Eagles Offseason Outlook: Offense

[EaglesPeteC]

I know we have a general discussion about the offseason but I wanted to take a more comprehensive look position by position on the roster, who is a free agent, free agents we could potentially sign and potential positions and players in the draft for each spot. 

I'll start with the offense:

 

QB

Under Contract for next year: Carson Wentz

He'll be healthy for a full offseason which is huge. I think next year could be a massive season for Ginger Jesus. 

Pending Free Agents: Nick Foles (mutual option), Nate Sudfield (RFA)

Nate Sudfield is an RFA, it is almost a sure thing that Eagles bring him back, probably under the Original Round Tender which would put his salary around $2.3 million next year

Nick Foles as we all know is the interesting case here. So they Eagles can pick up his $20 million dollar option, but Foles can buy back his freedom for $2 million dollars and he becomes a free agent. Assuming the Eagles pick up the option and Nick buys back his freedom, do the Eagles try and tag and trade?  If they pick up his option and Foles doesn't pay $2 million to have it voided, his salary becomes fully guaranteed  on the 5th day of the league year. So if they pick up his option to trade him, it has got to happen fast. A tag and trade will also have to happen fast because of the cap ramifications. The bottom line the Eagles can't afford to hold on to him for long. It will be fascinating to see if they get something for him or just let him walk for a 2020 3rd Comp pick

Cuts/Extensions/Restructures Candidates:  Howie can start negotiating with Wentz. Will he this offseason? Or does he use the 5th year option and kick that can to next year?

Free Agency: The Eagles have always said that they will prioritize the QB position. II think they like Nate as a backup but I have a hard time thinking they won't bring someone else in.  really think the Eagles will bring in another QB and they might spend more than we think on one . There is not a lot to get excited about on the FA market that are realistic backup options for the Eagles.

Tyrod Taylor, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Colt McCoy probably highlight the potential options for Philly. I can't imagine the Eagles pony up for Teddy Bridgewater. Another couple intriguing names to keep an eye on for backups, don't be shocked if Ryan Tannehill or Blake Bortles get cut that either one find themselves the backup in Philadelphia

Draft: I can't imagine the Eagles spend any draft capital on a QB with Wentz and Sudfield in the fold.

 

RB

Under Contract: Josh Adams, Corey Clement, Wendell Smallwood, Boston Scott

The Eagles have a room a nice 3rd and 4th RB's who can play a role, but no names that really give you confidence as the lead back in a committee.

Pending Free Agents: Darren Sproles and Jay Ajayi 

Would honestly be shocked if either are back. If Ajayi's market really sucks, I could see the Eagles bringing him back for cheap on a 1 year deal. Sproles will likely retire.

Free Agency: The RB market in Free Agency is usually a buyers market. You can get a good player in free agency for relatively cheap. I think the Eagles dive in to Free Agency to get their lead back of the committee. There are lots of interesting names to look at

Potential Cap Casualties/Extensions/Restructures: None

Le'Veon Bell- IMO not going to happen, but we have to at least mention it

Tevin Coleman- don't love the idea of bringing him in. We saw what he was as  a lead back this year and it was not impressive. I think he'll cost too much money for the role he would play.

TJ Yeldon- very intriguing name. He played well as the lead guy for Fournette at times. He is good in the pass game and could be a real option for the Eagles

Spencer Ware- meh

Rod Smith- has shown flashes as Zeke's backup. He might be worth a larger role here

Frank Gore- greatest Eagle of all time returns?

Latavious Murray- another really intriguing option. He has had real success in Oakland and Minnesota. 

Mark Ingram- my favorite option TBH. He would be a perfect fit as the lead dog in this backfield

Mike Davis- another intriguing name

Draft- I think the Eagles will sign a guy and draft a guy. I think they go into FA for the lead back and try and get a fast, pass catching playmaker in the draft. I don't think Round 1 is an option for RB's but starting round 2- game on. I'd love to hear some potential names 

 

WR

Under Contract: Alshon Jeffrey, Nelson Agholor, Mack Hollins, Shelton Giibson 

Overall a pretty settled group. The Eagles will add some talent here no doubt, but I don't think this is a high priority position

Pending Free Agents: Golden Tate, Jordan Matthews, Mike Wallace

I don't think any of them are back. I think the plan was to pick up Golden, use him to try and make a run this year then recoup some draft capital back in the form of a comp pick.I could see the Eagles maybe bringing Jordan Matthews back late in Free Agency to be a depth player if they don't land one in the draft or if Shelton Gibson doesn't take strides forward.

