Philadelphia Eagles

Report: Mychal Kendricks and Brandon Boykin on trade block

Published Apr. 30, 2015 10:21 a.m. ET

foxsports

As the draft nears, reports have surfaced that the Eagles are taking every necessary measure to move up and draft Marcus Mariota. It seems as if they are even willing to put two of their best defensive players on the market in a ploy to gain leverage in trade talks.

NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday that Eagles linebacker Mychal Kendricks and cornerback Brandon Boykin could be had 'for the right price'.

There is also the possibility that Chip Kelly simply doesn't see either players a fit for the team. We have seen him act on this logic earlier in the offseason when he moved on from LeSean McCoy.

Kendricks is one part of a crowded inside linebacker corps that includes DeMeco Ryans and Kiko Alonso. The Eagles only have room to start two of these three players in their 3-4 base defense. The Eagles just extended Ryans' contract and traded arguably their best offensive skill position player for Alonso.

Boykin is a bit undersized for what the Eagles are looking for in their outside cornerbacks. At 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, the Eagles have kept him strictly in the slot. Boykin has voiced his concerns with this in the past, especially as the Eagles' outside cornerbacks continued to struggle in 2014.

Considering where both players stand in Kelly's plans, this is likely not a smokescreen. Don't be surprised if one of these players is moved in a trade for Mariota or on their own for a draft pick or two in return.

(h/t NESN)

Photo Credit: Howard Smith/USA TODAY Sports