The Eagles should not be in full tank mode in 2021
There’s been a lot of talk recently of how invested the Philadelphia Eagles should be into the 2021 season. The idea of trading away the best players on the team for draft compensation and minimal salary cap savings have come up from the fans and media. Moving on from players like Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox and Darius Slay have been thrown around. With these moves, it would suggest the Eagles be in full on tank mode and punting away the 2021 season.
Sure, I get the idea around it, as it will set the team up for a high draft pick and a ton of cap space for the 2022 offseason. However, I don’t believe that is the route the team should go. Not only would trading away the best players and leaders on the team be a bad move for 2021, but it would be a bad move for the team beyond that.
Look at Fletcher Cox for example. One of the best defensive players in Eagles history. If he were traded or released prior to June 1st, it would be a $21 million dead cap hit. If either of those happen post June 1st, it would be a $7.88 million dead cap hit in 2021 and $13.15 in 2022. Yes, you’re most likely getting draft compensation, but you’re still taking a big cap hit and losing one of the leaders on the team.
Brandon Graham is another name thrown around. If cut or traded prior to June 1st, it’s a $17.2 million dead cap hit while saving less than $1 million. It just doesn’t make sense to move off of all of the veteran leaders just to save a little bit for 2021.
Aside from that, the only real reason you tank a season is to go get a quarterback high in the draft. Look at the last two seasons. The Miami Dolphins traded away their best players, albeit young ones for high draft picks, but they basically threw their 2019 season to position themselves to draft Tua Tagovailoa at fifth overall. In 2020, the Jacksonville Jaguars got rid of basically everybody to get as many draft picks as they can to potentially land Trevor Lawrence. They finished 1-15 and will draft Lawrence with that first pick.
If the Eagles tank away 2021, and get themselves a top pick in 2022, there is a strong chance that they would take a quarterback with that high pick. They have Jalen Hurts on the roster now, but if the team throws the 2021 season, it’s likely they find a new quarterback in the draft, making it another wasted pick by Howie Roseman. If you aren’t sold on Hurts right now, and feel you can upgrade right now, go take a quarterback with the sixth pick this year, see what you can get for Hurts in a potential trade, and build around that new quarterback. Don’t waste time with a tank season and wasting a year of a quarterback on a rookie contract. Figure out who your guy is right now and build around him now.
There’s already questions around Nick Sirianni as well as to how good of a head coach he can be. Instead of getting rid of all of the veteran players, maybe it would be a good idea to keep them around and help guide the new coach around Philadelphia and establish himself? The head coach and the staff around him are very young, and having some veteran presence will help the team get back on track and change the culture in the locker room.
I understand the idea of tanking and how it can be beneficial. I watched the Philadelphia 76ers win ten games in 2015-16, and it’s clearly been better for them. However, I don’t think that theory can apply to the Philadelphia Eagles and how they approach the 2021 season. Keep the veteran leaders in the locker room, build up a new culture under a new head coach, and get this thing back on track sooner rather than later.
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Categorized:Eagles