Potential Cap Casualties/Extensions/Restructures: I think the Eagles lock up Nelson long term and bring that $9 million dollar cap hit down. It makes too much sense not to. I'd keep my eye on Alshon as a restructure candidate as well.

Free Agency: I expect the Eagles to go after a deep threat, #2 outside guy in free agency. Here are some options

JJ Nelson- speed for days but not much else

John Brown- he would be a great fit on the other side of Alshon and I don't think he'd cost too much. He was great with Flacco and did next to nothing after the Ravens put a RB at QB for the rest of the year

Kevin White- all star IR player

Breshad Perriman- he showed some flashes with Cleveland and has the Joe Douglas connection. Keep an eye on this

Donte Moncrief- He showed big play ability though his career. Could be a good option.

Chris Conley- all potential; no production but the Eagles could take a shot. 

Tyrell Williams- like the idea but I am on the fence on whether he is actually good or not

Jermaine Kearse- could be a nice fit

Cordarrelle Patterson- could be intriguing. The Patriots have used him inventively and he has had success. I can see Dougy wanting to add a player like him

Phillip Dorsett- He was supposed to be good. And has been good on occasion. Probably not worth it

Jamison Crowder- more of a slot guy but a good WR

Desean Jackson- Bruce Arians arrival has made his release a little murkey, but if he gets cut, the boy can still fly. 

Draft- This is a pretty deep WR class. I expect a day 3 add to the WR corps. Would love to hear some names people think could fit.

 

TE

Under Contract: Zach Ertz, Philly Goedart, Josh Perkins

The best TE room in the NFL??

Pending Free Agents: Richard Rodgers

They might feel like bringing him back, but does anyone care?

Potential Cap Casualties/Extensions/Restructures: N/A

Free Agency: A third TE could be brought in but I certainly don't care enough to go through the names

Draft- Probably one isn't drafted

 

OT

Under Contract: Jason Peters, Lane Johnson, Big V,  Jordan Mailata

So many question marks here. Will Jason Peters retire? Does he have enough left for another year if he wants to come back? Does Big V suck or is he a decent LT? What can Jordan Mailata become?

Pending Free Agents: None

Potential Cap Casualties/Extensions/Restructures: If Peters doesn't retire, does he take a pay cut or do they just flat out cut him? This is an interesting story-line. 

Free Agency: Tackles are hard to come by in Free Agency but here are a few names 

Daryl Williams- this is an option that has an outside chance of keeping an eye on. Williams was an All Pro in 2017 and then put on IR in training camp. Do the Eagles shell out cash for him and flip Lane to LT? It is worth discussing.

Donovan Smith- If the Eagles wanted to go the FA route, he is another decent option. He'll probably cost too much for what he is though.

Trent Brown, LaAdrian Waddle, Cameron Fleming,  Ja'Wuan James are all potential Big V insurance 

Draft- From everything I hear, this isn't a great T class. Do the Eagles try and grab their future LT in Round 1 or 2 or do they draft another potential one to develop in the later rounds? They could spend 2019 seeing what they really have in Big V and Jordan Mailata before Big V hits free agency next year.

OG/OC

Under Contract: Jason Kelce, Issac Seumalo, Brandon Brooks, Stefan Weisnewski, Matt Pryor

Jason Kelce isn't retiring. Stop it, but Brandon Brooks' injury in the playoff loss to the Saints muddies the waters a bit going into the offseason

Pending Free Agents: Chance Warmack

No Chance he'll be back

Potential Cap Casualties/Extensions/Restructures: Wiz would have been on this list if Brooks didn't get hurt, but at this point they have to keep him. Great job by Howie getting him back last year for 2 years otherwise this situation could get messier

Free Agency: Don't see them being active much here. Only scenario I see is if they cut or trade Wiz and try and get a cheaper option, but I don't see the Eagles playing with their O-line like that. There are some potential names to look at but, not enough for me to really want to get into them

Draft- I can see them grabbing more depth in the middle rounds. Would love to hear some names that people like.

