Eagles, Falcons Swap Players and Picks

Embed from Getty Images

By Paul Bowman, Sports Talk Philly Editor

While no one was paying attention, Howie Roseman swooped in and made yet another trade.

In the deal, linebacker Duke Riley and a sixth-round pick in the 2020 draft will come to the Eagles while the good guys send a 2020 seventh-round pick to the Falcons along with safety Johnathan Cyprien.

Roster Move: #Eagles have acquired LB Duke Riley and a 2020 6th-round pick from Atlanta in exchange for S Johnathan Cyprien and a 2020 7th-round pick. pic.twitter.com/EWvqyRNSwR

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) September 30, 2019

The Falcons lost safety Keanu Neal for the season and the Eagles just cut ties with special teamer LJ Fort, who is now signed with the Baltimore Ravens.

Riley, a 2017 third-round pick, is in the third year of his rookie contract, meaning that the Eagles will have team control of him in 2020 and he may still have untapped potential to be a contributor on defense, though he was brought in for his special teams contributions.

Over his first two seasons, Riley recorded 84 tackles (two for loss) and has two defensed passes.

The loss of Cyprien is not a huge one for the Eagles, but it means that if the team needs to turn to the fourth safety, they will be turning to the unproven Rudy Ford, who played well on special teams in Green Bay.

For the Eagles, the move can be combined with the Orlando Scandrick signing that initiated the move.

In essence, the Eagles moved Cyprien, who had played just 15 defensive snaps, for Orlando Scandrick and LJ Fort for Duke Riley on special teams. These moves also turned a seventh-round pick into a sixth-round pick in the 2020 draft as well as earned the Eagles a fourth-round compensatory pick.

Eagles Moves Over Last Four Days