The Eagles may be drifting toward seller mode before the NFL trade deadline, but that doesn’t mean Howie Roseman will sit still. If anything, this is the kind of moment where he tends to sniff out an opportunity.
One name that fits the bill is Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher Shemar Stewart. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Matt Bowen put Stewart at No. 15 on their list of the league’s top 25 trade candidates, and ESPN also named the Eagles and Detroit Lions as possible landing spots.
Stewart is the No. 17 pick in the 2025 draft, but things have gone sideways fast in Cincinnati. He was inactive Sunday against the Ravens and has played only eight snaps this season.
The Bengals expected more when they spent a first-round pick on the 22-year-old, a freak athlete and five-star recruit who never fully lived up to the hype at Texas A&M. His size and burst still made him appealing to NFL teams - 6-foot-5, 267 pounds with speed off the edge - but he hasn’t found his footing with Cincinnati.
Coming off a knee injury this summer, Stewart has had trouble adjusting to Al Golden’s defensive system, which asks defensive ends to handle a hybrid role that includes dropping into coverage. Meanwhile, Cincinnati has moved forward with Boye Mafe and Myles Murphy as the edge starters, while rookie Cashius Howell has become the No. 3 option. That leaves Stewart looking expendable.
“Stewart is a name a few teams have had circled as a possibility for weeks,” Fowler wrote, “and teams predict a Day 3 pick would be the most likely value.”
If the price really is that modest - a fourth-round or fifth-round pick - it’s easy to see why Roseman would at least kick the tires.
The Eagles need help up front. Jalyx Hunt and Jonathan Greenard have been injured, Nolan Smith is dealing with a concussion, and Philadelphia has just eight sacks, tied for the second-fewest in the NFL. The pass rush could use a jolt.
At the same time, Stewart would be more about the future than the next few weeks. He’d be a swing on a former first-round talent still on a rookie contract in 2027 and 2028, with the hope that the Eagles could unlock what Cincinnati hasn’t.
None of this guarantees a move. The Bengals could ask for more, decide to keep him, or the Eagles might not see him the same way ESPN does. But if Roseman does reach for a surprise addition while the team deals with an uncertain deadline picture, Stewart looks like the kind of name that fits his style.
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