The Denver Broncos should strike up a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles for linebacker/special teams player Nathan Gerry ASAP.
The Philadelphia Eagles have a seemingly endless supply of talent on their roster as well as a seemingly endless supply of cap space.
I don’t know how Howie Roseman is pulling all of the strings he has been in recent years, but he’s done a whale of a job building one of the most complete rosters in the league, and there’s plenty to go around.
One of the benefits of having a deep and talented roster is being able to leverage yourself in trades with other teams around the league. The Denver Broncos, whose roster is not nearly as deep as the Eagles, should look to add some of their players.
Specifically, one player who could really help the Broncos out in a variety of ways is former safety turned linebacker Nathan Gerry, a fifth-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft out of Nebraska.
Gerry is listed at 6-foot-2, 230 pounds, and has been a reliable player for the Eagles as a backup and special teamer. He played in 10 games as a rookie in the regular season and all three games during their Super Bowl playoff run.
He played in 13 games this past season and started a couple, racking up 23 total tackles and picking off his first NFL pass.
.@NathanGerry take it away!#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/G9edLCVmlw
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 4, 2018
Because the Eagles cut Gerry at the start of 2017 and put him on the practice squad, later signing him to the active roster, he is also under team control for the next two seasons and after that, he’s a restricted free agent.
At the low price of $645,000 this season, Gerry fits the Broncos’ budget and their need for depth at linebacker as well as their need for more quality special teams players. The Eagles have one of the best special teams units in football, and Gerry was their third-most utilized special teams player in 2018.
This move would not solve the Broncos’ woes at inside linebacker, but are they really in a position to trade for a starting player at this point? They have so many other needs on the team they are probably going to have to just make moves like this for depth.
Gerry would be a solid addition and the Eagles have solid depth at linebacker right now, so they could afford to make the move. Whether the Broncos would give up a player or draft compensation is another story entirely, but the two sides could work something out.