was, Alexander was placed on the Reserve/Retired list on Wednesday, which opened a roster spot for cornerback Jakorian Bennett to be added. So, the Eagles lose one corner but gain another.

Still, it's been a weird season in terms of retirement for the Eagles. Za'Darius Smith retired last month, but at least he waited until he had played five games with the Eagles, and Brandon Graham unretired.

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