Let’s Be Negative

I think the Eagles are off to a good start with their offseason moves. At the same time, I tend to be a positive person. I see the glass as half-full.

I thought it might be interesting to examine the moves with a negative slant. We know not everything is going to work as expected. Just look at last year. Corey Nelson was thought to be the starting WLB. He didn’t even make the final cut. Mike Wallace was supposed to be the team’s deep threat. He got hurt and missed most of the season. Even when he did play, Wallace didn’t have a catch. Signing veterans like Haloti Ngata, Darren Sproles and Corey Graham didn’t work out as hoped. I thought those were good moves at the time. I was wrong.

So let’s take another look at the moves so far, but focusing on the downside of them.

Malik Jackson – The Eagles signed a productive, disruptive DT to pair with Fletcher Cox. That’s one way to look at this. The other is that Jackson was just benched by a team that went 5-11. He was told that he didn’t play good enough run defense. Jackson disputed that notion, but run defense is not his strength.

Jackson is 29. He makes plays based on athleticism. If he gets banged up or age finally starts to catch up with him, Jackson will be less effective. He must be a playmaker. Jackson isn’t a guy who can do the dirty work like Tim Jernigan or Bennie Logan.

DeSean Jackson – What is the downside of trading for one of the most explosive receivers in the league? There is no doubt that Jackson remains one of the fastest players in the league. And the Eagles do need speed. But Jackson does have some baggage. One of the reasons Tampa let him go is that Jackson didn’t get along with QB Jameis Winston. It always makes you nervous when a receiver feuds with a QB. Is that a one-time deal or could that be an issue that will travel with the receiver?

Jackson can be a handful for a coaching staff to deal with. During the Doug Pederson era, players have generally responded well to tough coaching. We’ll have to see if there are any issues.

Jackson isn’t the most durable player. He hasn’t played in 16 games since 2013. He was on the field for 452 snaps in 2018, fewer than Dallas Goedert played for the Eagles. The Eagles haven’t exactly had great luck with older players staying healthy the last couple of years.

Jason Peters – Who wouldn’t want to bring back the best LT in Eagles history (apologies to Tra Thomas)? There is no question that Peters is still an above average LT. The only real downside to this is one we’ve already covered…durability. Peters managed to start all 16 games last year, but only played in 79.49 percent of offensive snaps. Continuity is critical to good OL play. Peters leaving games on a regular basis is less than ideal. Is a 37-year old LT going to stay healthy this year when he didn’t the previous two years?

Ronald Darby – The Eagles re-signed their best cover corner and didn’t have to pay mega-bucks. Sounds good, right? Maybe. Darby is coming off a torn ACL. He’s hoping to be ready for the season opener, but there are no guarantees, as we saw with Carson Wentz last year. The Eagles had a group of cheap, young CBs already in place. You can argue that the team should have let the young guys play instead of bringing back an injured player. The Eagles could have used the money they spent on Darby to upgrade some other area. Or they could have saved that cap space for a move this summer or during the season.

L.J. Fort – What is the harm in bringing in a LB who can cover and is good on STs? The Eagles already have Paul Worrilow, Kamu Grugier-Hill and Nathan Gerry, all guys who fit that description. The Eagles could use a LB who can play the run. Maybe they’ll add someone in free agency or the draft, but Fort just seems a bit redundant.

RB – The Eagles haven’t made a move to fill the biggest hole on the team. Not ideal.

QB – Who is the backup? The Eagles say a lot of good things about Nate Sudfeld, but do they really think he’s ready to be The Guy if needed?

As a reminder, I like the moves the Eagles have made. I’m just trying to look at them from a different perspective to see the downside of the moves.

*****

Do you need something to bring you joy today?

I wrote (and illustrated) a children's book about the Eagles' Super Bowl run: https://t.co/66lTHp1J6H

— Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski) March 17, 2019

Possibly Mr. Bama’s finest work (admittedly that is setting the bar pretty low).

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