The Slow Play

Free agency used to be nuts. I remember getting online in the late 90’s in the middle of the night to see who had signed and where. We didn’t have the kind of instantaneous news that we do now, but I didn’t want to wait until the morning. A lot of newspapers published at 3 a.m. so there was Tommy the degenerate, scouring newspaper sites looking for news. Free agency was chaotic. It was exciting.

It was also highly flawed.

Over time, teams realized that coveting wasn’t just a sin, it was a bad roster-building philosophy. Don’t obsess on the players of other teams. Re-sign  your own guys and try to develop young talent. That’s the smart formula.

That isn’t to say you should avoid free agency. As my mom used to say, all things in moderation. The Packers avoided free agency for a long time and I think it hurt them. Free agency is a tool to be used to enhance the draft and player development.

I think the Ravens are pretty smart when it comes to free agency. They rarely jump in aggressively in the first week. They prefer to be smart shoppers. They sit back and let teams throw huge money at the top names on the market. Once the market has settled down, the Ravens ease in and look for good deals. They want to find players who fit their schemes and who also have reasonable price tags.

This isn’t the kind of shopping that’s fun, but it is smart.

The Eagles are trying this approach right now. This isn’t by choice, but rather by necessity. There just isn’t the cap room to do what they want. Instead, the Eagles have to focus on what they can afford.

On Eagles and Joe Flacco: my understanding is he's been meeting with the team since about 9 a.m., getting medical evaluation, talking with coaches, etc. Still there. No offer yet but mutual interest.

— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) March 22, 2021

Joe Flacco? Ugh. That’s completely…boring. He won a Super Bowl in 2012. His last truly good year was 2014. Since then he’s been…blah.

Flacco has started 21 games over the past three seasons, playing for the Ravens, Broncos and Jets. He’s now officially a backup QB.

The Eagles had interest in Flacco last year, but he was hurt so they passed on him. Now they are looking for someone to backup Jalen Hurts and Flacco is the first QB they’ve talked to. This move isn’t exciting in the least, but Flacco is cheap and that matters a lot right now.

The Eagles had interest in CB Adoree Jackson.

More on Adoree Jackson’s deal with Giants, per sources:

Signing bonus: $13.5 million.
Total guaranteed: $26.5 million.
Year 1 total: $16 million.
Deal worth up to $44.5 million with incentives. https://t.co/UVMnUw1IRz

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 22, 2021

What the heck?

That’s crazy money for Jackson. The Eagles will now focus on cheaper options.

It can be frustrating to see the Eagles sitting by as other teams make deals (like the Giants), but I actually think Howie Roseman is handling things wisely right now. As we talk about Howie, let’s acknowledge that not a lot of people are happy with him, but we cannot call for his firing and re-hash his track record in every discussion. Let’s give him credit when it is due and rip him when called for.

In this case, I’m fine with Howie’s offseason so far. He improved the safety position and did so cheaply. He is talking to a cheap veteran QB. You need a functional backup, but spending big on that position right now would be a waste.

Howie will keep looking at CBs. There are plenty of guys left. Those players don’t want to sign cheap deals so they tell their agents to keep working the phones. Howie is talking to them behind the scenes, trying to see who wants what.

The key to this level of free agency is that you have to be disciplined. You figure out a good value for a player and stick to that number. You have to be willing to walk away from the player. After all, these aren’t elite talents. These are players you use to fill holes on your roster. This isn’t about building long term.

Be patient.

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Mike Kaye has a piece up with his thoughts on three potential CB targets.

Kevin King makes the most sense because he’s a pure outside corner and he’s still young.

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The Eagles could just wait and see if they can find a CB with pick six. It doesn’t seem like Caleb Farley will be a target there anymore, though.

It is an outpatient procedure and Caleb Farley will be back in Blacksburg and available to meet with teams on Friday. Rosenhaus said Farley will be cleared for full activities before the start of training camp. https://t.co/yniujqnFjl

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 22, 2021

I’m not going to pretend to know what all is going on there, but you don’t spend the sixth overall pick on a CB with a back problem. I do feel confident in saying that.

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