This Offseason is Crucial in Determining the Eagles’ Future Success
The Eagles are lead by fourth-year head coach Doug Pederson and 26-year-old quarterback Carson Wentz. Although it seems like the Pederson-Wentz era in Philadelphia has just begun, the Eagles are currently in a win-now position.
Sure, the team is in a good place to win a championship in the next few years, but need to build for the future in order to create a dynasty.
There are skilled players up and down the Eagles roster including; Fletcher Cox, Lane Johnson, Carson Wentz, Brandon Brooks, Zach Ertz, Jason Kelce, Derek Barnett and Malcolm Jenkins. Most of these players are nearing, or in, the prime of their careers, and the majority of these individuals may not be with the team in 4-5 years. So who is there to take over?
This free agency class and draft class is filled with young players who can contribute to the team for years to come and take over in place of players like Fletcher Cox, Malcolm Jenkins and Alshon Jeffery. One of the youngest players on the team is the face of the franchise, Carson Wentz. At 26 years old, Wentz is one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL and will lead Philadelphia for years to come. To get the best out of Carson Wentz, the Eagles need to surround the franchise quarterback with young players to ensure that they have a chance to compete for the Lombardi Trophy year in and year out.
The entire offense outside of quarterback and tight end need a influx of skilled, young players.
Running Back
The Eagles have two young players at the position already, both undrafted free agents: Corey Clement and Josh Adams. Both backs had decent starts to their NFL careers, but are not skilled enough to take over as the lead back and will most likely go through their careers as role players. Running back is a huge need for the Eagles already, but the need for a young, lead back is even more of a need. Howie Roseman can look into the draft or free agency for the solution to this issue. In the draft, the Eagles will have the chance to grab a running back to take over as the lead back and be able to contribute for many years to come. Players that may have the interest of the Eagles next month in the draft include: Josh Jacobs, David Montgomery, Miles Sanders and Devin Singletary. Drafting a running back high in the draft will give the Eagles a solution to one of their biggest needs and a back that can lead their role players like Josh Adams, Corey Clement and Darren Sproles so that everyone is able to contribute at a high level.
Free agency is another chance to look for a young, lead back. The Eagles have been linked to names like Tevin Coleman, Mark Ingram and Le’Veon Bell who have been in the league for a few years, but still have multiple years of production ahead of them. Bringing in a back that is proven in the NFL and will lead younger players like Clement and Adams is important. A running back is a quarterback’s best friend, and in order to give Carson Wentz the greatest opportunity to succeed, a lead back that can stay beside Wentz for many years is a top priority.
Wide Receiver
The wide receiver group is an interesting situation. In 2018, they had the potential to be an explosive group in the playoffs with Alshon Jeffery, Nelson Agholor, Golden Tate and Jordan Matthews. Like the Eagles roster, the position group was set up well to compete short-term, but there is no real long term answer at the position to take over. Recent acquisition Golden Tate will be hitting the free agency market along with Jordan Matthews and Mike Wallace. Mack Hollins is coming off of a year on the IR, Shelton Gibson never got his chance on the field and Nelson Agholor has apparently been on the trade block due to his pricey 5th-year option that he would most likely be playing on in 2019. The top receiver of the group, Alshon Jeffery, is 29 years old and may only have a few more productive years out of him.
On Monday, the Eagles traded for WR Desean Jackson, making a reunion in Philadelphia. Although this move solves the Eagles need for a deep threat, Jackson is 32 years old and will turn 33 during the 2019 season. They will likely only get a few good years out of him until the speed begins to go away.
As you can see, the wide receiver group seems to be falling apart a bit and this offseason is a great time to not only fill holes, but to plan for the future. It is not in the Eagles best interest to sign aging receivers through free agency, and, instead, shift their focus to younger players through the draft with players like Marquise Brown or Deebo Samuel. Alshon Jeffery is a great player to form a group around, but the group needs to get younger so that they can stay together for years to come and replace Alshon when the time comes.
At 25 years old, Nelson Agholor is a great young receiver on the Eagles who unfortunately finds himself on the trade block. I think it would be a mistake to walk away from the former first round pick who has turned his career around and shows versatility at the slot position, one of the most underrated positions on the football field. Moving on from Agholor will clear up a good amount of cap space, but it is at the expense of losing one of their top receivers. When the group ages out in the future, I want Nelson Agholor to be the top receiver and it would be wrong to move from him now.
Tight End
Photo: Bleeding Green Nation
The Eagles are in a great shape at the tight end position with one of, if not, the best tight end duo in Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert. Ertz is coming off of a record setting year in 2018 and looks to be in the prime of his career, giving the Eagles a great weapon on offense. At 28 years old, Ertz has several more productive years with the Eagles and should be able to make the Pro Bowl again for the next few years. The greatness at the tight end position does not end after Ertz, however. Dallas Goedert was drafted by the Eagles in the second round of the 2018 draft and has displayed his athleticism, route running and pass blocking ability well in his rookie year. The Eagles love to run two tight end sets and the duo of Ertz and Goedert will be a force for the Eagles and is set up well for many years.
