Commercial Rumors of Minkah Fitzpatrick: Why Should the Eagles Acquire the Corner Dolphins?

While another Thursday night football player used the last seconds of a resilient clock, rumors about the commercial availability of another Miami Dolphins player surfaced. This, from Chris Mortensen, was the first report I saw:

Now, Death would go to specify that dolphins will not admit that they are actively buying Fitzpatrick, but they would not deny either that his agent has the freedom to respond to offers. So, the future and the availability of Fitzpatrick are at best obscure. However, if Fitzpatrick even became a reasonable acquisition – or even if he remained in unreasonable territory, the young defensive back makes sense for the Philadelphia Eagles and Howie Roseman. Jimmy Kempski and Brandon Lee Gowton mentioned this possibility in the last episode of BGN Radio.

Here's how I see it.

In the NAF draft in 2018, Alabama safety member Minkah Fitzpatrick, considered a true talent for CB / S swing and crowned as one of Nick Saban's favorite players, was selected for the 11th overall by the Miami Dolphins. Blessed for his football character, his high IQ and his ball skills, Fitzpatrick was considered a potential actor of cultural change because of his leadership skills and versatility, he stays in the field and creates great games.

These notes, taken from Kyle Crabbs of The network project Fitzpatrick's 2018 assessment prior to the NFL draft:

Fully able to walk to the line of scrimmage and disrupt the release before tilting the hips to the drag position … This is fine for keeping track of the combinations of routes in [his] Proximity … The ability to recover the balloon in the air is excellent … A defensive chess piece can be moved throughout the field.

And when he was selected, Miami got what he paid for. In 11 starts, Fitzpatrick delivered 80 tackles in total, 9 PBU and 2 INT. He played corner corner, wide corner and safety for them. He was not part of the all-rookie squad – Jair Alexander and Denzel Ward – nor the security – Derwin James and Jessie Bates – but that's to be expected when you split your time between roles.

Fitzpatrick remains one of the smartest defensive backs to be out in years, with an excellent array of tools to win in the Zone 3 – Eagles' program, but with physical tools in terms of size, explosiveness and speed to match a wide range of athletes. Entering its second season and (potentially) cleared of the Dolphins rancid defense, Minkah Fitzpatrick's surface was hardly touched.

Minkah Fitzpatrick meets a great need for the Eagles right now

If you have followed my work here at Bleeding Green Nation, listened to my broadcasts on BGN Radio, or even follow me on Twitter, you know that I've been frustrated by the Eagles' management of the SAF3 position since a some time already. . They chained themselves to Corey Graham for several seasons when UDFA / bargain javelin throws failed, and that decision made them lose games – Literally. They added Andrew Sendejo as a freelancer, but in doing so, they jeopardized the potential compensatory selection of the fourth round of 2020.

Fitzpatrick immediately solves this problem. Very versatile, Fitzpatrick slips easily into the role of SAF3, leaving the Eagles free to cut Sendejo as they please – they do not even need to do it now, the deadline is the 10th week – although it would be rather rude . something to do in Sendejo. Fitzpatrick, like Malcolm Jenkins, can play everywhere in the defensive back: by PFF, in 2018, Fitzpatrick played 379 catches as a corner, 281 as a wide corner, 166 as a free backup and 85 in the box .

So, adding Fitzpatrick does not force the Eagles' defense to change direction. He immediately becomes one of their five defensive defensemen.but where exactly it is deployed is at the height of the defense experiment. Maybe he will take more local representatives, as he did for Miami; maybe he will take more security representatives. Anyway, it reinforces the database piece to the point that you can leave Sendejo; it protects your list of injuries; it immediately improves your coverage, which is exactly what the doctor prescribed on the Philadelphia list.

Minkah Fitzpatrick Responds to the Eagles' Needs in the Years to Come

Even with his immediate momentum set aside, the Eagles have exactly one defensive back ensured in 2021: Avonte Maddox. A bit like Fitzpatrick, Maddox lies between corner and security – but given the lack of clarity, a player like Fitzpatrick (who would be controlled until 2021 with his current contract and in 2022 with his fifth year option) could be critical at a secondary school replenished.

