The Philadelphia Eagles front office are certainly paying attention to the struggles of the Indianapolis Colts and Miami Dolphins, especially since two premium draft picks are tied toward how both teams fare in 2021. Indianapolis is off to an 0-3 start while Miami currently sits at 1-2, which is excellent news for Philadelphia based on two offseason deals that will help shape the future of the Eagles franchise.
Philadelphia is clearly monitoring the Indianapolis pick, which the Eagles received as a result of the Carson Wentz trade this offseason. The Eagles traded Wentz to the Colts in exchange for a 2021 third-round pick and a conditional 2022 first-round pick, which the Eagles will receive from the Colts if Wentz:
- Plays 75% of the snaps in 2021
- Plays 70% of the snaps in 2021 and the Colts make the playoffs
If any of these options come to fruition, the Eagles receive a first-round pick from the Colts. If not, Philadelphia gets a 2022 second-round pick from Indianapolis. With the way the Colts season has gone thus far, the second option doesn’t appear to be a possibility — so the Eagles are hoping Wentz plays 75% of the snaps.
Even though Wentz played through two ankle sprains in Sunday’s loss to the Tennessee Titans, he still managed to play 100% of the snaps. Through three games, Wentz has played 119 of 204 offensive snaps — or 98% of the team’s total. Thanks to the Colts’ 0-3 start, the Eagles are currently projected to land the No. 3 overall pick in the draft (per Tankathon.com).
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Would the Colts actually end up giving up that high of a pick? Not likely if they keep losing, as a few more losses will lead toward a potential benching of Wentz in the second half of the season — making sure the Eagles receive a high second-round pick instead of a first. The Eagles have to hope the Colts find a way to win a few games with Wentz and stay in the playoff hunt in a poor AFC South, giving them an opportunity to still land a top-10 pick as a result of the Wentz deal.
The other top-10 pick the Eagles currently possess is from an offseason trade with the Miami Dolphins. Prior to the draft, the Eagles traded down from the No. 6 pick to No. 12, where the Dolphins gave Philadelphia the No. 12 (first round) and the No. 123 overall pick (fourth round) in the 2021 draft — along with a 2022 first-round pick. The Eagles used that No. 12 pick to trade up to No. 10 and select DeVonta Smith (also giving a third-round pick to the Dallas Cowboys), while the 2022 first-round pick from the Dolphins remains intact.
Since the Dolphins are off to a 1-2 start, they currently hold the No. 6 pick in the draft thanks to Miami having the weakest strength of schedule of all the 1-2 teams after three weeks (which is the tiebreaker). That pick is unprotected, so the Eagles get the pick no matter where the Dolphins finish in the standings.
Having the No. 3 and No. 6 pick — along with their own first-round pick in 2022 — is an excellent scenario for the Eagles after three games. Thanks to the Colts and Dolphins’ struggles, the draft picks are worth following along throughout the 2021 season.
