The new league year is almost here.
With the NFL Combine in the books, the stage is now set for the NFL to take over day-to-day sports conversation again. Free agency and trade season will open on March 16, giving every team a chance to reshape its roster. Then comes the draft in late April, bringing the opportunity to alter the future.
For the Eagles, there's a ton at stake.
No team has made three selections in the top 20 of the NFL Draft since the 1991 Dallas Cowboys. Yes, the draft that helped springboard a dynasty. No, Howie Roseman isn't Jimmy Johnson when it comes to eyeing talent. But the opportunity to build the foundation of a sustained winner now hangs in the balance.
Here's my 10-step blueprint for the Eagles to follow this offseason, including signings, potential trades, and names to watch in the 2022 NFL Draft. If the Eagles come close to this kind of offseason, the 2021 run to the postseason won't be remembered as a fluke. Instead, it will be looked back upon as the start of something big.
1. Resist the temptation to trade for a veteran quarterback: Roseman and head coach Nick Sirianni expressed confidence in Jalen Hurts during the combine. That's noteworthy. But so is rumored interest in names like Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson. It's Roseman's job to investigate everything, but trading premium resources to upgrade over Hurts would end up as a team-building mistake.
2. Give Jason Kelce a reason (and contract) to stop thinking about retirement: Kelce's current deal is untenable for the Eagles. If the team does nothing with Kelce's current deal and he's on the roster in June, a $30M guarantee kicks in. Is Kelce's deliberation about retiring or playing about money? It's likely not. But here's a chance to make Kelce what he's earned the right to be: the highest-paid center in the NFL. Arizona's Rodney Hudson makes an average of $12.6M. Rip up the current deal and offer Kelce a two-year deal worth $13M per season. He'll be worth every penny.
3. Add a significant veteran receiver: Amari Cooper would be an excellent fit, especially if Mike Williams and Chris Godwin aren't truly available on March 16. Calvin Ridley is worth a draft pick in a trade and the contract extension it would take to make it work. If the Seahawks desperately want a No. 1 to help fix the team around Wilson, make the offer for D.K. Metcalf. Allen Robinson would bring Alshon Jeffery vibes, but in a good way. D.J. Chark is an underrated player with upside. It doesn't matter who it is. But it has to be the top thought when the league year opens.
4. Fix the pass rush: When Jonathan Gannon rewatches film of his first year as a defensive coordinator, the lack of sacks should make him sick. Only 29 in 17 games? For an Eagles defensive line that had as many resources as any area of the team poured into it? The talent wasn't good enough, and the depth stunk. It's time to change that, and this is the year to do it. My favorite name in a draft where defensive lineman depth is oozing out: David Ojabo. The Michigan pass rusher is a strip-sacking machine, and reminds me of Osi Umenyiora in size and speed (both ran in the 4.6 range heading out of college) around the edge. If he's there at No. 15, it should be a no-brainer.
5. Find a long-term answer at safety: Perhaps it's Marcus Williams, the Saints star. Perhaps it's Justin Reid, the soon-to-be ex-Texans star. Maybe it's through the NFL Draft with a name like Michigan's Daxton Hill, Georgia's Lewis Cine or Baylor's Jalen Pitre. No position on the roster has less hope for the future than safety. Rodney McLeod and Anthony Harris are pending free agents, and on the wrong side of thirty. Marcus Epps is solid, but far from a star. The Eagles need to find their next Malcolm Jenkins or McLeod and know the back of the defense is set for years.
6. Draft a cornerback in the first round: The Eagles haven't used a first-round pick on a corner since Lito Shepard in 2002. This should be the year that changes. Finding a patchwork answer (Stephen Nelson) on the other side of Darius Slay was fine for 2021, but far from a long-term or year-by-year way of business. Plus, Slay is over 30 and won't be a star for much longer. Roseman needs to find the team's next No. 1 corner. Washington's Trent McDuffie or Clemson's Andrew Booth Jr. both could be in the Eagles' range, with all hope of Sauce Gardner falling down the board likely out after a strong combine showing. One wild card to keep in mind: A trade up for LSU's Derek Stingley Jr., a consensus top-five selection throughout last season that's fallen due to a foot injury last year. If he's projected to be healthy, he could be the best corner in the class.
7. Trade down using one of three first-round picks: Sometimes it's OK to hedge. I'm a Hurts guy, and believe he has the upside to be a top-10 quarterback in the league one day. But I'm also not blind. There's a chance that Hurts doesn't reach his ceiling, and tops out as a middle-of-the-pack quarterback. There's also a chance his durability (a bigger concern for me moving forward than his ability) holds him back or causes the 23-year-old to have a shorter stint at the top of his game. If the Eagles can find a trade partner willing to give them a 2023 No. 1 pick in exchange for one of their three top picks this year, it's worth it. Give Hurts a year to show he's worthy of true franchise caliber status and perhaps a contract extension next offseason. If he does, the Eagles will have two first rounders to complete the rebuild next spring. If he doesn't, they'll have the ammo to upgrade at quarterback.
8. Invest in a linebacker: As noted, my preference is to draft a pass rusher and corner in Round 1 while moving one of the three picks away to the future. But as the domino effect of offseason moves begin to happen, the Eagles should be open and willing to use a significant resource on a linebacker. Utah's Devin Lloyd the guy to target, and could change Gannon's defense from the minute he stepped on the field. If the Eagles keep all three picks, some combination of a Stingley Jr. trade up, Ojabo and Lloyd would be the ultimate draft haul.
9. Add a running back and start preparing for Miles Sanders' exit: I'd be floored if the Eagles paid Sanders this offseason, and think he'll be allowed to walk to another team next March. Heck, I'd be shopping him around the league right now in deals involving a wide receiver. But assuming Sanders will be back for his fourth season, the Eagles should add to a running back room that was worked hard last year. Marlon Mack could be a free-agent steal, and Florida's Dameon Pierce is a name to watch in the draft.
10. Find a No. 2 tight end: This is a sneaky need, especially after Tyree Jackson's Week 18 knee injury. Dallas Goedert is poised to have a special year, but depth behind him (and with him in two tight end sets) is necessary. Mo Alie-Cox makes sense in free agency. Wisconsin's Jake Ferguson is a name to watch in the middle of the draft.
