March 21, 2026
Over the last few days there have been some Eagles tidbits that probably weren't worth their own stories, but noteworthy nevertheless. Let's round those up here.
A reader alerted me to a Jets podcast (The Saturday Huddle) in which ESPN Jets beat reporter Rich Cimini spoke at length about the team's decision to acquire Geno Smith via trade.
Within the discussion, Cimini noted that the Jets inquired about Tanner McKee's availability, and were told the price to acquire him was a second-round pick.
"They looked into trading for guys like Tanner McKee and Davis Mills and Mac Jones," Cimini said. Those teams were asking for second-round picks for these guys, so, exorbitant prices. So like I said, not the greatest solution [trading for Geno Smith]. Over the last four years, Geno has led the league in interceptions. He has also been the most sacked quarterback over the last four years.
"But if we narrow that window down to his three years of starting, his three good years in Seattle, he was a middle of the pack quarterback. The best he was was a middle of the pack quarterback. If he could get back to being a middle of the pack quarterback I think Jet fans would be happy with average at quarterback. We haven't seen average at quarterback for the Jets in a long time. If he can get them back to that spot, I think it would be a success."
First of all, that last paragraph is the most depressing thing I've ever heard said about an NFL football team, lol. If all goes extremely well, the old, never good but also completely washed quarterback will top out at "average," and the fans will be happy with that? Good Lord.
That's why the cost for guys like McKee, Mills, and Jones is a second-round pick. A few weeks ago, we proposed that a trade of a Jets third-round pick in 2027 that can become a second-round pick for McKee would make some sense.
Mills and Jones have similar profiles. They both had chances to start early in their careers, but became backups, and both played well in relief of their teams' starters in 2025. Maybe those guys can be the next Baker Mayfield or Sam Darnold.
McKee's profile is different in that he's a lesser known entity, which might appeal more to some, and less to others. Maybe he's the next late-round pick who gets an opportunity to play and runs with it, like, saaayyy, Brock Purdy (not a perfect comp, but whatever).
The alternative is trading for Geno Smith, who is almost certain to lead the Jets to another terrible season.
The tone of the podcast episode was that guys like McKee, Mills, and Jones are no longer under consideration for the Jets now that they acquired Smith.
Johnson appeared on the "Fitz and Whit" podcast earlier this week, and he expressed excitement for new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion's offense. Our Nick Tricome wrote a good article on that.
Johnson also noted during that podcast appearance that Jeff Stoutland would be back in some capacity. What exactly Stoutland will do with the organization is unknown.
"It was very unexpected," Johnson said of Stoutland's departure. "But when we don't perform to expectations, things like this happen. It's unfortunate. The thing about him, though, is I think he'll be around some, in some capacity this year, so it's not like he's a long ways away. But yeah, I was kind of taken back."
How exactly Stoutland will contribute, if at all, is presently unknown. However, the immediate thing that Stoutland could potentially help with is the draft.
Howie Roseman has long valued Stoutland's opinions on college prospects, and Stoutland's "critical factors" that linemen must possess to make it in the NFL. Stoutland won't be traveling around to pro days like he did in the past, but it will be interesting to see if he is involved in player evaluations in any way.
Slay's tenure in Philadelphia lasted five seasons, three of which resulted in Pro Bowl nods. During his time with the Eagles, he had nine regular season INTs, two of which he returned for TDs, as well as a pair of fumble returns for TDs.
He saved some of his best play for the Eagles' Super Bowl playoff run following the 2024 season, when he had 14 tackles, a league-leading 5 pass breakups, and an INT in the Wildcard Round against the Packers.
Darius Slay with one of the best CB reps I’ve seen all season. Technique & ball skills = INT 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/vZ5X2C5hOJ
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) January 12, 2025
In my opinion, his play during the Eagles' run hasn't gotten the recognition it probably deseved.
Last season Slay signed with the Steelers, who would eventually waive him. The Eagles seemed poised to claim him off waivers, but the Bills had a higher waiver claim priority and they grabbed him instead. Slay opted not to play for the Bills, and sat out the rest of the season.
Meanwhile, 5'6 Boston Scott earned his reputation as a Giant killer, saving his best games for the Eagles' divisional rival. One of my favorite NFL plays of all-time was Scott's spin move against the air on a long run against the Giants. It was almost like God was playing Madden and accidently hit the B button.
Scott played six seasons for the Eagles, from 2018 to 2023, which unfortunately for him was the exact window in between the franchise's two Super Bowl wins.
He hadn't played in a game since 2023. He was in Rams training camp in 2024, and spent a short amount of time on the Steelers practice squad that season as well.
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