The major waves of free agency have come and gone and it is time to let the dust settle before the draft. The Eagles were active players on the market and have a sizable list of both comings and goings to dissect. Overall, Philadelphia fans have a lot to be excited about, but there was some heartbreak as well. It can be a tough time of the year. That's exactly why we are here to misprize and condense it all down to menial lists of good and bad.
The Pros
Youth
Going forward, we need to infuse youth in this team.
Even before the morning bells of free agency rang, Howie Roseman set out on a quest to make this team younger. Without question -- for better or for worse -- he was able to accomplish that feat. Superficially, it's a major plus. The NFL is a young man's game and despite the promising young talent shining from the gaps in the Eagles' aging lineup, the roster as a whole was getting long in the tooth. However, the team had to bid adieu to All-Pro players like Jason Peters and Malcolm Jenkins to do so.
The reason why the off-season youth movement is a plus is that for every veteran piece the Eagles lost, they added one, or multiple, young, exciting pieces. (I think linebacker being the big exception.) Also, the draft hasn't even happened yet. With eight picks in hand, Philadelphia will be in prime position to reduce their mean age by years.
Talent
Even with the unfortunate departure of Malcolm Jenkins, there is no question the Eagles have at least as much talent on their roster now than they did a few months ago. Whether they have more talent than if the possible 'what ifs' came to fruition is another question entirely.
Nevertheless, any secondary that retains their best two performers from last season and adds Darius Slay, Will Parks, and Nickell Robey-Coleman is in good sorts. For good measure, the Eagles added defensive backs coach Marquand Manuel. For the most part, Manuel was thought of as a fantastic hire. If nothing else he will bring a fresh set of eyes. Realistically, it would take an incredibly disappointing season for the secondary as a whole to get statistically worse.
The loss of Philly legend Jason Peters could be negated if Andre Dillard continues his growth. He might not be able to fill the future Hall of Famer's shoes immediately, but showing he is a serviceable starter in his second year would be a big relief. We already know he's a fantastic pass blocker, can he take the extra step in the run game?
The acquisition of Javon Hargrave added to what was already one of the best defensive lines in the league. He may be the most overlooked signing of the entire free agency. We saw what a healthy Tim Jernigan added to the defense. Hargrave is a more versatile player with a much better bill of health.
There also needs to be a brief aside on all the key players the Birds will have returning from injury. Malik and Desean Jackson, Alshon Jeffery, and Lane Johnson will all return after missing significant time. After a 2018 season ravaged by injury, the hope was that 2019 would be a different story. A year later the same sentiment rings true. That's why it was also immeasurably important for Howie to focus some attention on:
Depth/ Versatility
Roseman made it clear with his first signing that depth would not be overlooked this off-season. Despite losing a majority of the season to injury, Hassan Ridgeway looked every bit the part of a rotational defensive tackle in his time on the field in 2019. The Eagles struggled to live up to their impressive defensive line pedigree last season due in large part to injuries and inconsistent play from Fletcher Cox' interior line-mate. Knowing how important the defensive line is as the engine of the defense, it makes a ton of sense that Howie made another addition at the position.
Heading into 2020, the Eagles will have a defensive tackle depth chart of Fletcher Cox, Malik Jackson, Javon Hargrave, and Hassan Ridgeway. Read that again and let it soak in.
That's not all Howie did to ward off injuries -- including swapping the entire medical staff -- but we'll circle back to that. Another area that was overridden with injuries was the secondary. Rasul Douglas and Sidney Jones, who were forced into starting minutes and game-deciding moments last season are now the 4th and 5th option on the depth chart.
Now, it would have been nice to see the Eagles add a veteran receiver or two, but there is still time and the team will undoubtedly add some receivers in the draft. I'll speak more on this later.
For both the secondary and defensive line, Howie has been putting up defenses against injury in other ways than just adding depth players. He's been collecting position-less, versatile talent. Jalen Mills, Avonte Maddox, Will Parks, Nickell Robey-Coleman and Sidney Jones have all played multiple positions in the secondary. The Eagles will have a lot of options if a player goes down. They will also be able to adjust to matchups, which is a nice little wrinkle for Jim Schwartz. The team can let Darius Slay nix an opponent's top receiver while the rest of the secondary mixes and matches with down and distance.
The same can be said for the defensive line. Malik Jackson can play the 1 though 5 technique, I wouldn't be surprised if the Eagles mixed in some packages with him in a 7-tech. Both Javon Hargrave and Hassan Ridgeway have the size and athleticism to play both defensive tackle positions. Hargrave played nose in Pittsburgh. Brandon Graham can play anywhere; Fletch can occupy the 1 or 3 tech; Josh Sweat is strong enough to bump inside in the NASCAR package. It's an exciting time to be a defensive line coach in Philly.
