So far this offseason, there has been a ton of chatter concerning the reigning NFC East champion Philadelphia Eagles. As is often the case, the talk regarding the team has been incredibly polarizing.
Some people have opted for the glass-half-full approach, highlighting
the Eagles strong roster core and proven coaching staff- particularly up top-
as reasons for optimism.
Others have taken the glass-half-empty approach, clamoring over the
marquee free agents that the Birds have missed out on (i.e Byron Jones,
Chris Harris Jr., Dante Fowler, etc.) and the (few) remaining roster holes on
the team.
Though my sentiment towards the team lies somewhere in between
the two, let’s take a closer look at the optimistic angle.
Mere days into the free agency period, the team has already managed
to fortify two major roster holes that have plagued them over the last couple
of years. First, they signed nose tackle and four-year Steelers starter Javon
Hargrave to a three-year, $39M deal. Hargrave, 27, is regarded around the
league as one of the premier interior talents and should slot beautifully
alongside Eagles captain Fletcher Cox.
Following a week one, season-ending injury to DT Malik Jackson, the
Eagles defense was limited far too often by the ineffectual production of
defensive tackles not named Cox. With Hargrave in tow, expect the
pass-rush to get back to their more dominant ways, in addition to the Eagles
being able to rest Cox a bit more while they deploy Hargrave and Jackson-
which should benefit him greatly during the postseason stretch.
Also, despite nose tackle not being the sexiest of positions, the
potential impact of Hargrave should not be overlooked. He is an absolute
wrecking ball in the trenches. So much so, that he routinely attracts double
teams- a clear sign of the type of impact he makes on the field. Now paired
with the unstoppable force that is Fletcher Cox, offensive coordinators will
have to pick their poison on a weekly basis, much to the delight of the
Eagles. Fittingly referred to as ‘The Gravedigger,’ the newly-acquired
Hargrave will look to remain just that in Philly.
Secondly, and perhaps more significantly, the Eagles (finally) landed a
true shutdown cornerback in Darius Slay. After expressing midseason
interest in him last year, the Eagles get their man- swapping a third and
fifth-round pick in the upcoming draft for his services.
An agonizing trademark in Philly dating back to 2013, the team has
struggled to maintain any level of stability or consistent success at the
cornerback position- a trend Slay looks to buck in 2020.
A seven-year starter and 3x Pro Bowler in Detroit, Slay could take the
Birds defense to a completely new level. His ability to shadow and negate
typically-dominant wide receiver threats is to be admired and gives Eagles
DC Jim Schwartz a lot more breathing room and the flexibility to deploy
different strategies.
Despite Eagles GM Howie Roseman and Co.’s impressive efforts so far
this offseason, many (the glass-half-empty-crowd) still aren’t convinced the
team has done enough, and even question whether or not the team is likely
to repeat as division champs- let alone compete for a title.
Though I am not advocating that the Eagles should be the odds-on Super Bowl favorites, I would like to contest some of the absurdity I’ve heard in regards to the Eagles outlook this upcoming season. So, with that being said, let’s tackle five myths currently surrounding the Philadelphia Eagles.
Scroll down to page 2 to read on!
Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
No New Receivers, No Hope
Perhaps the biggest myth I’ve seen circling the Eagles, many have
bought into the lie that the Eagles MUST add more receiver depth if they are
to compete next season. I, for one, am not of that belief.
To be clear, I am stating that the Eagles shouldn’t look to acquire
more talent at wideout. Similarly to those who are pining for new
pass-catchers, I realize that things were far from ideal from a pass-catching
perspective for the Eagles last season.
With D-Jax and Alshon Jeffery out the majority of the year, the Birds
struggled to surround Wentz with adequate weapons to execute the type of
aerial attack he and Eagles HC Doug Pederson wanted to deploy.
Again, I am not opposed to making the addition of wide receiver talent
a priority and am cautiously optimistic that the team will be able to do so. I
don’t believe that the team HAS to add new wideouts to compete in 2020,
however, for two reasons.
First, the team has already proven that they can compete without elite
talent at wide receiver. Last season, while dispensing bottom-of-the-barrel
receivers majority of the season, the Eagles managed to win 9 games en
route to capturing the NFC East division title. This includes a four-game win
streak to close out the regular season as well as some incredibly close
near-wins along the way.
Even their championship campaign a few years back, the team’s
starting receivers were...Nelson Agholor and Torrey Smith.
Elite receivers are nice to have and would go a long way towards
expanding the offense, but if one thing has been made abundantly clear
during the Pederson era it is that the Eagles will compete no matter who is
getting snaps, and last season was no exception.
Secondly, as I mentioned earlier, DeSean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery practically missed the entirety of last season. I’d argue that a simple return to health for these two wideouts would be enough to quell the receiver issues in Philly. If Carson Wentz was able to record the franchise’s first 4,000-yard passing season without them, I don’t think a complete wide receiver overhaul is necessary for the team to compete- especially in a 12-personnel heavy scheme.
