Eagles
Sometimes all it takes is one bit of news to send you down a rabbit hole. In this case, a took a look at the Mekhi Becton release news and the ended up uncovering some shocking information. Well maybe not shocking to you since I spoil it in the title. Yup every team that’s won a Super Bowl has had a player from the New York Jets this decade.
What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of the Jets? New York? Mark Sanchez? The butt fumble? Memes? 9/11? Whatever it is you probably don’t think of success, unless your Sean McDermott for the last one. Well like I said before, they may not have any franchise success but their former players sure do. Let’s break them down and take a look at some players the Eagles could target.
The most obvious player is Sam Darnold with the Seahawks. We all heard the story during the season and before the big game. Former NY Jets won a Super Bowl after a tumultuous beginning seasons to cap off one of the best comeback stories in the NFL. The other obvious (maybe) player is former Eagle Mekhi Becton. He was originally drafted by the jets but it wouldn’t shock me if you just learned. Knowing a lineman’s previous team can lead you to a dark place, like blogging.
We’ll rip through the other quickly since it’s not exactly a well-known list of players. 2023 Chiefs had Mike Pennel, who had a nice long 13 year career and two Super Bowl wins. Next we have our first stretch pick, Matt Ammendola for the 2022 Chiefs. He replaced Harrison Butker who was injured during week one of the season. He was released when Butker was healthy but the Chiefs won the Super Bowl.
Looking at the Rams 2021 season, you may recognize the name Blake Countess. No, despite it sounding like a name you’d see on The Crown, Blake is a former Philadelphia Eagle. Played a whopping two games here in Philly. The Rams brought him in for their playoff push. He played a Herculean three games. Sure he didn’t record a stat but has the ring to prove he was there. Last but not least, the 2020 Buccaneers had former Jet Steve McLendon. Nothing special about him, just another solid career guy that fits the trend.
What does this mean for the Eagles? Well I just scientifically proved you need a former Jet on the roster to win. Surely this can’t just be a random occurrence in a league where players move cities constantly. Currently the Eagles have no players that used to be on the Jets on their roster. They should fix that and I have a few players in mind that could fix the gap.
They could bring back Mekhi Becton, the one that started this whole investigation. Sure he was bad on the Jets and Chargers but he was a winner in Philly. I don’t think the Eagles would (or should) bring him back but they could and having some O-Line depth will never be bad. I could also see Howie trading for Garret Wilson. That’s if AJ Brown is traded (not that I want AJ Brown traded, relax). Just saying that the last time the Eagles traded for a receiver that had solid years on a bad team it worked out well (that player was AJ Brown). It also doesn’t make sense considering Wilson just signed a contract extension but we’re offseason speculating.
Honestly, if the Eagles want to poach a player off the Jets it should be from the defensive side of the ball. If you didn’t watch the Jets much, first off congrats on avoiding bad football, you may not know their defense was a solid unit. They also weren’t afraid to trade their two best players in Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams. Should the Eagles follow this route, I can see the Eagles making a move for Will McDonald. He had 8 sacks last year for the team and could fill in for the spot left by Jaelen Phillips. He’s also on the last year of his rookie deal so he’ll have the added “contract year” performance you see out of players. Seems like a very Howie-type deal to make.
No matter what happens, I don’t put too much stock in this take. Just a cool fact to share with your friends or to piss off any of your Jets friend. Still, if the Eagles do make a trade or sign a free agent, I’ll be checking to see if they fit that Jets criteria. Until then, Go Birds!
Photo Source: Sarah Stier/Getty Images
Hello, I’m a greater Philadelphia native writing mostly about the Eagles and the rest of the NFL. Articles aren’t … More about Kyle Lavin
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