Eagles can steal Super Bowl LIX opponent's top remaining free agent to replace recently traded CJ Gardner-Johnson
There goes Howie Rosman, making another trade. According to NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo, the Philadelphia Eagles are trading starting safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans in exchange for guard Kenyon Green. The Eagles will also be swapping draft picks; Philly will receive a 2026 fifth-round pick while Houston gets a […]
There goes Howie Rosman, making another trade.
According to NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo, the Philadelphia Eagles are trading starting safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans in exchange for guard Kenyon Green.
The Eagles will also be swapping draft picks; Philly will receive a 2026 fifth-round pick while Houston gets a 2026 sixth-rounder.
This trade may look confusing to some, considering Chauncey-Gardner was a big reason why the Eagles' secondary was the best in the league last fall, however, Howie always has something else cooking up his sleeve.
In fact, Roseman would not be sending CJGJ away if he didn't think the Eagles could find a quality replacement, and that could very well be in Kansas City Chiefs' free-agent safety Justin Reid.
Per A to Z Sports' own Chiefs expert, Charles Goldman, Reid makes a lot of sense for Philly in place of Garnder-Johnson:
While the Chiefs would like Reid back, they’ve got a second-year waiting in the wings in Jaden Hicks. Reid's a big-time leader for the Chiefs' defense, known for his enforcer-like presence in the secondary. Reid plays a higher percentage of box safety in Kansas City than Gardner-Johnson did in Philly this last year, but they’re both similarly versatile players in the sense that they can play free safety, slot, and in the box. Where Reid provides some extra value is on special teams with his ability to kick, and he’s also known to have one of the fastest get-offs in the league on the kick block units.
Reid, 28, has been a key piece of KC's secondary over the last three years and is coming off a 2024 season where he racked up 87 tackles and two interceptions over 16 regular-season games.
Spotrac has Reid's market value priced at $15.5 million annually, which is definitely on the higher side but still a little less than Gardner-Johnson's.
Even if the Eagles don't snag Reid, there is always the upcoming draft. It's also important to note that third-year safety Sydney Brown is entering this offseason completely healthy.