Offensive Line
The Eagles offensive line is a unique case, filled with both older players and younger players. The expected starters for 2019 are: Jason Peters (37), Isaac Seumalo (25), Jason Kelce (31), Brandon Brooks (29) and Lane Johnson (28). Jason Peters will likely end his career after the 2019 season which he will return to Philadelphia for and play for a ring. Jason Kelce is nearing the end of his career, as he just signed a contract extension for three more seasons which would likely take him to the end of his career. Seumalo, Brooks and Johnson are all great linemen and will be protecting Carson Wentz for many years.
As Peters calls it a career, the heir to the LT position will likely be Halapoulivaati Vaitai (25) or Jordan Mailata (21). Bringing in either Vaitai or Mailata on the left side of the line would add more youth to the group. I think the biggest need for the offensive line is depth in the interior of the line, eith guards and centers. It is likely that the Eagles will use a draft pick on a guard or center this offseason to develop as a backup to enter in the event of injury, and potentially step in for an older player like Jason Kelce.
Defensive Line
Photo: wbir.com
As you may have seen in one of my previous articles, I am a huge believer that the offensive and defensive line are the post important positional groups on the football field, and the defensive line is both strong yet thin. Currently, the starting defensive line is one of the best in the league with Derek Barnett, Malik Jackson, Fletcher Cox, and Brandon Graham. Barnett is the youngest of the talented line at 22 years old, both Fletcher Cox and Malik Jackson are either in or entering their prime at 28 and 29 respectively and Brandon Graham, the veteran of the group, is at 30 years old and is inked to the Eagles for 3 more seasons. This group is young and talented enough to produce at a high level for many years to come. The only thing lacking from this group is the depth. Beyond those pro-bowl caliber starters, the Eagles have players like Chris Long, Josh Sweat and Traevon Hester. The draft is loaded with young talent at the defensive line that the Eagles should take advantage of. It would be smart for the Eagles to spend a day two pick in the draft on a pass rusher that can come off the bench in the next rotation and still give opposing offenses problems and develop into a starter in the future.
Linebacker
The linebacker position is not a huge issue for the Eagles for a few reasons. First, the Eagles do not value the position a lot and do not spend a lot of money on their linebackers. It is unlikely that the Eagles would splurge on a linebacker in free agency as they were linked to C.J. Mosley but appeared to pull out of conversations as the New York Jets offered $17M a year. Now that several of the Eagles’ needs are being filled through free agency thus far, the Eagles should invest a high draft pick on a linebacker to put next to Nigel Bradham. Drafting a linebacker will bring youth to the group, replace Jordan Hicks and bring talent to the defense for a cheaper price.
The Eagles also have a few options at the position now with Nigel Bradham, Kamu Grugier-Hill, Nate Gerry and even Malcolm Jenkins moving to the middle of the field on occasion. I would like to see the Eagles target Devin Bush in the first round of the draft and give Grugier-Hill and Gerry more opportunity on defense.
Secondary
Photo: partiallybiased.com
The cornerback positional group is in great shape for the future. With Jalen Mills, Sidney Jones, Avonte Maddox, Rasul Douglas and Cre’von LeBlanc all under 25 years old, they have plenty of starting caliber players on the team that can hang around for a while. Because of the abundance of youth here, it may even be smart to bring in a veteran presence in the offseason to help contribute and mentor the young, developing group so that they can become a dominant group in the next few years.
The safety group is the complete opposite. Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod are great safeties and will start in 2019, but that duo will not be around for much longer. Rodney McLeod is set to hit the free agent market after the 2019 season and at 31 years old, Malcolm Jenkins will be wrapping up his career in the next few years. It is crucial for the Eagles to target a safety in the deep free agent market or spend a high draft pick on one to prepare for the future. The new acquisition would likely not start in 2019, but would have many opportunities to get into the game and start the following year. Although the safety group looks great on paper now, there will be a huge need in the upcoming seasons and there is no current answer on the roster to step up.
We are in good hands. In Howie Roseman’s press conference, he emphasized that he always looks at how he is building his team for the current year, the next year, and even three years from now. Although there are many talented players on the roster, their years of pro-bowl production do not last forever and the Eagles need to keep talent coming into Philadelphia for depth and preparation for the future. I would like to see the Eagles get younger at wide receiver, running back, interior offensive line and safety this offseason through free agency or the draft to set themselves up to compete year after year.
For the first time in a long time, the Eagle are set up to win and win now, but why now? Why not set up to win for years to come and create a dynasty in Philadelphia.
I hope you enjoyed my ideas, follow my on Twitter for more! Be sure to also check out the Birds Banter Podcast.
Featured Photo: Bleeding Green Nation
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