The New Orleans Saints were rocked with news about their starting quarterback, Derek Carr, who may need season-ending shoulder surgery. It’s a mighty blow for new head coach Kellen Moore, who is coming off winning a Super Bowl as the offensive coordinator for the Eagles.
Perhaps the Eagles can help an old friend out, because Moore’s options at this point aren’t very good. He has Spencer Rattler, Jake Haener, and Ben DiNucci as his quarterbacks if Carr is lost for 2025.
Even though the veteran has been a disappointment since signing a big contract, Carr was the best of a mostly mediocre lot. He was 14-13 in his two seasons in New Orleans, but several injuries limited him to just 10 games last year, in which he went 5-5.
Here are two ways Moore’s former team can help:
First, trade Tanner McKee. He is better than what the Saints have, and Moore knows him better than what he inherited. McKee played well in his 89 regular-season snaps last year and in preseason games the past two years.
He is 1-0 in "real" game action, completing close to 67 percent of his passes (30-for-45) with four touchdowns and no interceptions.
It would be difficult to part with him from the Eagles’ standpoint. It would leave them with Dorian Thompson-Robinson as the top backup, and it probably means they will draft another one or add one post-draft. With a Super Bowl MVP in the house with Jalen Hurts, McKee is a luxury that, if the compensation is right, the Eagles may want to consider parting ways with.
Second, the Eagles could make a deal with the Saints on draft night, sending their 32nd pick and last selection of the first round to New Orleans to allow the Saints to jump back into the first round to take a quarterback if one is there they want.
The Saints may not need this boost, though, is Shedeur Sanders is still available hen New Orleans hits the clock with the ninth overall pick.
There are a couple of unknowns here.
-Could the Saints try to trade up into the top five to grab Sanders?
-Do the Saints like Jaxson Dart or someone else enough to roll the dice and take him at No. 9?
If those unknowns become realities, the Eagles could potentially enact a plan to trade out of the first round, like they did in 2018, the last time they entered the draft as Super Bowl champions.