 

 

There you have it. Discuss my points away. I'll do a similar write up for the defense soon.

 

 

[BAConrad]

In Free Agency, I think we should prioritize finding a RB capable of being a real #1. No more of this quantity over quality. Clement Smallwood and Adams are all fine....as backup/rotational backs. I want someone who defenses actually might have to even consider putting 8 men in the box for (example: RB who faced the least amount of 8 man boxes in the NFL? Wendell freaking Smallwood...basically teams didnt care if he was running the ball).  With how crucial play action is not only to our offense, but really any successful modern NFL offense, we need a RB who can actually help open things up in that regard.

My top three hopefuls are: Mark Ingram, TJ Yeldon, and Mike Davis. Rod Smith possibly as well. 

And in addition to RB, we should finally (third times a charm I hope) succeed in finding a true downfield threat WR capable of keeping defenses on their toes, gaining separation both underneath and downfield, and who can get YAC. Mike Wallace experiment did not work out. Stop with the past their prime WRs. I want to take a chance on a younger, unproven WR who has potential but just may have never had the opportunity to show it (like I wanted very badly for us to sign Emmanuel Sanders years ago, as well as Robert Woods, and Marquise Goodwin). Id love it if we signed someone like Chris Conley, Geronimo Allison, or David Moore. I really like all 3 of those guys.

And for OL, I say use at least 2 picks there. 3 maybe even. Way more efficient to try and draft and develop OL than it is to overpay for FAs who we already know suck.

[Danger]

Would love to bring in either Cordarelle Patterson or John Brown at WR to see what we can do with them.

Think we should draft a mid round RB, I don't really think we need a great RB. Just 3 guys who we can count on to be consistent. So long as they can reliably get 4-5 yards per carry, I don't even care if we just run with Clement Smallwood and Adams.

QB just bring in a low tier FA to be our 3rd string guy. Even if it's someone like Osweiler or Siemian or Landry Jones

TE is fine where it's at.

I want to invest heavily via the draft and free agency into the offensive line. It feels like it's a good system that's being held together with duct tape and chewing gum right now. It's still working well enough for now, but could fail at any time in explosive fashion. It may already be at that point depending on Brook's health.

[Jlash]

23 hours ago, EaglesPeteC said:

Trent Brown

Trent Brown is going to get big money from someone.

[EaglesPeteC]

14 minutes ago, Jlash said:

Trent Brown is going to get big money from someone.

Probably. I was just tossing out the biggest names on the market 

[IrishHooligan00]

On 1/18/2019 at 11:07 AM, EaglesPeteC said:

RB

Under Contract: Josh Adams, Corey Clement, Wendell Smallwood, Boston Scott

The Eagles have a room a nice 3rd and 4th RB's who can play a role, but no names that really give you confidence as the lead back in a committee.

Pending Free Agents: Darren Sproles and Jay Ajayi 

Would honestly be shocked if either are back. If Ajayi's market really sucks, I could see the Eagles bringing him back for cheap on a 1 year deal. Sproles will likely retire.

Free Agency: The RB market in Free Agency is usually a buyers market. You can get a good player in free agency for relatively cheap. I think the Eagles dive in to Free Agency to get their lead back of the committee. There are lots of interesting names to look at

Potential Cap Casualties/Extensions/Restructures: None

Le'Veon Bell- IMO not going to happen, but we have to at least mention it

Tevin Coleman- don't love the idea of bringing him in. We saw what he was as  a lead back this year and it was not impressive. I think he'll cost too much money for the role he would play.

TJ Yeldon- very intriguing name. He played well as the lead guy for Fournette at times. He is good in the pass game and could be a real option for the Eagles

Spencer Ware- meh

Rod Smith- has shown flashes as Zeke's backup. He might be worth a larger role here

Frank Gore- greatest Eagle of all time returns?