Wide Receiver or Bust at 21
The craze for fresh blood at wide receiver isn’t limited to just free agency, apparently, as most of the Philly faithful would argue that the team should without a doubt draft one of the top pass-catchers when they are on the clock at 21. Furthermore, most of that subset of people even suggest that the team trade up in the draft order to ensure they land one of either Henry Ruggs, Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb, or Justin Jefferson.
While the Eagles probably wouldn’t be opposed to acquiring one of
these premier prospects, they shouldn’t and won’t lock themselves into
thinking that wide receiver is the only feasible position they should target in
Round 1. Not only is their need nowhere near great enough to warrant such
thinking, but it would also be an incredibly foolish strategy all things
considered.
Imagine for a second that a consensus top-three edge rusher or
cornerback falls to the Eagles at 21. Are the Eagles to draft a receiver
anyway just for the sake of drafting one?
Two pillars to success in the draft are flexibility and adaptability. Both
of which the Eagles would have to completely ditch if they are to zero in on a
receiver in Round 1 like many suggest they should. Per usual, the Eagles should seek advantageous opportunities in the draft and not let 'need' to dictate their decisions.
Howie Roseman isn’t being aggressive enough
Despite only being a couple of weeks into the free agency period, (too) much has been made about the aggressiveness of Eagles GM Howie Roseman. After seeing desired targets and marquee free agents sign elsewhere at the dawn of free agency, people were quick to point to Roseman’s “lack of aggressiveness” as a cause for concern and some even claimed it would inevitably lead to the team’s decline.
Although that noise has since faded a bit with the acquisitions of Javon
Hargrave and Darius Slay, it was such a ridiculous claim, to begin with, that
it makes the list. Howie Roseman has his struggles, but aggressiveness is
not one of them. Not only has he pulled off the most trades of any other
active general manager since 2014, but the Eagles have also been major
players in the free agency arena since his return to office following the Chip
Kelly ousting.
Since 2014, the Eagles have welcomed in a slew of big-time free
agents- Malcolm Jenkins, Brandon Brooks, Alshon Jeffery, Rodney McLeod,
etc.- and this offseason has been no different.
The Eagles’ current roster not to your liking? Fine. But that isn’t indicative of how aggressive Roseman has been. Per usual, Roseman has looked advantageously at ways to improve the roster while avoiding the financial pitfalls that rival executives often find themselves in, which is never a bad thing.
Myths 4-5 are listed on page 2 below!
Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Defense Will Regress Without Jenk
Admittedly, I am just as shocked and saddened about the departure of
former Eagles captain Malcolm Jenkins. Not only was he one of the most
productive, consistent, energetic, and valuable players to ever don the
midnight green, he was an incredible human being, one of the most vocal
activists in the league, and, of course, a key member of the team’s first-ever
Super Bowl roster. His presence in Philly will be greatly missed, without a
doubt, but I don’t think his departure will cripple the defense the way some
others do.
There’s no doubting that Jenkins’ level of production will be tough to
replicate next season, but after plugging two MAJOR holes in their defense
with the additions of Darius Slay and Javon Hargrave, the Eagles defense
may be better than they were a season ago. Still with plenty of time to
further fortify the unit this offseason, to boot.
Sure, the Eagles corners will no longer have the comfort of knowing that Jenkins is covering their blind spots and helping them bottle up opposing offenses. The trade-off, however, is that the corners likely won’t be nearly as reliant on safety help as they’ve been in seasons prior. Additionally, the addition of Hargrave should help unearth a much fiercer pass-rush than a season ago, further softening the blow of Jenkins’ departure.
It’ll likely be a while before this myth is debunked, but it makes the list nonetheless.
Title Window Is Closed
Probably the least true of everything on this list, any train of thought suggesting that the Eagles title window is closed is completely false. Absolute fiction. An unprovoked lie. Utter nonsense. A misinformed opinion. Did I mention that the Eagles title window being closed is wholly untrue?
Most thought processes behind the belief that the Eagles window is
closed or closing likely stems from the team’s age. It's no secret that the
Birds carry one of the more seasoned rosters in the league, but that shells in
comparison to the abundance of talent on the roster- which is the true
barometer for a team’s title window.
Already rostering their franchise quarterback, offensive tackles,
cornerback, and defensive tackle, edge rushers, and head coach, the Eagles
are loaded and ready to go at all the staple positions. Additionally, save for
maybe the wide receiver and linebacker position, the Eagles boast one of the
deepest rosters around and have demonstrated the propensity of acquiring
useful talent as UDFA year in and year out- a trend that has greatly assisted
them in the past.
Simply put, the Eagles are built to compete for the foreseeable future and any opinion stating otherwise is just that, an opinion.
Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
