Potential Boldin Trade Too Perfect?

By Chad Klassen
Love of Sports Correspondent

NFL fans have already seen a number of fairly big trades involving Pro Bowl-type players around the league this offseason.

First, it was Jason Taylor who was moved to Washington when an injury-riddled Redskins front four needed help. Then, Jeremy Shockey and his off-field act went from Broadway to Bourbon Street after a trade between the Giants and Saints. And most recently, Brett Favre landed as a Jet in New York.

Another deal that should be in the works, between Arizona and Philadelphia, is Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin moving East in exchange for Eagles cornerback Leto Sheppard and some future draft picks.

Boldin’s already requested a trade out of the desert, and so has Sheppard, to a lesser extent, through all his contract demands.

Both teams finished last year 8-8 and close to the playoffs in the weaker NFC. It would be a great swap and could possibly push one or the other over the top.

Firstly, both would be getting rid of its problem players off the field, especially Arizona with Boldin’s sour attitude towards the franchise right now. Secondly, despite potentially taking on another distraction in return, these are two players who patch up needs for both the Eagles and Cardinals.

It’s worth the risk, though, as both teams would be receiving a quality Pro Bowler in return to add depth and improve in key positions.

In Philadelphia, the team sure hasn’t had any luck regarding Donovan McNabb’s health the last couple years, but the quarterbacks that have conducted the offense, including McNabb, haven’t had the receiving weapons they once possessed.

Even three seasons ago, with T.O. leading the charge in Philly, the Eagles had one of the most threatening receiving cores in the league. It’s fair to argue that guys like Greg Lewis, Freddie Mitchell and Todd Pinkston were the beneficiaries of a healthy Donovan McNabb, but it still doesn’t take away from the fact they had some really good receivers.

But since its Super Bowl run in 2004, Philadelphia hasn’t sported a real go-to guy to catch the ball and make big plays. Owens’ ongoing feuds with McNabb and the rest of his teammates got him booted out of town, and everything seemed to fall apart offensively for the Eagles, including a string of McNabb injuries.

Going out and trading for someone like Boldin would absolutely be the right move, despite his off-field antics. As we speak, Kevin Curtis would’ve been the No. 1 target in the Eagles offense before he underwent surgery to repair a sports hernia. This leaves Lewis to field the majority of passes from McNabb.

The 27-year-old Bondin would bring with him his 853 yards and nine TDs from last season, in which he was overshadowed by Larry Fitzgerald. With a guy like McNabb throwing to him, that production would increase dramatically as the main weapon in Philadelphia.

In the desert of Arizona, the Cardinals would be getting a shutdown corner that still has more than a few good seasons left in his career. Beside maybe Adrian Wilson, who’s been in and out of the lineup with injuries the last couple years, the team hasn’t really boasted a true playmaker in the secondary.

They drafted Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie with their first-round pick in 2008, and if he turns out to be anything like his cousin Antonio Cromartie, he could emerge as one of the better cornerbacks in the league.

But for now, it might take him a little to adjust to the pro game. This is why trading for a guy like Sheppard would be a big plus for Arizona’s defense. It’s a unit that coughed up an average of 232.3 yards per game through the air, which ranked as the 28th worst pass defense in the league.

While the Cardinals don’t have a great amount of depth at the receiver position, they desperately need more help in the secondary to help prevent the big plays that cost Arizona dearly last year.

The 27-year-old Sheppard had two interceptions and 51 tackles last year for the Eagles. But more than anything, he has a presence that forces quarterbacks to key in on him during their reads.

But regardless of how thin the team might be depth-wise, the fact remains that Boldin wants out. It’s sure looking like he’ll be eagerly awaiting his opportunity to test the free-agent waters when his contract runs out following the 2010 season, so why not bite the bullet and get some valuable assets, like Sheppard, in return through the trade route?

Considering the continually deteriorating relationship between Boldin and his head coach Ken Whisenhunt, a trade involving the talented young receiver might be imminent in the next week before the season starts.

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