Just a Number?

Posted: March 23rd, 2019 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Comments Off on Just a Number?

For the most part, I like the Eagles offseason moves so far. I think the team has gotten better. There is one potential concern.

https://twitter.com/IBleedGreen24_7/status/1109259064880570370

Retained

Jason Peters – Cut him open and count the rings
Brandon Graham – about to turn 31
Rodney McLeod – about to turn 29
Paul Worrilow – about to turn 29
Ronald Darby – age 25

The New Guys

DeSean Jackson – age 32
Andrew Sendejo – about to turn 32
Vinny Curry – about to turn 31
Malik Jackson – age 29
L.J. Fort – age 29

Ronald Darby must feel like a little kid compared to the rest of these geezers. So, is this a problem?

Age is always a concern in sports, but I don’t think it is a major issue for now. The Eagles still have plenty of outstanding players that are under 30.

Carson Wentz
Fletcher Cox
Zach Ertz
Lane Johnson
Alshon Jeffery

The team also has some other good young talent that could develop into Pro Bowl level players or above average starters.

Dallas Goedert
Derek Barnett
Avonte Maddox
Isaac Seumalo

If you do look long term, the Eagles do have a lot of players that are nearing age 30 and that is something to watch. The team has a lot of draft picks over the next two years and it is crucial that they draft well. They need young, cheap talent.

One thing that makes me more comfortable with adding/keeping so many older players is that they aren’t getting huge money and they aren’t foundational players. As good as Jason Peters is, the Eagles won the Super Bowl in 2017 with him as a spectator. DeSean Jackson is here to be a complementary player, not the lead receiver.

The other X-factor in all of this is that numbers have changed. 30 is no longer 30. Players take incredible care of themselves. Teams do a much better job of taking care of players. We had never heard of Sports Science a decade ago. Now the Eagles study player movement/activity on a daily basis and know when to take it easy on their guys. Teams now focus on recovery when studying how to help players. This kind of proactive approach by teams and players has helped guys to play into their 30’s at a high level.

There is a real challenge in trying to build a good team, but also to keep young players around. That means taking chances on Derek Barnett or Jordan Mailata or Nate Sudfeld. Not all of the younger options are going to work as hoped. You better not have too many failures or you’ll find yourself rebuilding in a hurry.

The Eagles are okay for now, but they need to find talent in the next two drafts.

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The Eagles still have money to spend if they want to.

It will be interesting to see if they use this space for new players, extensions or to roll over to the future. As I keep saying, the important thing is that they have options.

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This is fantastic.

https://twitter.com/JClarkNBCS/status/1108891858711834624

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