At this point it’s not a big secret: the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive line has some questions that need answering, specifically at the guard position. The departures of Evan Mathis and Todd Herremans left two holes that, on paper, appear to be filled with lesser players in Allen Barbre and Matt Tobin. John Moffitt was a shrewd signing by the team to provide depth for one of those positions, but the Eagles could get even slicker and pull a trade for Zane Beadles during training camp.

A Pro-Bowler in 2012, Beadles was signed last offseason by the Jacksonville Jaguars to be a long-term starter.  He started out slow last season, but progressed as the season went on. But Beadles’ progression apparently wasn’t good enough, as the team spent a third round pick on A.J. Cann and has him on the fast track to starting. With backups Tyler Shatley and Austin Pasztor capable of sliding into the interior of the line, the $5 million he’s slated to make, and the $3 million the team would save in trading him, Beadles’ hold on his job is strained at best.

What makes Beadles an attractive target for the Eagles hits on two levels. The first is that even though he’ll cost between $5 million and $6 million throughout his contract, after this season there’s no dead cap money on his deal. Meaning the Eagles can walk away scot free anytime they decide to without having to eat a dime. He’d be a nice and clean cut or trade if it ever got to that point. That takes a lot of risk out of the equation.

Secondly, Beadles hits all of Chip Kelly’s criteria. He is an excellent locker-room guy, a film rat with great speed for his size who rarely makes a mental mistake. Almost all of the time he’s exactly where he’s supposed to be. He’s a good run blocker and strong enough in pass protection — he could stand to get a bit stronger and more agile in space, though. The only real downside is that Beadles struggles on pulling and trapping plays — his top end speed is fine, but the agility thing is his Achilles heel. But even with that, I think he’s got the drive and motivation to improve on that. Plus, the guy did go to the Pro Bowl. That doesn’t automatically mean he’s a slam dunk of a player, but I think it speaks to his ceiling if he can iron out the wrinkles.

With a finally emerging team like the Jaguars, they could be eager to move Beadles if they get an offer they think makes them better equipped to build in the future. Maybe they’d be happy for a mid-to-late round draft pick to clear that cap hit. Or maybe they’d be interested in a guy like Brandon Boykin for Beadles and a pick. Whatever the case may be, the Eagles could likely get Beadles into town for a bargain price.

Even though that would mean they’d probably have to commit to Beadles as a starter, that shouldn’t be a problem. If a trade does happen, that means either Barbre or Tobin fouled up badly, or else they’ve been hit with injuries. If that’s the case, Beadles would be an excellent target to fix that problem. Keep an eye on what happens this preseason — it might not take much to see Beadles as an Eagle.

Doug Green is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com covering the Philadelphia Eagles and the NFL.  Follow him on Twitter @DGreenNFL.