The Philadelphia Eagles are the only NFC East team entering Week 17 without a chance to make it to the playoffs. Three years after winning the first Super Bowl in the franchise’s history, they are among the worst teams in the entire league and have more guaranteed defeats than in any season since 2012, which resulted in the dismissal of longtime coach Andy Reid. Needless to say, they need help.
What, exactly, should they do to straighten the ship during a crucial off-season? We did our best to offer a five-step solution:
1. Reduce GM Howie Roseman’s power over personnel
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The Eagles’ problems can be attributed mainly to their deficient base, which has clearly eroded since the Super Bowl. This is at Roseman. While owner Jeffrey Lurie has reason to find a new GM entirely, his longstanding loyalty to Howie makes this unlikely. The most plausible option, then, is to reduce the GM’s power over personnel. Perhaps that means a “promotion” for other functions in the style of his relegation from the Chip Kelly era. It may mean forcing the final word on escalation into the hands of another executive.
The only thing Lurie can’t do is sit on her hands. The coach and QB are also to blame for the failures of 2020 (we will get to them soon), but nothing should worry this organization more than the fact that Roseman, its main decision maker, has:
- Supported the Eagles in one of the darkest financial corners of the NFL,
- Matches repeatedly overloaded for match day with older, injured and unreliable match players, especially at critical points for QB, and
- Failing to sketch more than a few obvious building blocks since returning to power in 2016
Roseman deserves all the credit in the world for resurrecting the post-Chip Kelly Eagles and gathering the depth of the championship, but since then, he has failed to deliver on short and long term promises. If your GM is not preparing well, is not reaching veterans and has overseen three consecutive years of decline, he needs help or replacement.
2. Replace Doug Pederson with another offensive head coach
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This is not a decision you take lightly. Pederson is not a bad coach. At his best, he accompanied the NFL in bold decisions and quick delivery. His overcoming of Bill Belichick to give Philly his first Lombardi Trophy will live in the tradition of the Eagles forever. And, perhaps most importantly, his players never gave up on him. But, like Nick Foles, the QB who helped him win that Lombardi, but never got a long-term job in Philadelphia, Pederson’s peak achievements shouldn’t guarantee that he’s part of the current Eagles’ future.
If Lurie fired only one from Doug or Howie, there is a strong argument to be made that Roseman deserves the ax. But since Pederson’s magical 13-3 run in 2017, the Eagles have gone 22-24-1. They have gotten progressively worse every year since the championship. This season, in a historically bad division, his The team – with its lack of discipline in the field, with its painful lack of creativity, with its unprecedented QB regression, with its apparent lack of weekly preparation for crucial disputes – was the first one eliminated. Worse yet, his “specialty”, attack, has ceased to be a tendency to become slow and to become one of the most predictably apathetic and un-creative in the entire NFL. Not even Jalen Hurts’ mobility could mask that against a porous Cowboys defense in Week 16.
Pederson may well have the support of players, and he may be able to point out his resume and even succeed in another job instantly. But if he couldn’t find an answer in this season’s disaster, why should Lurie trust him to lead the team in new territory? If he hasn’t been able to identify suitable offensive assistants so far, why did he suddenly discover innovative magic in 2021? It is not that Doug is incapable of a turnaround; it is difficult to believe, after three years of decline, that its turnaround will take place in Philadelphia.
It helps that the set of potential offensive substitutes for the head coach is large. And they are not just names. Most are guys who have attracted Eagles’ interest before or are widely considered to be among the best promising men in their ranks. We limit potential candidates, listed below, almost exclusively to offensive minds because Lurie has long preferred offensive-oriented leaders (and, frankly, is smart to do that). *
- Brian Daboll, Bills OC
- Mike Kafka, Chiefs QBs coach / passing game coordinator
- Arthur Smith, Titans OC
- Joe Brady, Panthers OC
- Graham Harrell, USC OC / QBs coach
- Duce Staley, head coach / assistant to the Eagles RB head coach
- Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma HC
- Luke Getsy, Packers QBs coach / passing game coordinator
- Leslie Frazier, DC Bills / Assistant Chief Coach
* = The defensive coach’s only exception here has a connection to the Eagles, with Frazier spending 1999-2002 under the command of Lurie and Andy Reid in Philadelphia. It may make sense in case the team wants to preserve Pederson’s friendly approach while ensuring a kind of “heir apparent” on the offensive side of the ball.
