By Patrick Del Gaone, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 
On Wednesday morning, the Eagles finalized a trade which sent 2015 second-round pick Eric Rowe to New England for a 2018 conditional fourth-round pick.
Initially, it was reported that Philadelphia would receive offensive lineman Josh Kline as part of the deal, until a corresponding agreement Howie Roseman had made to ship Kline to another NFL city fell through. This morning, Pederson addressed the motivation behind the transaction.
"I appreciate everything Eric has done for this organization," Pederson said. "With the guys that we have, and then bringing back C.J. Smith, it was another good opportunity for our organization to make some moves and to further his career. For us he’s possibly the fourth or fifth corner going into the season, this gives [Rowe] an opportunity to play.
"Jalen Mills was having a good camp. You bring in Leodis [McKelvin], Ron Brooks, and Nolan [Carroll] is back healthy. There is a lot of competition at that position. It’s what we wanted back in the spring, and going into training camp. It’s an opportunity that players have to embrace. He did put himself a chance to compete and be a part of the Eagles. It’s not only an opportunity for him, but for some of our young players who were playing well during camp to make this roster as well."
There have been concerns swirling around the NovaCare Complex as to whether rookie Carson Wentz is experienced enough to take over the starting job having played just one half of a preseason game before sustaining a rib injury. With the season opener against Cleveland just four days away, Pederson once again spoke to the maturity of Wentz, beginning the press conference by complimenting the study habits of his newly-appointed starting quarterback.
"He’s already in the film room when I arrived at 5:45 this morning," Pederson said. "That’s just the type of quarterback that we have. That’s the type of guy we knew we had in Carson Wentz.
"The way he led the huddle on Monday at practice and just what he’s done the last couple of days, getting himself ready to go, it just shows the type of leader and the type of person that he is."
With an inexperienced starting quarterback now at the helm, Pederson was asked whether his expectations for the team have changed at all.
"We need to win football games," Pederson said. "We still have a veteran football team, we’ve got a great offensive line, and a great defensive line."
You can watch the full press conference from Pederson below.
