There is no getting around it — the loss of Brandon Brooks is a big one.
A Pro-Bowl caliber player that was arguably the best in the league at his position, Brooks was a key member of an Eagles' offensive line that was a strength of the team in 2019.
Now, the Eagles will have to find his replacement.
Chances are they will not find another player even close to Brooks caliber, but the good news is that if you had to replace one position along the offensive line, guard is the easiest to replace.
The Eagles have three options — promote from within, sign a free agent or trade for a player. What move they make could be very telling, as with $24 million in salary cap space, the Eagles have the money to make a big-time move if they want. With a complicated salary cap situation in 2021, however, they might be hesitant to commit big money or a big asset to a Brooks replacement.
So what could they do?
Here is a look at some options:
ON THE ROSTER:
Matt Pryor: The Eagles seem to have plenty of faith in Pryor, as they have trained him at guard and tackle last season, then started him in the team's playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Pryor has some obvious advantages at being the top replacement, as he has been in the building the last two seasons, knows the offense and is familiar with the other offensive linemen. If the Eagles are really all-in on trying to play young players this season, and don't want to spend much on replacing Brooks, Pryor will be their choice.
Jack Driscoll: The team's fourth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Driscoll played tackle in college but is projected as a guard at the next level. Fourth-round picks should be able to play fairly quickly, so the idea of him competing for the job isn't crazy. The issues Driscoll faces, however, are that not only is he a rookie, but he is learning a new position in an offseason where he will have no OTAs or minicamps. If Driscoll somehow wins the job, it will either be a very bad sign for Pryor, or the Eagles will have a steal on their hands in the fourth round.
FREE AGENTS:
Jason Peters: It is hard to look at the list of available free agents and not start with Jason Peters. Peters wants to be back in Philadelphia and the Eagles have some interest in bringing him back as well. The issue before was that his job at left tackle belonged to Andre Dillard. Now, with an opening at guard, you have to wonder if Peters would agree to come in and try to learn the position so he could return to the Eagles.
Peters has some obvious advantages in making the transition to guard — he is still playing at a high level, he is very close with Lane Johnson, is a very smart player and would have Jeff Stoutland teaching him. You have to think Stoutland would campaign hard for Peters to return. He would be perhaps the perfect one-year stop gap while Brooks recovered. Plus, it would be a way to get Peters in the building as a safety net at left tackle incase Dillard struggles.
If Peters is willing to come back and play guard, you have to think the Eagles would welcome him back as their top option.
Larry Warford: The New Orleans Saints surprising decision to release Warford in May could end up being just the answer the Eagles need. Warford was a Pro Bowl player at right-guard in both 2018 and 2019, playing in all but two of the Saints games. Warford will turn 29-years old on June 19, so he is still young enough to be a potential long-term starter for the Eagles — either at right guard or maybe at left guard if Isaac Seumalo struggles and Brooks comes back healthy in 2021. Warford might not be cheap, however, and could put a dent in the Eagles' 2020 cap space — and impact their already tough cap situation in 2021. Signing Warford would be a win-now move from the Eagles.
Josh Kline: Kline would bring plenty of versatility to the Eagles' offensive line, as he has played both guard spots during his seven-year NFL career. He is a bit on the older side at 30-years old, and likely wouldn't require either a long-term commitment or much money from the Eagles.
Mike Person: Person is an intriguing option for the Eagles. He has starting experience at right guard, having started 30 games over the last two seasons for the San Francisco 49ers. He also has starting experience at center, a bonus for an Eagles team that really values versatility. He allowed just one sack last season for the 49ers, but also gave up five hits and 27 hurries, an average of almost two pressures a game.
John Jerry: At 34-years old, it is hard to see the Eagles signing Jerry and handing him the job, but he would be a safety-net at the position if Pyror didn't work out. Jerry has 106 games of starting experience, but played in just 11 games last season and thought his career was over prior to the start of the 2019 season.
TRADE:
Joe Thuney: Thuney is worth looking at since he is easily the biggest name on the trade market, but the chances of the Eagles pulling off a deal for Thuney are slim unless they have serious long-term concerns about Brooks. Thuney is currently under the franchise tag with the New England Patriots, but not many believe they will keep him at the $14.75 million salary he is currently set to make in 2021. The Eagles wouldn't pay Thuney that either, but if they view him as their long-term starter at either left or right guard, they could make a trade for him and sign him to a long-term deal before July 15. Signing Thuney would be expensive and cost a pretty decent trade asset as well. So it is only a move they would consider if they either plan on moving on from Brooks after 2020, moving on from Seumalo or moving Seumalo to center and moving on from Jason Kelce. Of all the options, Thuney feels easily the least-likely of the bunch.
You can follow Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