Latavious Murray- another really intriguing option. He has had real success in Oakland and Minnesota. 

Mark Ingram- my favorite option TBH. He would be a perfect fit as the lead dog in this backfield

Mike Davis- another intriguing name

Draft- I think the Eagles will sign a guy and draft a guy. I think they go into FA for the lead back and try and get a fast, pass catching playmaker in the draft. I don't think Round 1 is an option for RB's but starting round 2- game on. I'd love to hear some potential names 

 

Eagles NEED to PRIORITIZE RB this offseason, Theres been too many seasons of not having a #1 RB, This RB by committee only works so so long. Look at most of the teams that were doing good, and made runs in the playoffs. 

LAR -  Gurley

NO - Kamara and Ingram

KC - Had Hunt, Now have Williams

NE - Michel

IND - Mack

LAC - Gordon

DAL - Zeke

SEA - Carson/Penny

CHI - Cohen / Howard (Even tho howard was a dud most of the season)

BAL - Jackson...Haha, he's basically a RB at QB so it counts. 

But all those teams, NOT YOU BAL, Were able to consistently threaten you with a RB, a top RB at that.

 

**** just look at the division.

DAL - ZEKE

NYG- THE MAN SAQUON BARKLEY

WAS - Derrius Guice - Granted he was injured on a weird play but yea he'll be golden. 

 

They NEED to prioritize a RB if they wan't to see Wentz Succeed and not get injured again. 

KAREEM HUNT CMON DOWN. lol

[nlesthought]

I somewhat agree RB is a priority but not if we're going to under utilize him. Otherwise keep the committee approach and just hope guys stay healthy this time around. 

I'm not opposed to Hunt, definitely not going to overbid other teams though. 

I think WR is another spot that could use an upgrade, we have Jeffrey and Agholor but question marks surround Hollins and Gibson should be fighting for a roster spot. Those practice squad guys are just that at this point. 

OL we have a few guys we can move around, I think it all boils down to Peters. I thought Big V played well in spurts the same for Seumalo. But how will both those guys play on the same side for 16?  

[Mastercheddaar]

My Take: (Obviously a lot of you probably said it already or at least thought it.) 

QB:

Starter - Wentz (Obviously) 
Backup - ??? Can Sudfield improve to the point where we feel confident in his abilities? I'd say sign a vet to challenge him for the # 2 spot. 
As for Foles, I love him for winning the title but the NFL is a business and we cannot let a starting QB go for nothing but a potential 3rd round comp in 2020. Work out a deal with Denver, Jax, Somewhere in the AFC for a beneficial sign and trade or something to those numbers. We don't need to break the bank either. 2nd and a late in 2019 and maybe a mid in 2020. 

RB: 

With the exception of Sproles, none of these guys are really anything more than backup/PS squad fodder. We should try to find a vet in FA and then use a 2nd day pick on a potential starter. Bryce Love for a 4th/5th rounder in a mock I saw sounds like the perfect pipe dream actually. 

WR:

Jeffrey and  Agholor I feel are the only two worth mentioning. If Matthews wants to come back on the cheap then I agree with you. Tate was a this year signed with the potential for another comp pick in 2020 (Smart move). There should be some decent FA vets available on the cheap. Again with our 10 picks, try and find someone we can develop in the mid to late rounds. 

TE:

We. Are. Set. 

OL:

We don't have any serious pending FAs BUT there are rumors of retirements. Hopefully Kelce and Peters can stay another year or so. This gives us a chance to draft replacements and have them learn under some of the best. I want a C/G/T draft with one of our 1st 3 picks. THEN I'd like to see another lineman picked somewhere with a 4th/5th rounder as well. Developing the O-line and making sure it stays a solid group is key to making sure we don't get Wentz killed and we stay at the top of the NFC East. 

All in all:

Oline and RB are the biggest concerns right now come FA and draft with Foles being the biggest off season business decision. A quick tune-up/retooling and we'll be NFC East Champs and in the position for a deep playoff run once again... at least from an offensive point of view. 

Go Birds

Master "The Haul" Cheddaar