Spending Sensibly
No, the Eagles didn't get Byron Jones. They didn't trade for Stefon Diggs nor DeAndre Hopkins. However, they also didn't mortgage their future. Considering Byron Jones alone, the graphic below will give you an indication of just how fortunate the Eagles were that he chose Miami.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-OBa-Fle7O/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet
Of course, Slay makes up a bulk of that cap hit. That's because Philadelphia was able to reap incredible value from the rest of their secondary additions.
Rodney McLeod: 2 years, $8.65MJalen Mills: 1 year, $4MWill Parks: 1 year, $1.5MNickell Robey-Coleman: 1 year, $1.3M
The last two items on that list were a real surprise. Will Parks was a highly sought after free agent and the Eagles were able to secure him for a small step up from the vet minimum. NRC was probably an unneeded expense, but at $1.3M it's like getting the extra box of muffins at Costco for 50 cents.
Outside of the top two free agents (Slay and Hargrave), Howie was able to steal away a ton of talent for next to nothing. That leaves the team with a good amount of cap space that will roll over into next season. That's important because next year will be an expensive one for the Birds with Zach Ertz and Fletcher Cox being due for updated deals and Derek Barnett's contract up.
Scroll down to page 2 below to read the cons!
Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images
The Cons
Time to unleash the inner pessimist. There was a lot to like about the Eagles' off-season. However, it's our job to avoid getting complacent and look for faults no matter how slim. I hate to be Debbie Downer, but you'll have to allow me the transgression for at least the next few paragraphs.
Special Teams
The rarely discussed third unit of football, the Eagles' special teams hasn't maintained their successes of yesteryear. Under Chip Kelly, it was one of the best units in football. Now, special teams won't garner the financial attention that other positions on the football field do, but it's a constantly understated factor and can swing a game in a matter of seconds.
The Eagles lost their special teams captain of two seasons in Kamu Grugier-Hill and will attempt to replace his production with former Charger Jatavis Brown. Now, this is nothing against Brown -- in fact, he has more starting experience and may be the better all-around player. However, there is always some continuity lost when you lose a leader and longtime teammate like KGH.
The Birds also cut special teams contributor Mack Hollins, did not re-sign Corey Clement and Darren Sproles retired. I'm actually excited about the prospect of Boston Scott returning kicks. Still, no matter how you shake it, there will be some figuring out to do on special teams.
Linebackers
Goodbye Nigel Bradham, farewell Kamu Grugier-Hill. A depth chart of T.J. Edwards, Nathan Gerry, and Jatavis Brown strikes fear into the hearts of no one. The Eagles have always undervalued the position, but have left their cupboards barer than most years in 2020.
The front office and fans alike shouldn't buy into the fallacy that you can win a championship without spending at the position. In their Super Bowl-winning season, the Eagles had second-round pick Mychal Kendricks, third-round selection Jordan Hicks and expensive free agent ($40M/5 years) Nigel Bradham on the roster. The free agency pool was a bit richer than many expected, but there was value to be had and the Birds will head into the season with still relatively full pockets. I don't see many reasons Howie couldn't add a playmaker at the position; likely he didn't feel the need to.
Unless the Eagles add someone in the draft, linebacker will be the Eagles weakest position group by far. There are some solid depth pieces on the roster; but as much as we love Alex Singleton here at PSN, he has a long way to go before being considered an NFL caliber starter.
Question Marks in the Secondary
The Eagles got younger in the secondary and added some promising young(ish) pieces with positional versatility: problem solved. That's what the optimist in me wants to focus on. The realist can't help but focus on the question marks.
Here's what we hope:
Jalen Mills is a fantastic starting safety in the NFL. He did it well in college.
Will Parks is a starting caliber safety that was just trapped on the wrong team in the wrong system and didn't get his opportunity. He took a hometown discount to play for the team he loved growing up.
2019 was a spurious outlier in a very dominant career for Darius Slay.
Avonte Maddox is the CB2 the Eagles have always needed and will finally be able to realize his potential taking up his natural role on the outside.
Nickell Robey-Coleman is one of the best slot corners in football and joined the team for pennies.
On the flip side:
Jalen Mills was a safety in college and was drafted in the seventh round before being moved to corner. He then spent four forgettable years as a CB1 and has a history of getting beat deep. The move to safety should disguise his lack of long speed and will allow him to play in the box where his prowess as a tackler will show up. That's the hope.
Will Parks was a special teamer in Denver, and while he showed a ton of promise and made himself an essential rotational piece of a very good defense, he hasn't logged a full season starting minutes in the NFL. The Eagles didn't bring him in to be the de facto starter, but if the Jalen Mills experiment fails, he could get thrown into the deep end very quickly. He's also coming back to his hometown, which has its own pros and cons. Hopefully, he can mind his p's and q's better than Daryl Worely.
