The Philadelphia Eagles may look at a Nick Foles trade this offseason if they want to try to make a move to get Marcus Mariota and if that happens, teams like the Houston Texans, Cleveland Browns, St. Louis Rams and Tennessee Titans could be interested in acquiring the quarterback, as Chip Kelly would love to get his hands on his old Oregon product.
The Eagles are coming off of a 10-win season that saw Mark Sanchez and Foles split time and now Kelly could look at getting his former starter from Oregon. The talk about Kelly's interest in Mariota has been coming out since the middle of the season and after Kelly was given control of player personnel in the offseason, speculation only started to grow. According to two reports from NJ.com, the Rams are interested in trading for Foles, while the Eagles are looking to make "multiple" moves to get up for Mariota.
Mariota and Jameis Winston are considered to be the top two players in the draft and the Eagles likely would need to move up twice to get him, as they pick 20th. The team has some partners they could look at, as the Rams pick at number 10 and the Titans are at number two. The Browns have two first round picks and the most selections of any team in the draft and that could make them and intriguing partner as well. The Eagles have all of their draft picks for this year and that helps, as they would likely have to give up some to move up to take Mariota.
Foles is coming into the season after dealing with a collarbone injury and he missed eight games and the second half of the season. Sanchez was solid, but he is not expected to return and Foles took a step back from his 2013 performance in the games that he did play. Kelly reportedly was not sold on Foles during the 2014 season and now he could evaluate the quarterback situation entirely. Foles had 27 touchdowns and just two picks in 2013, but last year he had 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in eight games.
The Rams could be a good partner for the Eagles, as they have a major need at quarterback and have a high pick. The Rams have Sam Bradford coming in after his second straight ACL surgery and Foles could be a good option to take over if they feel they can't rely on Bradford. Having a top 10 pick would enable the Eagles to trade up if they want and it also gives them some security if they miss out on Mariota, as they still would have a high pick.
The Texans are another option, as they went 9-7 and could be a solid quarterback away from a playoffs appearance. Bill O'Brian could look at Foles, while reports have Ryan Mallett interested in a return. The Browns have numerous issues with their QB situation and they could look at a deal since they have so many draft picks. ESPN.com has written about Kelly's reported interest in Mariota and many have written that if Kelly thinks Mariota is a "perfect fit" for his system, he should go after him.
