To the surprise of absolutely no one, the Philadelphia Eagles went defense in Round 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft.
The reigning Super Bowl champs have the majority of their starters on offense locked up long-term, with running back Saquon Barkley and center Cam Jurgens the latest to land multi-year extensions. Looking to reload on defense after cutting ties with star talent like Josh Sweat, Milton Williams, Darius Slay and C.J. Gardner-Johnson this offseason, the Eagles landed Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell at pick No. 31 overall via a trade-up with the Kansas City Chiefs.
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A name that wasn’t mentioned on the first day of the draft was tight end Dallas Goedert. Philly’s starting tight end has been mentioned in trade rumors for the past month, and NFL Draft experts, like Todd McShay, projected LSU’s Mason Taylor to the Eagles in Round 1 as Goedert’s potential replacement.
It’s possible that Goedert could be on the move during the final two days of this draft. A fifth- or sixth-round pick should be enough for Philly to justify unloading Goedert, who’s seeking a contract extension that’s likely not coming from his current team. Trade rumors will reach a fever pitch if the Eagles draft a tight end, like Bowing Green’s Harold Fannin Jr. or Miami’s Elijah Arroyo, with one of their two selections on Day 2.
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Could the Eagles also look to the trade market to acquire their tight end of the next three-to-five years? Eagles insider Anthony DiBona pitched a trade idea Friday linking Philly to Chicago Bears starter Cole Kmet: “I wonder if Bears TE Cole Kmet is available for trade after Chicago drafted Colston Loveland,” DiBona wrote. “Kmet has been a productive TE for the Bears and signed a four-year, $50 million contract extension in 2023. Kmet is still just 26-years-old and would make sense for the Eagles.”
Kmet signed a four-year, $50 million extension off his rookie contract in 2023, but that was under the previous coaching regime led by Matt Eberflus. Chicago has a new, offensive-minded sheriff in town in HC Ben Johnson, and with rumors swirling around the team’s interest in trading up for Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, the Bears wound up standing pat at No. 10 overall and drafting Michigan TE Colston Loveland.
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Loveland could actually pair well with Kmet, as he profiles as more of a receiver than your traditional in-line tight end prospect. The Bears might not love paying about $10 million per year for a de facto No. 2 tight end, though, so to DiBona’s point, Kmet could be a name that’s floated in the trade market in the coming days.
Would the Eagles want to pay for Kmet? That’s the real question here. The team has been extremely deliberate about committing cash in future years, with an eye on eventually paying young defensive stars like DT Jalen Carter. Kmet’s contract could actually save the team some cash in the long run in comparison to giving Goedert a short-term extension.
Finding a potential successor in the draft obviously makes the most sense financially, but if the Eagles enter Day 3 without a resolution, names like Kmet could become more viable as potential trade targets. The Eagles would most likely offer up one of their many 2026 mid-round draft picks in return.
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