As it can fit just about anywhere, Fitzpatrick's presence as a young building block gives you the ability to fit different positions and fill Fitzpatrick wherever it is. It's not ideal, but it's possible, and it helps. This potential is particularly valuable for the security issue: Malcolm Jenkins will be 33 years old when he gets in touch with an independent agency; Rodney McLeod will be 30 years old and has been restructured so that the Eagles can leave him after 2019 if he is not up to it; Sendejo will definitely be gone. There is no certainty in safety, and a trade for Fitzpatrick would create.

Minkah Fitzpatrick, once traded, will be even cheaper than it is now

As I said above, Fitzpatrick is under contract until 2021 and his fifth year option, until 2022. Critically, because of the pay scale of the recruits and the way whose contracts are written, Fitzpatrick's salary is already cheap, but would be cheaper with a market.

When a player is traded, the team that exchanges it is always looking for the guaranteed money related to the signing bonus. Fitzpatrick's initial agreement was four years, $ 16.4 million, with $ 10 million guaranteed in a signature bonus. $ 2.5 million of this signing bonus have already been paid but the Remaining $ 7.5 million remains on dolphin books. $ 500K of the remaining $ 6.4M base salary has already been paid; There is $ 5.9 million left. And that's what the Eagles will pay to Minkah Fitzpatrick over the next three seasons: $ 5.9 million in total. Overview via Over The Cap:

Last year, for the NFL Draft 2016 promotion, the fifth-year option price tag for security written in 11th place was $ 6.5 million. That was $ 6.3 million the year before, and before that, just under $ 6 million flat. As a result, for the 2018 class, we should expect about $ 7 million.
So, the Eagles are potentially considering Fitzpatrick totals 13 years and $ 13 million. For a starting CB or a starting S, it is an excellent value for money. Take, for example, Darnell Savage's contract with the Green Bay Packers: before the fifth-year option, Savage signed a $ 12.5 million contract over four years – he was drafted to 21 in total, 10 choices. after Fitzpatrick. Thus, the Eagles would pay the 21st salary range for the 11th overall choice, even after you have entered the fifth year option in the calculation. (If Fitzpatrick plays well for Philly, they will probably extend it without the fifth year option and he will have played three years with a total of $ 6 million, a value too astronomical to be contextualized.)

Minkah Fitzpatrick will probably be at a reduced price.

It's a buyer's market in Miami, as the Dolphins seek to unload desirable players and strengthen their reconstruction efforts. According to ESPN, "the teams initially resisted the seemingly apparent price demanded by the Dolphins, which includes a first-round pick." An account suggests Miami "will probably settle for a [second-round pick]. "

Keep in mind that 1) Minkah Fitzpatrick was written in 11th place and 2) costs what the 21st overall option, including the fifth year option, does. So negotiating any choice after 21 for Fitzpatrick already has value; and the further away from 21, the more value the trade offers.

Suppose the Eagles trade their first-round selection against the Dolphins against Fitzpatrick. As long as it is later than 21 – that is, they go beyond the playoff round of the Wild Card – they are essentially recruiting Fitzpatrick, a player better as the 21st overall choice, at a price of the 21st overall choice, to a later Choose more than 21. Reduced surplus talent: it's the definition of a flight. In any case, they would not have a better player than Minkah Fitzpatrick at 21 overall.

And now Do not forget that the Eagles, who are trading for Fitzpatrick, could leave Sendejo and recover a fourth-round pick. So, even if they lost their first turn, they would bring back a fourth rounder in the trade when we consider the whole calculation.

I'm sure Roseman will try to protect the first player in 2020, but Fitzpatrick is a 23-year-old midfielder with as much potential as potential colleges. It's worth a selection of first round.

Minkah Fitzpatrick is #OneOfUs

He grew up watching McNabb. He tries to imitate Malcolm Jenkins in his game on the field. He was raised in Middlesex County! He's #FromHere, and he likes the Eagles, and that's not a reason to trade a player, but it's just feels right!

(Another added bonus, Eagles 'special defensive assistant, Matt Burke, was the Dolphins' defensive coordinator in Miami's Fitzpatrick draft last year.)

Minkah Fitzpatrick should be an eagle from Philadelphia

It will improve the team now, it will improve the team in two years, it will be cheaper than it should be, and it will provide more value for Philadelphia in the short and long term than the capital that they proposed. I would probably have an exchange to get it. This is an obvious trade if compensation is so widespread, I expect Roseman to apply it as such. If Fitzpatrick is really there, the Eagles will be in the front line, especially given the success of trading with Miami in the past.