The Eagles’ secondary is already cooking with two five-star ingredients, but ESPN’s Ben Solak just dropped the blueprint to turn it into a Michelin-level masterpiece before the Nov. 4 trade deadline.
Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean—second-year phenoms—are straight-up ballhawks. Mitchell’s locking down the boundary like a veteran, while DeJean’s slot coverage is giving coordinators nightmares. Two-thirds of an elite corner room? Check. The final piece? That other outside spot that’s been getting torched like a practice-squad dummy.
Solak didn’t mince words: veteran Adoree’ Jackson is getting targeted on a league-worst 25.7% of his snaps (76th in success rate, 75th in yards allowed per snap). Kelee Ringo’s barely better—53rd and 48th in those same metrics. Translation: teams are hunting the Eagles’ weak side like it’s open season.
Enter the blockbuster fix: Ja’Quan McMillan from Denver for a pair of sixth-rounders and a seventh.
Solak’s pitch is pure chess-master: the Broncos just spent a 2025 first-rounder on Jahdae Barron to replace McMillan in the slot, and Kris Abrams-Draine is ready to slide outside while Pat Surtain II heals. McMillan’s on a dirt-cheap, one-year ERFA deal—Philly would even keep his RFA rights next offseason.
“If he ends up just backing up DeJean at that price? Still a win,” Solak wrote.
This isn’t a luxury move. It’s the missing bolt on a defense that carried Philly to a Super Bowl ring last February. Yeah, they lost pieces in free agency—but Brandon Graham’s back, and Howie Roseman’s got the draft ammo to pull the trigger.
Mitchell outside. DeJean in the slot. McMillan on the other boundary. Suddenly, the Eagles’ secondary isn’t “almost there.” It’s nightmare fuel for every OC on the schedule.
Deadline’s in six days. If Roseman makes this call, the NFC better brace for impact.