It's time to move on.
That line should guide the thinking of Howie Roseman and the Eagles front office as the temptation to bring back future Hall of Fame tackle Jason Peters lingers deep into this offseason.
With every rumor, nugget and hype video put out by Peters' camp, one thing is crystal clear: Peters wants to return. The longtime Eagles left tackle isn't ready to retire and drift off into the sunset. He wants to play, and wants to play in Philadelphia.
In a perfect world, the Eagles would just acquiesce and bring back the legend for one more run. But the NFL and the current state of the Eagles roster isn't a perfect world. Team building isn't just signing players in a vacuum; it's a puzzle that must come together to fit the present and future in a way that brings the team closest to a shot at a ring.
Peters doesn't serve any of those masters. In fact, his presence on the roster in 2020 would be nothing more than a distraction and mistake.
Here's why.
It's Andre Dillard's time: The Eagles need to find out what they have in the 2019 first round pick. Players selected as highly as Dillard simply can't sit for two years in the modern NFL. High-level, cheap players are cheat codes. Trading up for one, then not using him for two straight seasons would be malpractice or an admission that the pick and trade were disastrous. Roseman was quoted earlier this offseason about thinking more about 2021, 2022 and 2023 rather than just 2020 when building the team. Dillard has to be the left tackle in those seasons, which means he needs to play now.
Don't kid yourself about Peters being a distraction: No, Peters isn't Odell Beckham Jr. He's not a diva. But we are talking about someone widely respected across the locker room and who has the ear of team owner Jeff Lurie. If, say, a training camp battle between Dillard and Peters was close, a tie should go to the younger and (hopefully) ascending player. But locker room politics tells me it wouldn't be that easy. If the Eagles want to sign a non-descript (and non-Eagles legend) backup tackle to push Dillard, that's fine. Let the best man win, with the edge clearly going to Dillard if it's close. With Peters, it's not a fair fight.
Cap room must be used wisely: Yes, the Eagles currently have over $20M in cap space for the 2020 season. A one-year deal (maybe $3-4M?) won't hurt the team for 2020. But have you looked at next year's cap sheet? No team in the NFL is in a worse situation for 2021. The Eagles need to roll over as much cap room as possible to continue to put a winning product on the field moving forward. An exception could (and should) be made for a player of Jadeveon Clowney's ilk. But for a reserve offensive lineman? No thanks!
Clear path and vision: When Roseman talked about turning the page from having the foot on the accelerator to a more sustained, long-term approach earlier this offseason, I bought in. It made sense. It is time to turn the page away from the team that won the Super Bowl and had a magical 2017 season. NFL windows are small and finite. Trying to extend one that opened up three years ago is almost always a mistake.
Roseman's actions have (mostly) followed his line of thinking. The Eagles moved on from Malcolm Jenkins. They got younger at the safety position. They are younger and have younger depth on the offensive line. The team's biggest move in free agency was the 27-year-old Javon Hargrave, a prime-age player. Yes, Darius Slay is 29 and will be in his 30s by the time he can play in his first playoff game as an Eagle. But Roseman has executed his thoughts pretty well.
Signing Peters back now (and potentially having the 38-year-old on the field in Week 1) would go against all that. It would show that the Eagles aren't fully committed to Dillard, the future or the vision Roseman laid out.
Peters is an all-time great Eagles player and will be revered forever. But smart teams know when it's time to say goodbye. That time is now, no matter how much Peters still wants to be here
