Sell or buy?

The NFL trade deadline, or better yet team selloff, has begun.

Indianapolis, one of the teams expected to be active, parted ways with all-pros guard Quenton Nelson and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the Seahawks and 49ers respectively.

That may not be good news for the Eagles, and definitely not good for the other contenders.

Tennessee shipped all-pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons to the Bears. That should be a great move for Chicago.

So, the Eagles will soon be selling Saquon Barkley, Riq Woolen, Moro Ojomo and Landon Dickerson among some others, right?

Not necessarily.

The Birds could be buyers.

After reading the above sentence, you may question whether I still should be writing this column.

Let’s see what happens in the next two games with the Commanders and Giants.

The Eagles’ offense looked more in sync against the Cowboys, and Tanner McKee has shown that he can make plays when he is given time. The offensive line showed more cohesiveness, especially with the opening drive of the game and the third quarter.

Makei Lemon is showing signs that he could be developing into a prime target and Dallas Goedert is always dependable. The Birds are hoping Lemon can take the place of departed A.J. Brown, whose lack of presence is felt heavier each week.

A Capitol Idea? ... The problem Sunday night in Washington will be not having DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks. Don’t expect to see Barkley for a while.

But the Birds should still have enough to muster a win in Washington against a hapless Commanders team that saw its season sink with its futile finish in its tie against the Giants.

It’s again up to its defense, which has been lousy in the past five weeks. And where has Jake Elliott been with five field goals on the season?

If the Eagles can put it all together, they have the Giants at home the following Sunday. New York will be coming off a bye week, and there’s still plenty of questions surrounding its legitimacy with a soft schedule. John Harbaugh has brought the Giants plenty of credibility.

Dallas is bound to make a move or two, and it’s hard to say if the Cowboys are for real.

Should I Stay Or Should I Go? ... If the Eagles get to 4-5, the trade deadline would be two days away on Nov. 10.

The schools of thought here are whether they should try and make a run at the division or simply go into a mild rebuild. A lot depends on the Washington and New York games, McKee’s development and the defense.

For the Eagles, it can be stay status quo and try to add a running back (Saints’ Alvin Kamara), safety (Cardinals’ Bubba Baker or the Titans’ Amari Hooker) and a tackle/guard (Texans’ Braeden Smith/Raiders’ Jackson Powers-Johnson).

Kamara still should have something left in the tank, and a change of scenery could make a difference.

The Eagles could reach out to Jacksonville wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., who is a dynamic deep threat and can’t find playing time in Florida.

How about bringing edge rusher Josh Sweat back into town? He is miserable in Arizona, but there is the albatross of having two years left on his four-year, $76 million deal.

Non-Wishful Thinking ... The likely scenario here is that the Eagles win two or three games over the remaining 12 and end up with a draft pick somewhere in the top seven.

Losses to the Commanders and Giants would trigger a fire sale, and Barkley, Ojomo, Woolen, Dickerson, and maybe Zack Baun would be sent packing.

If teams believe Barkley can shake the hamstring issue, they will make a deal, and Houston and Minnesota are believed to be still dialed in with him.

The wildcard in this whole situation is Jalen Hurts and his health, which is unknown. There is the chance that Hurts doesn’t play football again.

With a descent and a broken locker room, head coach Nick Sirianni likely will be gone. Sirianni always managed to win when he was surrounded by good coordinators, and he’s had his share of questionable gambles and clock management issues.

If Sirianni is back, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio strongly hinted about retirement before the season. Now, it may become a reality in January.

Shane Steichen, his former offensive coordinator during the first Super Bowl, has emerged as a Sirianni replacement. He’s likely to be out in Indy due to all of the chaos there.

There’s still many boxes to unpack here, but we’ll have a better feeling in two weeks.

Readers Write

Manic Monday

Dear Jeff,

Looking back at the Eagles’ game Monday night, I believe the secondary has been exposed, but simply replacing defensive backs won’t fix this defense. The Eagles need more pressure up front, better run defense, and tighter coverage working together.

With Jalen Hurts expected to miss the remainder of the season, McKee deserves the opportunity to start and develop. But the coaching staff needs to tailor the offense to his strengths, get the ball out quickly, and give him more help. One productive drive doesn’t erase the concerns.

I expect Barkley to be productive when available, but I am concerned about his ability to stay on the field consistently.

The offensive line had probably its most encouraging development from the game, even with the loss.

Brian Dolena

Summit Hill

More Manic

Dear Jeff,

After watching the Cowboys game, here are some thoughts about where I see the team.

First, a lack of a pass rush will expose most secondaries and the Eagles are no different. Fangio will need to figure out more effective blitzes. Or just blitz sometimes! Please!

Second, I think the offensive line has shown some improvement in both pass protection and the run game. We’ll see how things progress over the next few weeks.

Third, I think McKee showed nice progress, especially having basically only the backups to work with. That job should be his until Hurts is healthy.

Finally, Barkley being effective depends on his health. If he’s healthy, yes, he can be highly effective.

Finally,

Even though we’re now 2-5, Go Birds!

Jeff Hager

Lehighton

Get The Rebound ... Notre Dame will look to bounce back Saturday when they play Navy at the Patriots’ Gillette Stadium after its 28-24 loss to BYU two weeks ago. The Big 12 admitted that there still should have been time left on the clock when BYU stopped Notre Dame on the goal line for the apparent final play.

The Fighting Irish (6-1) have some injuries in their secondary, but they should steamroll Navy (2-5), even though they are the third-best rushing team per game (307.7) in the nation.

Notre Dame has the massive showdown ahead next week at No. 1 Miami, which looms as one of the best games of the season.

Scrapbook ... In each column, I will look back at a former standout from the area.

Dakota Everett was a stellar linebacker and tight end for Pleasant Valley. A 2013 graduate, he was named to the all-state team his senior year and considered the Mountain Valley Conference’s top linebacker. Everett was a two-time first team All-Conference selection. In his senior year, Everett recorded 136 tackles, including nine for loss, and five sacks. Everett also notched 112 tackles as a junior. He helped the Bears reach the District 11 Class 4A final.

Everett went to play at Stony Brook University, where he made 79 tackles in two seasons before he transferred to East Stroudsburg University.

At ESU, Everett had 58 stops his junior year before he had a banner senior season. Everett registered 101 tackles, an average of 10.1 per game. That average was good for third in the PSAC. He was named a Second Team All-PSAC choice at linebacker.

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