Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

The Offseason is Underway

Posted March 10th, 2025 | 1 Comment »

The offseason is a mixture of comings and goings. Monday featured a lot more going. We knew it was going to happen like this. The Eagles have most of their key players signed. They don’t have a lot of cap room so the high dollar shopping was going to be done by other teams. And they wanted Eagles players.

  • Milton Williams is gone to NE for $26M a year.
  • Josh Sweat is gone to ARZ for $19M a year.
  • Isaiah Rodgers is gone to MIN for $7.5M a  year.
  • Oren Burks is gone to CIN for $2.5M a year.

Good luck to those guys with their new teams. Williams and Sweat got big money. The Eagles had no chance to keep them. We don’t really know what the plan is at CB. That’s not huge money for Rodgers, but it isn’t peanuts either. Burks is a reasonable deal. I thought the Eagles might be willing to pay that type of money for a good STer/backup.

The Eagles did make a move of their own.

I love this trade. It makes Tanner McKee the primary backup. Anyone who watched him play last year could see that’s a guy you want on the field. He’s not going to beat out Jalen Hurts, but gives the Eagles a good backup QB.

The Eagles gain some cap room with the move. They add a fifth round pick. You can still find solid players at that point. Jeremiah Trotter Jr and Kenny Gainwell were recent picks in the fifth round. The Eagles added stars like Trent Cole and Brent Celek in the fifth. That’s a good pick. It is valuable to a team like the Eagles that needs depth. You can find good role players at that stage of the draft.

The Eagles also get Dorian Thompson-Robinson (DTR). I’ve liked him since his days at UCLA. He is a really good athlete and has potential as a passer. He has not developed well in Cleveland. DTR has 1 TD and 10 INTs. The Eagles coaches have their work cut out for them. They have done a good job with Hurts and McKee so maybe they can bring out the best in DTR. I’ll cover him in a post on a quiet day in the future.

It can be frustrating to watch so many players leave and not see the Eagles do much. That’s actually a good sign. The Eagles have built a strong roster over time. Teams making a bunch of moves as free agency opens usually are doing so because they have a lot of holes to fill. The Eagles have potential holes at RG and LCB. They have projected starters at other spots, although TE remains a bit of a mystery.

Howie Roseman preached patience when he spoke at the Combine. The Eagles have to be smart shoppers. Their money is tied up in their own star players. They don’t need to go looking for stars on other teams. The Eagles will add a few players in free agency, but they will mainly focus on the draft. That’s where they can find cheap help. This is the balancing act you have when the roster has Jalen, AJ, DeVonta, Saquon, 4 high-priced OL and a stud LB like Zack Baun.

The Eagles now have eight picks in the upcoming draft.

Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 5
Round 5
Round 5

Let’s hope Howie and his staff can continue drafting like they have the last couple of years.

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The Darius Slay situation is still unsettled. There was a report that he agreed to terms with the Steelers, but then we heard that wasn’t true. The Eagles haven’t officially released him yet. They might be trying to work out a trade.

We’ll have to wait and see how this plays out.

*****

Jimmy Bama has your compensatory pick update after Day 1.

The Eagles will benefit from these losses next April. That’s like opening your Christmas gifts a year later. It isn’t fun, but that’s the way the system works.

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2025 Offseason Plans

Posted March 9th, 2025 | 1 Comment »

Legal tampering begins on Monday. Free agency begins a couple of days later. The draft is less than 50 days away. Let’s talk about what the Eagles need to do and some of the options they’ll have.

OVERVIEW

The Eagles are going to lose some key players from the roster that just won the Super Bowl. That said, the roster still has a ton of talent in place. One of the best things Howie Roseman did over the past couple of years was going on a youth movement. The coaching staff embraced the young players and we saw plenty of rookies and second year guys playing key roles on a title team. The Eagles could start the next season next week without making any big moves and be in good shape.

With Myles Garrett now off the market, Howie will concentrate on finding more young talent in the draft and some select veterans in free agency to bolster the roster. With big money tied into a lot of key players, the Eagles need some cheap, I mean cost effective, solutions.

QB

Jalen Hurts has been to 2 Super Bowls in three years so I lean toward him keeping his job. Kenny Pickett did a solid job as the #2 last year. Ideally the Eagles would trade him. Nothing against Pickett, but Tanner McKee sure looks ready to be the backup. The team could then sign a cheap free agent or draft a QB late to be the #3 guy. They drafted McKee in the 6th round and he’s worked out well so far.

RB

Saquon Barkley has missed 8 starts over the past four years. He sat out the finale last year when the Eagles rested starters, but was healthy the rest of the season. The Eagles can’t count on him making every start this year. Kenny Gainwell is a free agent. Will Shipley had some good moments last year, but I don’t think he’s meant to be the primary backup. I hope the team finds a backup with starting potential. The RB class in the draft is loaded. There should be good options available in the middle rounds. If the Eagles want to be a running team, they ought to make sure they have another good RB.

One prospect I like is Ollie Gordon from Oklahoma State. He has good size at 6-1, 226. He is a downhill runner with big play ability.

I love the thought of adding a bigger back into the mix. We’ll see if the Eagles want that or prefer someone who is more athletic. Woody Marks from USC is another guy I like. He is a good runner and receiver.  Read the rest of this entry »