On Wednesday, the Philadelphia Eagles addressed one of their two pressing defensive needs ahead of the November 4 trade deadline.
According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the Eagles acquired veteran cornerback Michael Carter II and a 2027 seventh-round pick from the New York Jets in exchange for wide receiver John Metchie III and a 2027 sixth-round pick. Rapoport added that Carter II agreed to delete his $5 million guaranteed for injury in 2026 to help facilitate the trade to Philadelphia.
Here’s how badly Michael Carter II wanted to join the champs: Sources say he agreed to delete the $5M guaranteed for injury in his 2026 contract year to complete the trade to the Eagles.
— Ian Rapoport (@rapsheet.bsky.social) October 29, 2025 at 4:05 PM
The Eagles were one of the teams mentioned as a potential buyer for a cornerback in the weeks leading up to the trade deadline. On Tuesday, we saw the first domino fall in the CB market as the Los Angeles Rams acquired Roger McCreary from the Tennessee Titans.
With McCreary off the board, the Eagles likely realized that they had to act fast, hence the acquisition of Carter II, who isn’t a boundary CB, but a nickelback.
How does Michael Carter II fit in with the Eagles’ defense?
This season with the Jets, Carter has only played in five games (four starts). The veteran defensive back just returned to the field in Week 8 after missing the previous three games with a concussion.
The 26-year-old cornerback has a 66.7 completion percentage allowed on targets and a 109.7 passer rating allowed when targeted (career-high). However, Carter has been a reliable defender in the slot in his five-year run with the Jets, boasting a 64.5% allowed on targets, an 83.4 pass rating, and only giving up three touchdowns.
As we know, the Eagles are already set in the slot with Cooper DeJean, who has been outstanding to start his young career. But with Carter coming aboard, would Philadelphia consider moving DeJean outside to the boundary?
According to Zach Berman of The Athletic, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio was asked about this on Tuesday and said that the team considered it. But he also made it clear that they would hate to move a player like DeJean to another spot when he’s playing so well.
We considered it. But when you have one of the better players at a certain position, and it’s an important position where you get involved more, you hate to take a really good player at one position to maybe not be as good of a player or impactful of a player at another position. But it’s definitely something that we’ve talked about.
It seems like the conversation about having DeJean at CB on every down will only get louder with Carter in the fold. If the Eagles decide to take that route, it will have an immediate impact on Kelee Ringo, Adoree’ Jackson, and Jakorian Bennett, who were all competing for the CB2 job.
Ringo and Jackson’s performances have left much to be desired, while Bennett’s is still to be determined. The former Las Vegas Raiders cornerback has only played in three games due to injury. The Eagles just opened up Bennett’s 21-day practice window last week.
With the Eagles on the bye, they’ll have some time to figure out exactly what they want to do with Carter. Do they put DeJean on the outside and put Carter in the nickel immediately in Week 10 against Green Bay? Or do the Eagles give Bennett his shot at CB2, with DeJean in the slot and having Carter as the backup option if it doesn’t work?
These are all questions that will be answered in the near future as the Eagles hope to find a solution to their ongoing CB2 woes.
