ESPN proposes Seahawks trade Ethan Pocic for an Eagles cornerback

Who doesn’t love to talk about trades that probably won’t happen? I know I do.

ESPN’s Field Yates recently listed five player-for-player trades that help out both teams. Their biggest one is Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue going to the Cleveland Browns for TE David Njoku and a 2021 second-round draft pick. Gardner Minshew II needs more receiving threats, after all!

There is one trade involving the Seattle Seahawks that may not necessarily be sexy, but it is something that could perhaps be worth exploring. Yates has center Ethan Pocic heading to the Philadelphia Eagles for former University of Washington star defensive back Sidney Jones.

The injury to Brandon Brooks obviously facilitates why Philly would trade for him, as Pocic could provide cover as both a guard and as backup center to Jason Kelce. As for what the benefit would be for Seattle to get the oft-injured Jones, Yates explained his reasoning.

Why the Seahawks do it: There was a point this offseason when 20% of Seattle’s 90-man roster was dedicated to the offensive line, as the team added layers of depth and competition. The Seahawks are invariably going to have to move on from players who will enter training camp with the hopes of carving out a steady role; it’s simply a numbers game. The secondary isn’t as deep, which brings us back to the allure of Jones, a 2017 second-round pick who played his college ball locally at Washington.

Jones has some traits Seattle typically covets. He’s 6-feet tall with 31½-inch arms and excellent speed. He has been inconsistent in Philadelphia, but it’s a calculated addition for Seattle in a player who might be able to provide a spark in the secondary.

Jones missed nearly all of his rookie season with a torn Achilles. His sophomore season wasn’t much better as he had recurring hamstring injuries that limited him to just nine regular season appearances. More hamstring problems persisted for Jones in 2019, and even when healthy he was in and out of the starting lineup. By default, it was his best season and he notched his first career interceptions, and he did make some big plays down the stretch to help put Philadelphia into the playoffs. Ultimately, Jones’ career has been defined by both injuries and inconsistent play.

Both Pocic and Jones’ rookie deals are up at the end of this season, so this bit of trade machine work isn’t that far-fetched, although pending the outcome of the Quinton Dunbar case, I think Seattle is content with its secondary depth.