M & M Deals

Posted: April 4th, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Comments Off on M & M Deals

The Eagles made a couple of deals on Thursday, extending a key player and bringing back someone they like.

Jordan Mailata has gone from a novelty to being an above average LT in the NFL. He’s in the prime of his career so signing him to an extension is a smart move. He will be the LT for a while. LG Landon Dickerson got an extension recently. Those two are an impressive duo, especially on runs. They can absolutely cave in that side of the defense.

With Jason Kelce retiring and Lane Johnson nearing the end of his career, it is important that the Eagles have talented O-linemen, but also the right kind of guys. Mailata is absolutely the kind of guy you want in your locker room. He’s uber-positive, but can have a serious vibe as well. The Eagles new linemen (in the next couple of years) will be able to learn from Mailata, Dickerson and Cam Jurgens.

Stoutland University’s most successful graduate continues to shine.

Maddox is a much different story. There are times when he has been a key starter and shown a lot of ability. Unfortunately injuries and inconsistent play made him expendable so the Eagles cut him. Maddox didn’t draw much attention on the market. The Eagles obviously kept in touch with him. Once a deal made sense for both sides, it got done.

It is fair to question why the Eagles would bring back a player who has had injury issues. I think the Eagles have their eyes wide open on this.

The Eagles now have a proven nickel in Maddox. They have Hall, who played in 31 career games and most of his snaps have come in the slot. They also have Isaiah Rodgers, who they can try inside or outside. This is different than having Maddox last year being backed up by Zech McPhearson, Josiah Scott and rookie UDFAs. And there is still the draft coming up in three weeks. The Eagles could spend a pick on a corner who can play inside.

Maddox is a good locker room guy and the kind of player you want to keep around. The Eagles are going to give him a chance to show what he can do, but at a discounted rate and with good competition behind him. There is limited risk, but the potential for a good reward.

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One of the things Howie Roseman does as well as anyone is keeping his own guys. I used to be amazed at how teams would go crazy in free agency, letting their own players go so they could chase after someone else’s players. The goal should always be to keep your own guys and then to build around them.

Tom Modrak brought that mentality to the Eagles back in 1998 and it hasn’t left (maybe a little during the Chip Kelly era).

You obviously can’t keep everyone, but you want to keep as many as you can.

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