3. Retain Carson Wentz and Jalen Hurts with a view to 2022
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It is certainly not impossible to argue that eagles should change Wentz. After 2020, when he not only regressed, but seemed very close broke – lacking confidence and any ability to rise above his mercurial surroundings – he can really benefit from a change of scenery. For God’s sake, the guy fought two serious injuries, conquered a locker room that saw his reserve defeat Tom Brady in the Super Bowl, and now faces both his own shocking fall and a promising challenger in Hurts. It may be in the interest of both parties to cut the cord entirely – to recognize the memories and what might have happened, and then transfer their $ 128 million business elsewhere.
If the Eagles wisely injected new life into your team, however, the best bet is to retain Wentz. This does not necessarily mean crowning him as the unquestionable holder of 2021. This does not mean committing to him in the long run. It means giving the new leadership a chance to see what really to the left of your QB franchise before selling it when its value is at its lowest point – and with minimal savings, no less.
Hurts may be a rising star or he may just be a talented reserve. Four matches are not enough to determine this. Wentz, on the other hand, was totally bad in 2020, but consistently good, if not great, from 2017-19 – a stretch that included 81 touchdowns, 21 interceptions, a 98.3 QB rating and a 25-15 record. The recency bias obscures this reality. Unless the Eagles and / or their new trainer are 100 percent sold on the Hurts or purposely hitting rock bottom in 2021 (don’t count on that), the idea of saving $ 800,000 – while absorbing the $ 33 cap, 8 million Wentz – to write off a The chances of a 28-year-old returning to form 12 look better … less than ideal. Especially when there is no more important position to hit than QB.
If the Eagles are entering or on the verge of a major overhaul, what is the downside of allowing No. 11 to be part of the mix? Better yet, the bright side do cutting the cable outweigh the potential consequences? At best, Wentz manages an off-season to catch his breath, regain confidence and work with a renewed team, return to the playoffs with a healthier lineup in 2021 and reload with bigger additions in 2022. At worst , neither Wentz nor Hurts lose their balance and the Eagles are bad again in 2021, but you have an even better chance of infusing youth – and perhaps a higher QB prospect – in 2022.
4. Sell as many veterans as possible
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Auctioning as many veterinarians as possible may seem counterintuitive if you want a quick recovery in 2021, but it really isn’t. After all, how many current Eagles players are absolutely essential for a playoff? Lane Johnson? Brandon Graham? This team had double-digit losses in 2020 because the current contingent is devoid of talent, does not overflow with it. It is difficult for some, including the Eagles in recent years, to admit that their unique league roster is overloaded with old and unreliable pieces (an accusation from Howie again), but it is true. That is why Eagles must adopt an addition by subtraction mentality by 2021.
They also have no choice, considering that they are projected at something like $ 70 million above the 2021 salary cap. absolute minimum, all of the following movements should be considered:
Possible cuts:
Possible extensions / restructuring:
Potential business:
This does not include saying goodbye to most, but all, of the team’s impending unrestricted free agents – a group of 13 that includes notables like Jason Peters, Jalen Mills, Richard Rodgers and Nickell Robey-Coleman.
5. Store assets during the 2021 draft
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The Eagles will have their best choice in the draft of the first round since 2016, when they switched to the second overall position to select Wentz. They will be in the top five, with an unlikely chance of picking as high as number 3. Usually, this means taking a long, rigorous look at QB’s main potential customers, because it’s not every year that you get a clean cut. in that position. And make no mistake; if Eagles really love a QB at their fingertips, they should consider it. But here’s the biggest problem they must weigh in: this team needs a lot more than long-term QB hope. With Wentz and Hurts in tow, Philly has every reason to sell his first choice and inventory assets.
In 2018, just to return from the 3rd to the 6th round in the first round, the Colts received three more Jets hitters. If the Eagles manage to strike a deal with a franchise in need of QB (and know that they will have their own chance of a top guy in 2022, should they stumble again in 2021), they may have an instant opportunity to fill other gaps. the cast, whether in the offensive line, wide receiver, linebacker, cornerback or safety.
Well, young talent is what the Eagles need more than anything. Auctioning premium choices to raise even more would go a long way, regardless of who is playing passes and who is calling the moves in 2021.