Chiefs trade idea: Andrew Wylie to Eagles makes sense after Brandon Brooks injury

The Chiefs have the interior line depth to help the Eagles if they want to go outside for assistance.

On Monday, the Philadelphia Eagles heard the news that no team wants to find out this time of year: a season-ending injury to a key player in the middle of the offseason. Right guard Brandon Brooks tore his ACL on Monday during a personal work, rendering him out for the upcoming season.

For the Eagles, the loss is significant as they try to keep quarterback Carson Wentz upright for a full year. The Eagles have a nice line and Brooks is a pillar along the offensive front, a man with three straight Pro Bowls on his resume for a line that won the Super Bowl only three seasons ago.

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Internally, the Eagles have some options. Matt Pryor is a former late round pick from the ’18 draft with the versatility to step in. The team has some developmental prospects they appear excited about and fourth round rookie tackle Jack Driscoll could conceivably experiment inside. However, the long-term nature of this injury (and the fact that there’s plenty of time to do something about it) makes jumping straight to Pryor or betting on a longshot a fool’s errand. In addition, Philly has Super Bowl hopes here and there’s just no reason to punt at the position when there’s room to maneuver.

That means Philly should be able to plug the gap with some sort of player move. Free agents like Larry Warford or Ron Leary make sense if the team believes they would be a good fit. However it’s also possible that a trade could provide an answer without breaking the bank (because the Eagles aren’t in a position to do that).

Trading Wylie

When it comes to a trade partner, Doug Pederson‘s team could do worse than to ring up his former employer: the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs lack high-ceiling performers along the offensive interior, but one thing they do have is a considerable number of bodies who could step in as needed. The Chiefs would be an ideal trade partner if the Eagles’ plan was to partner a versatile veteran with Pryor and let competition seal the deal in preseason.

Specifically, the Eagles would do well to grab a player like Andrew Wylie from the Chiefs. Wylie bounced around the league a bit (Colts, Browns, Chargers) before settling into a stable role for K.C. Wylie started all 10 games at right guard for the Chiefs in 2018 when Laurent Duvernay-Tardif was lost for the year, and the team rewarded him with the Mack Lee Hill award as the team’s best rookie performer. Last year, he was the team’s starting left guard outright but unfortunately he missed several games down the stretch with a high ankle sprain and was replaced by free agent Stefen Wisniewski.

For the Chiefs, Wylie was a valuable bandage who proved he could hold down a starting role when called upon. Granted the ceiling could be higher, but Wylie is still only 25, which means he’s still growing as a player. He also comes with the versatility to start at either spot inside and experience with a Super Bowl contender inside a dynamic and complex offense.

At this point, the Chiefs have drafted offensive lineman Lucas Niang and the team was quoted after the draft that they were interested in having the TCU product compete for interior reps before eventually moving back out to tackle in future seasons. Martinas Rankin, Nick Allegretti, Ryan Hunter and other developmental players are also around to fight for the left guard role.

Receiving a corner

At this point, it’s possible the Chiefs would just want a draft pick in return for Wylie but the Chiefs themselves might like the potential of adding some further competition to a cornerback group that is thin on proven performers.  Kendall Fuller is gone from last year’s Super Bowl team, while Bashaud Breeland is facing a suspension. For at least part of the season, only Charvarius Ward and Rashad Fenton will be the Chiefs corners with any previous experience in a real game.

The Eagles have a couple cornerbacks who might make for a good trade fit in Sidney Jones or Rasul Douglas. The Eagles selected Jones and Douglas in back to back rounds in the 2017 NFL Draft, but neither player is locked into a starting role for Philly at this point. The good news is that both are young with impressive flashes in the past. At this point, Douglas isn’t quite a lock to make the team while Jones is still trying to make good on his second-round draft investment. For the Chiefs, it would be a buy-low opportunity on either.

The Chiefs might have enough in the tank already with the presence of L’Jarius Sneed, Alex Brown, BoPete Keyes and others on the roster, but the addition of another vet would bolster the competition heading into what could be a short training camp.

Conclusion

Trading Wylie for Jones or Douglas could be one of those rare player-for-player swaps that ends up helping both teams at positions of need. For the Chiefs, it’s another low-risk swing from a GM that takes such chances regularly. For the Eagles, it’s the salve they sorely need after hearing about Brooks’ injury.