Coming into 2020, the Eagles had high hopes with the additions of a few big names and other not-so-big-but-very-good names. How has that worked out for the team thus far?
Eagles Free Agency/Trade acquisitions
Darius Slay
Slay has been as good as advertised in his first year with the Eagles. Sure, he didn’t have his greatest game against the Giants, but opposing WRs haven’t had the most success versus Slay this year. He’s had some bumps and bruises, including only 38 snaps played versus the Cowboys, but the Slay that Eagles fans wanted has appeared in almost every game.
Javon Hargrave
Hargrave’s three-year contract is 15th among all DTs in total value, 15th in average annual value, and had the ninth most guaranteed money at signing. What has that led to for the Eagles?
8 G, 12 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 TFL, 3 QB hits
Hardly the $39 million dollar production the Eagles expected.
He went from a 3-4 NT to a 4-3 penetrating tackle and this move was believed to bring sacks in droves. It hasn’t.
The Eagles weren’t desperate for a defensive tackle at the time of the signing. Howie may have gone for “splash” over need.
Nickel Robey-Coleman
Woooooooof.
The Eagles signed NRC to a one year deal back in March. The “slot god” was said to be one of the premier slot corners in the league.
That title has accounted to a 50.5 grade from PFF (94th out of 120), 112.2 rating when targeted, allowing 78.6% completion, and one TD given up.
He was benched for LeBlanc earlier in the season and made his way back into the lineup when Avonte Maddox went down.
The “slot god” has looked more like “slot peasant”.
Will Parks
The Philly native signed a one-year deal with the Eagles in March and was sidelined until week 6 with an injury. He’s played in four games and has shown flashes of why he was brought to the Eagles. He was also shopped around the NFL at the time of the trade deadline.
However, he’s only played 90 defensive snaps in those four games (6 against the Giants). Parks’ signing was a signal that the defense would be replacing Malcolm Jenkins with a few players who could fill his role (in the box nickel LB, slot CB, safety, edge rusher) but Jim Schwartz has failed to play him enough to fulfill those visions.
Marquise Goodwin
Goodwin was finally (after a few years of Eagles rumors) traded to the Eagles during the draft. However, due to personal matters (wife given birth to a daughter in February), Goodwin opted out due to COVID.
It’s fair to speculate the impact Goodwin would’ve had on the team with his speed, but it’s not fair to judge this signing. Goodwin did what was best for his family and that cannot be argued with.
Jativis Brown
He retired.
Eagles Re-signings
Nate Sudfeld
He was the “#2” for a few minutes and then Jalen Hurts took the title. He’s been the back up/number three QB since 2017. The Eagles placed a second-round tender on him during free agency so they obviously value him, but he does nothing except hold a clipboard.
Hassan Ridgeway
Seven games. One sack. One IR trip with torn biceps.
But for real, he was a steady presence on the defensive line in 2019 and deserved a shot to come back. His presence in 2019 made it questionable to add Hargrave, but the potential of a four DT rotation with him, Hargrave, Cox, and Jackson was a thing of dreams for Eagles fans. It just didn’t work out that way.
Corey Clement
We were told his knee was “good to go” and he got another shot with the team. Thus far, we’ve seen almost nothing as RB2/RB3 to suggest he was worth bringing back. He finally scored his first TD of the season versus the Giants on Sunday and his 19 carries for 68 yards in nine games stat-line is extremely underwhelming.
Adding a more dynamic/proven running back to this rotation could’ve been a much better move than bringing back the “Super Bowl hero”.
Rodney McLeod
The best resigning of the off-season.
McLeod has been the heart and soul of this secondary, outside of Slay.
He has 51 tackles, allowing 41.4% completion, 51.2 rating, has an INT, and a fumble return for a TD. His return has brought a lot of success for this secondary, whenever there is success, and deserves to finish his career in Philadelphia.
Jalen Mills
Eh..
Mills was brought back as a safety but moved to corner when Avonte Maddox went down. He has 1.5 sacks, 45 tackles, and one INT on the year but has been pretty average overall. He’s still finger-wagging when the QB sails a football over the stadium, so there’s that.
He shouldn’t be resigned again next season.
Jason Peters
Mr. ‘Right Guard but wants more money to play Left Tackle‘ should’ve stayed home.
To begin the season, he was a turnstile. Wentz’s “bodyguard” looked helpless more times than not. When he went down, Jordan Mailata shined.
However, when Peters returned, Mailata was sent to the bench. Doug Pederson’s explanation of “Mailata can learn from the bench” is a load of horse crap. For whatever reason, Peters has his way with the coaching staff and front office and has no risk of losing his starting spot. For the benefit of the Eagles, he should play RG while Mailata comes back to LT, but, hey, what do we know?
Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire
