Eagles trade with the Broncos for TE Albert Okwuegbunam on NFL cutdown day
The Eagles were able to do a deal for Okwuegbunam, whom the Broncos were going to place on waivers.
The Eagles’ tight ends room just got a little more crowded.
Shortly before the 4 p.m. roster cutdown deadline on Tuesday, the Eagles acquired tight end Albert Okwuegbunam and a 2025 seventh-round pick from the Denver Broncos in exchange for a 2025 sixth-round pick.
Asked about the ESPN report of the trade involving Okwuegbunam, whom the Broncos planned to cut, Broncos coach Sean Payton said of the draft pick compensation, “It’s basically a pick flop. ... Pretty ordinary at this time of the process, teams like Philly maybe that aren’t in a claiming position, that they would be able to [trade for] the player.”
Okwuegbunam, 25, was selected by the Broncos in the fourth round (No. 118 overall) of the 2020 draft. In his rookie season, he suffered a torn ACL and was placed on injured reserve on Nov. 10 that year, putting a premature end to his season after four games.
The 6-foot-5, 258-pounder played eight games last season (10 receptions, 95 yards, one touchdown), taking 35% of the offensive snaps. Over the course of his three seasons in the NFL, the Springfield, Ill., native who played his college ball at Missouri has played in a total of 26 games. He has 54 receptions, 546 yards, and four touchdowns.
Following the cutdown deadline, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman was high on Okwuegbunam’s physical traits, including his size, his wingspan, his 4.49-second 40-yard dash time, and his lower-body flexibility. Okwuegbunam flashed in the final Broncos preseason game this year against the Los Angeles Rams, posting seven receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown.
“This a guy that not only has traits, but it’s hard not to watch that last preseason game and see what it looks like when it looks right,” Roseman said. “I think, Coach [Nick Sirianni] remarked, not a lot of tight ends who have 100-yard receiving games in the preseason. And it was because he has a unique ability to uncover. He’s got lower-body flexibility. He’s got speed. He’s got length. He’s got all the tools in his body. That’s a start. And now he gets here. I know that he’ll be coached up and we’ll get the most out of him when he gets here.”