Darius Slay was injured in 2019, there's no debating that. However, 2019 was not a good year for Slay. The Eagles defense is unforgiving to its CB1s. For someone coming off a down year, Slay is in a tougher position than most. A healthy off-season should have him back in Pro Bowl shape by September, or 2019 could be an indication that Slay is just on the back half of his career. The Eagles gave him a fairly rich contract that will lock him in for at least 3 years. Revis was 29 when he went back to the Jets . . .
Avonte showed us just how dominant he can be as an outside corner in his rookie year. Last year was a tough one for the young corner and he was forced to play through injury and a constantly shifting secondary. How will he fare with 16 full games in front of him, facing all the heat that is diverted by Slay island? Will teams find a way to take advantage of his 5'9", 184 lb frame?
Nickell Robey-Coleman is one of the best slot corners in football and joined the team for pennies. I can't pick apart this one.
The Eagles may have added a lot of up-and-coming talent to their secondary, but every ceiling comes with a floor and every new foundation will have it's walls to mount. Worryingly, the team has lost its glue in Malcolm Jenkins and will need a new leader to become that proverbial adhesive. There's a lot to like, but the secondary will have some proving to do.
Wide Receivers
Yes, I get it, the Eagles will be adding a rookie receiver in the draft. Who knows, the new Eagle may be all Carson needs. However, there were a ton of affordable options at receiver and with the market in disarray, you expect number-savvy Howie Roseman to find at least some value.
Geronimo Allison, Nelson Agholor, Devin Funchess, and Tajae Sharpe all signed for under $1M guaranteed and supposed target Demarcus Robinson re-signed with the Chiefs for just $2.3M. Maybe the Eagles had a reason to defect on all five of those options (it's no surprise they didn't welcome back Nelson with open arms).
Instead, the widely-praised GM offered this statement in the way of solace:
Looking at what goes on now, and the value prices of guys changes during this free agency period. Different than maybe what it was a week ago. We don’t have the benefit of that before making our decisions on where prices are and where they’re going; we can only deal with them at the moment when you’re making these calls.
Now, the Eagles aren't barren for talent at the position, but this was in the midst of assuming Alshon Jeffery was on his way out. Obviously he will remain with the team for the foreseeable future, but you have to wonder what a decent veteran signing would have done to change that. On top of that, despite flashes of practice squad talent, the Eagles' depth at wide receiver has not been added to. There is seemingly no plan in place if the Eagles lose any of their starters to injury, or otherwise. Which brings us to:
Scroll down to page 3 for a summary on the Alshon Jeffery situation.
Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images
The Alshon Jeffery Situation
Alshon may very well make himself an integral part of the Eagles offense in 2020. In fact, he may have a multitude of reasons to make this his best season with the Eagles yet. His NFL future may very well depend on his performance in 2020. PSN's own Liam Jenkins has been mulling over the whole ordeal, trying to make sense of it:
https://phillysportsnetwork.com/2020/03/27/eagles-jeffery/
Regardless of his performance this season, whether in midnight green or another color, the whole situation has been one that the Eagles brass would feel better left behind them. The will-he-or-won't-he game of cat and mouse that began long before this off-season has not been one of the front office's brightest moments.
Frankly, it doesn't matter what Alshon said or did, or didn't say and didn't do; there was clearly a rift -- however minimal -- in the Eagles locker room this season. While we the fans are not at the crux of the matter, it seems from the outside looking in that the situation has not been firmly addressed. Again, Howie's comments on the matter don't exactly ease fears.
Obviously, the elephant in the room is Alshon. Alshon’s gotta get healthy. That’s the No. 1 priority for us and for him. He understands. He knows what’s being said about him. He understands that he has a lot to prove and he’s anxious to do that. So he’s not living in a bubble; he understands that.
To me, this doesn't seem like the speech a GM gives after a resolved conflict. Everything about it screams the problem is still on-going. It is a very subjective paraphrasing, but to me, it reads: Alshon is the elephant in the room and will continue to be until he is healthy and performs to a level that justifies his contract. The other side of the coin in that Alshon has stayed silent on the matter.
Now, this isn't to kick up dust, but the off-season is a time for teams to develop a definitive plan and work on resolutions for the upcoming season. The ambiguous treatment of Alshon and the veil of secrecy surrounding the situation, in general, has not been well-managed and certainly doesn't seem fully resolved. Now, a fantastic season from a healthy Jeffery would erase all these concerns. Likely to be on another team in the near future, the receiver has every motivation to play well to secure a well-paying contract elsewhere.
How likely is it that he will want to give his all to a team that saw him as a locker room issue, definitely wanted to trade him, couldn't find a trade partner because of his performance and lofty salary, then didn't-actually-want-to-trade-him and welcomed him back with open arms?
Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images
