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Answering Reddit’s biggest Eagles questions ahead of the NFL trade deadline

Here are some of the best questions we received from r/Eagles going into their Week 9 matchup against the Jaguars and with Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline looming.

From left: The Raiders' Maxx Crosby, the Cowboys' Micah Parsons, and the Eagles' Darius Slay.
From left: The Raiders' Maxx Crosby, the Cowboys' Micah Parsons, and the Eagles' Darius Slay.Read moreHeather Khalifa

After each Eagles game this season, Inquirer columnist David Murphy will answer questions posed by Eagles fans on Reddit about what they saw on the field — and what it means moving forward — in a weekly mailbag of sorts.

Here are some of the best questions we received from r/Eagles this week, as well some answers, going into their Week 9 matchup against the Jaguars and with Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline looming …

» READ MORE: Eagles vs. Jaguars predictions: Our writers make their picks for Week 9

Q: So the Brotherly Shove is consistently successful without Jason Kelce and Jordan Mailata. Jalen Hurts definitely is a major contributor, but why aren’t more teams around the league teaching and attempting it now that it’s pretty clearly about technique and not the players?

Murphy: I’m constantly asking myself the same question. The competitive advantage it gives the Eagles is insane. I did a quick Pro-Football-Reference.com search and came up with the following numbers for quarterback rushes on third and fourth down and 1 or fewer yards. This is the number of times a quarterback has gotten a first down and the number of attempts.

  1. Hurts 14-for-17

  2. Bo Nix 6-for-7

  3. Justin Fields 5-for-7

  4. Daniel Jones 7-for-7

  5. Jayden Daniels 6-for-6

  6. Josh Allen 6-for-6

  7. Trevor Lawrence 5-for-6

  8. Jameis Winston 5-for-6

  9. Brock Purdy 4-for-5

  10. Geno Smith 3-for-5

  11. Will Levis 4-for-4

  12. Sam Darnold 4-for-4

  13. Lamar Jackson 3-for-3

  14. Joe Burrow 3-for-3

So the play has actually been effective for those who use it the most frequently. The big difference is the frequency. I think you have to credit Nick Sirianni for sticking to the strategy. The Eagles are clearly better equipped to do it successfully. But I’d be curious what the results would be if other teams simply stuck to the bit.

Q: Are the Eagles going to trade away Darius Slay or Isaiah Rodgers prior to the deadline? It seems we now have the most depth at DB. Slay is a big cap hit, but they might want him to retire a Bird.

Murphy: I can’t see them trading away defensive back depth. Or any depth, really.

» READ MORE: Eagles’ Isaiah Rodgers has a lofty goal for his first start in nearly two years, on Sunday vs. Jaguars

Q: The Eagles seem to struggle to incorporate new players, Kevin Byard, Robert Quinn, etc. Given this, should the Eagles look to be sellers at the deadline, maybe with players like James Bradberry, Kenny Pickett, Eli Ricks?

Murphy: Easier said than done. If they could get value for any of those players they’d probably already be gone. Diontae Johnson just got traded for a glorified pick swap. I don’t think it’s a matter of the Eagles struggling to incorporate new players as much as it is the quality of talent available on the trade market. Bad players are going to struggle to fit in most places. Guys get traded for a reason.

» READ MORE: Gameday Central Extra: Eagles targets at the NFL trade deadline, standout on defense, and more

Q: This is a what-if, but what if Dallas goes into tank mode? What would it take for the Birds to get Micah Parsons, and would the Eagles even want him?

Murphy: It would take more than the Eagles have to give, which is why Micah Parsons won’t be getting traded.

Q: How many points would the Eagles have to win this game by to get Doug Pederson fired? Doesn’t look like it’ll be competitive with the Jaguars WR injuries.

Murphy: I thought Pederson was going to get fired a couple of weeks ago in London, but they rebounded that game. I’ve watched a lot of Jaguars games this year and I’ve never seen a team make so many unforced errors. I really couldn’t speak in an informed manner on what Jacksonville is thinking at this point.

Q: Seeing some smoke about Maxx Crosby. I know it will be a very high price tag but can you really put a price on a Super Bowl? What do we think about that move/what it would take?

Murphy: Like Parsons, I don’t know why the Raiders would trade Maxx Crosby. Any price that would make it worthwhile would probably be prohibitive even for a team like the Eagles. The Panthers reportedly turned down two first-round picks for Brian Burns two years ago. So, I don’t know, three first-round picks?

Q: In your opinion what is the most likely position to be upgraded with a trade? My vote is DL or LB depth.

Murphy: Those are the most obvious. Some tight end depth would be helpful.

The Eagles play the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 9. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Lincoln Financial Field.