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Haason Reddick trade pays off for Eagles as 2026 draft pick turns into Markel Bell

By Lauren Price Apr 27, 2026

The Eagles finally cashed in the trade on Friday, using the pick they received from the to draft offensive tackle at No. 68 in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Philadelphia entered the draft with eight picks, including six in the first four rounds, and Bell was the player it chose with the Day 2 selection it got back in the deal. That made the trade complete in the most literal sense: the Eagles had moved Reddick in the 2024 offseason, and two years later they were still turning that return into a roster piece.

The exchange had already looked lopsided. Reddick, who held out to start the 2024 season after being displeased with his contract, missed the first seven weeks before reaching a contract adjustment with the Jets and returning for the final 10 games. He finished that season with 14 tackles, two tackles for loss and one sack, then signed a one-year deal with the in 2025 and produced 2.5 sacks in 13 games.

That is why the Eagles were clear winners of the trade. They had signed from the Jets to a three-year deal in the same 2024 offseason, but that move eventually did not work out, while the draft capital from the Reddick deal gave Philadelphia another chance to add a young lineman. As put it, “Once again, worked the phones and got himself a nice deal.”

The bigger point is that the Eagles got a third-round pick for Reddick and then actually used it, which is what made the transaction matter in the end. The Jets got a brief, uneven stretch from the pass rusher; Philadelphia got a Day 2 pick and turned it into Bell.

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