Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Getting Ready

Posted March 12th, 2022 | Comments Off on Getting Ready

The NFL offseason officially gets under way in the coming week. Moves are already starting to happen, but they don’t become official until the new league year begins. We’re hearing the Eagles mentioned a lot, but nothing has happened so far.

We’ll start by talking about the QB position. Russell Wilson is a Bronco so that idea is done. Time to realize Jalen Hurts will be the QB in 2022, right? Not so fast.

The Eagles have checked him out thoroughly. There are conflicting rumors about how much they may be interested at this point. The team getting the most pub right now is the Panthers. They seem desperate to find a franchise QB. Watson has a lot of issues, but he is one of the best QBs in the league. A desperate team will be willing to take a chance on him.

The Eagles aren’t desperate, but never say never. There are still issues for Watson to deal with so this situation isn’t totally over, but it does seem like he will be traded sooner rather than later.

I hope Watson goes elsewhere. He might not have gotten charged, but that doesn’t mean he’s innocent. This is still a weird situation and one I’m not comfortable with. My guess is that the Eagles will decide he’s not worth it, but we won’t know for sure until Watson if officially on a new team.

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So what will the Eagles do in free agency? It feels like WR, DE and safety are the most likely areas to be addressed.

Jones is a big, long highly productive pass rusher. He doesn’t just get to the QB. Jones had 6 FF last year and 8 in 2019. He forces turnovers and we know that is a major point of emphasis for Jonathan Gannon. To put those 14 FF in perspective, Brandon Graham has 19 for his career.

From an age perspective, Jones wouldn’t be an ideal fit. Still, recent years have shown us that players are playing longer than ever. This isn’t like 10 or 15 years ago when a move like this would have seemed crazy. You don’t want too many older additions, but you can mix in key veterans when the situation is right.

There are some other good DEs available. I think Jones might be the only one the Eagles would spend a lot on. There are plenty of DE options in the draft. You only go after one in free agency if the fit is right.

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As for WR, the Eagles are looking around.

The Eagles know their WRs aren’t good enough right now. This is a really simple test. If JJAW and Greg Ward are in your top five receivers, your receiving corps isn’t good enough. They need help, likely veteran help.

There have been some rumors about JuJu Smith-Schuster as a target. He’s been up and down as a player, but is only 25 and would be a natural fit in the slot. With him in there and fast guys like DeVonta Smith and Quez Watkins on the outside, Hurts would have good options all over the field. Would you be good with replacing JJAW with JJSS?

Some have suggested Keelan Cole as an Eagles target. He wouldn’t cost a lot and would fit into a group of receivers. Cole can make dynamic catches. He will block and he has some returner experience. Cole isn’t special, but checks a lot of boxes. Dave Caldwell drafted him in JAX and Caldwell is now part of the Eagles front office.

If the Eagles want to spend money, Christian Kirk could be a target. He has played in the slot and outside. Kirk is young, talented and productive. He’s going to cost more than $10M per season, with some speculating he could get $15M. How much is he worth? How aggressive do the Eagles want to be?

It doesn’t feel like the Eagles have a definitive type of receiver in mind. They could go big or medium-sized. They could go slot or outside. Feels like the Eagles know they need to get better and are open to a variety of options.

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We haven’t gotten many good safety rumors. Things have been a bit more quiet on that front. Here are some thoughts from Zach Berman.

3. The Eagles will likely engage in the safety market in free agency, but their target will depend on price. If you have dreams about the Eagles going after Jessie Bates, forget it. It doesn’t sound like Bates is leaving Cincinnati. They will look into Marcus Williams, but the price tag will be a factor — remember when Byron Jones was their offseason target in 2020 and they were priced out of the market? There are interested teams, such as the Jets, who are better positioned to outspend the Eagles.

The Eagles might have more success with the next tier of safeties, whether it’s someone like Houston’s Justin Reid or Tampa Bay’s Jordan Whitehead. They’ve had success with this strategy at safety. If you think back to the 2014 free-agency class, the Eagles didn’t land the most expensive options — Jairus Byrd and T.J. Ward — and instead targeted Malcolm Jenkins. He turned into the best signing of the bunch and one of the best acquisitions in franchise history.

Reid has been mentioned as a possible target by others. I’d be fine with him.

I like Whitehead as a target. I’m also interested in Jayron Kearse. The good news is that the Eagles do have options.

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Great news. The Eagles OL was a huge part of their success in 2021. Kelce played at a high level (as usual) so bringing him back was important. He’s also critical to having good culture and chemistry off the field. It feels like this might really be his last year so the team will probably start looking for a replacement.

So who is the best center in Philly…Kelce or Joel Embiid?

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One legend stays, but another might be on the move.

https://twitter.com/JimmyKempski/status/1502293079759466497

Would the Eagles really deal Cox? No player is untouchable.

Cox has spent the past 10 seasons playing for the Eagles. He’s been an elite DT and disruptive force throughout that time. So why consider moving him?

Players are people. Cox wasn’t happy early on last year and it felt like he might be traded during the season. That didn’t happen and Cox and the coaches all seemed to get on the same page.

Cox might want a change of scenery. Maybe he’s tired of the weather. Maybe he’s not a fan of Gannon’s scheme. Maybe he’s tired of having to see Jimmy Bama in the locker room after games. I could certainly understand that.

The Eagles have to get the right offer and then Cox’s contract has to be considered, but this could actually happen. The sentimental part of me wants Cox to finish as an Eagle, but the business side of me understands that a move might be coming.

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Speaking of legends on the move.

Seattle released their star LB. Should the Eagles be interested? I think he’s absolutely worth talking to. My guess is that some team that feels it can win a Super Bowl will go after him aggressively. This isn’t a guy the Eagles should go crazy for. There are some other free agent options and there are seveal good LBs in the upcoming draft. Wagner will turn 32 in June. He is still a tackling machine, but I don’t think of him as a difference-maker.

Wagner isn’t the only LB who got cut.

Hicks is a player I would definitely have interest in. He played well for the Eagles early in his career. They let him leave in free agency over injury concerns. Hicks didn’t miss a game the past 3 years. He wasn’t as much of a playmaker in Arizona, but is still a quality LB. The Eagles could leave TJ Edwards at MLB and play Hicks at WLB. You would still have Davion Taylor as part of the rotation and I bet the team will be adding at least one LB via the draft.

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