More Space

Posted: April 13th, 2019 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Comments Off on More Space

Howie Roseman must really love space. Cap space, to be exact.

The Eagles already had a good amount of cap space. Why restructure a deal like this? You don’t make this move by accident. There is a specific purpose.

It could simply be the Eagles trying to build up as much space as possible so that whatever they don’t use can carry over to next season. That would be important because once Carson Wentz gets his mega-deal, the Eagles will need all the space they can get.

The other possibility is that the Eagles have some deal in mind. This wouldn’t be a free agent signing, but rather a trade.

But who?

This is where all we can do is guess. And honestly…I don’t even have great guesses.

The biggest hole on the Eagles depth chart is MLB. There isn’t a set starter as of today. L.J. Fort would love to think he’s going to win the job, but that’s far from a slam dunk. Here’s a crazy idea. Would the Jaguars trade Myles Jack? He is in the final year of his contract. They just signed free agent Jake Ryan, who has starting experience. If the Jags don’t think they would extend Jack next offseason, trading him now would make some sense.

De’Vondre Campbell plays SAM for the Falcons and is in the final year of his deal. He would like an extension, but the Falcons have real cap issues. Do they have interest in keeping him long term? The Eagles could deal for Campbell and play him at SAM, moving Nigel Bradham to MLB.

Is there a RB of interest? We’ve heard about Duke Johnson for a while now. The Eagles already had room if they wanted him. Is there any way on Earth that the Cardinals would trade David Johnson? That wouldn’t make any sense to me, but that organization doesn’t always make sense. Matt Breida from SF is in the final year of his deal. You wouldn’t need cap space for his current deal, but might want to talk to him about an extension.

You always wonder about the Eagles and pass rushers. Jadeveon Clowney is a franchise player for the Texans. Would that even make sense with Brandon Graham and Derek Barnett back for 2019?

Could there be some top flight CB? The Eagles had serious interest in A.J. Bouye when he was a free agent in 2017. That didn’t work out and he went to Jacksonville. Bouye was great that year, but more up and down last season. Would the Jags trade him for a cheaper CB from the Eagles? They don’t have a ton of cap space so this would be a financial move for them. Would SF trade Richard Sherman? He’s an older player on a team coming off a 4-12 year.

I’m sure I’m missing some good ideas. The hard part is trying to think like Howie Roseman. He sometimes will see things I’m not even considering. It helps that he’s better informed than I am, of course.

It will be interesting to see what the Eagles do with this space. It could help them right away or a year from now, depending on what they do.

*****

Hardman played mostly in the slot for Georgia. He’s only 5-10, 187, but he ran 4.33 at the Combine. That size and speed make you think of DeSean Jackson. Unfortunately, Hardman is nowhere close to being that talented.

I watch him play and see a mid-round WR. Honestly, he’s not that much different than Shelton Gibson, who went in the fifth round.

So why are the Eagles looking at Hardman this closely?

I think they like him more as a RS than WR. Hardman averaged 15.2 yards per punt return at UGA, with one TD. He averaged 25 yards per KOR. Hardman isn’t a gifted route runner. He doesn’t have great hands. But he is explosively fast and he’s dangerous when the ball is in his hands.

If you want an explosive, versatile role player, Hardman is your guy. If you are looking for a starting receiver, you better keep looking.

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