Happy holidays Eagles fans! It’s been a chaotic 12 months to say the least, but while many people are dreaming of a Playstation 5 or a Pelaton, I just want to find a reliable cornerback. Here are five things on my Eagles wishlist this Christmas.
The QB Controversy ends in peace
The Eagles are a mess right now and at the epicenter of it, are a pair of quarterbacks. Nobody really knows how the Eagles will handle what is now one of the most important offseason’s in recent memory, and a lot of it will come down to how Jalen Hurts performs over the final two games (and potentially beyond). But all anyone can ask for is that it ends smoothly.
Carson Wentz deserves a new beginning with a bright future. Whether that’s with Eagles, potentially under a new Head Coach, or elsewhere, there’s no doubting that a new leaf would be perfect for the NDSU product. But for it to come as a result of a million little problems all adding up would be a real shame.
If the Eagles do indeed double-down on Jalen Hurts and find a way to move Wentz, we can only hope it’s to a destination where he can rekindle that old fire that Philly fans once fell in love with. If they don’t, and Wentz remains an Eagle, ensuring that there is a positive structure in place for him to thrive as opposed to a hellscape of volatility, has to be paramount.
Whatever happens, we just have to hope this unpredictable story ends as smoothly as possible.
The Eagles make the right offseason decisions
There are a lot of decisions that will need to be made by Howie Roseman and Jeffrey Lurie this offseason. Some are player related, others coaching related, and a few even go beyond that into the talent evaluation staff and potentially the GM himself.
There is a myriad of pathways facing the franchise after such a dismal season and all it takes is one false step and the team who are already battling hard against a vicious salary cap tide, will be set back significantly.
As for who keeps their job, who’s traded, and who’s brought in, it’s a total mystery. We could see a total revamp or a commitment to repair a fortress once glistening with Super Bowl spoils. All fans can really ask for is that the decisions turn out to be what’s best for the franchise and don’t come from a place of utter desperation or panic.
Wishing upon an Eagles CB2
Since the dark days of Jalen Mills manning the CB2 spot, and even before that with Nolan Carroll III running point, the Eagles have really struggled to find reliable depth outside. If there’s one thing we learned this season, it’s that this cannot continue.
Parting ways with Sidney Jones and Rasul Douglas left the Eagles with all their chips on the number #29. 5’10 Avonte Maddox was tasked with growing into Darius Slay’s running mate, but sporadic play and yet more injuries have cast a dark cloud over any long-term hopes of him holding the fort. Maddox, now down for the season, will have missed 13 out of a possible 48 games.
The addition of Darius Slay has been hugely important for this defense, but all it really did was highlight what happens when quarterbacks don’t throw in his direction as opposed to when they do. Slay can take away a #1 receiver and man-up with the best in the business, but if a QB can make his paydirt by throwing everywhere else, it makes no difference.
Whether it comes through the NFL Draft or via another free agency signing, the Eagles have to finally fix the last gaping hole in their secondary.
Don’t let the brightest talents get away
The Eagles being $64M over the salary cap isn’t exactly a well-kept secret. There will be some tricky decisions that Howie Roseman will have to make, but there are also plenty of free agents to worry about.
Slot wideout Greg Ward Jr, LB Alex Singleton, and even P Cameron Johnston are all pending free agents that the team cannot afford to let slip through their fingers.
The Eagles have a few too many chefs in the kitchen at DT that will combine for an absurd amount of money, they have a potential fifth-year option kicker to consider on Derek Barnett’s deal, and of course a big decision at quarterback.
It’s going to be a bumpy ride to say the least, but the Eagles absolutely need to find a way to find new cornerstones to build their franchise around after a changing of the guard has clearly already been kickstarted.
Learn from your mistakes
There have been way too many mistakes made by the Eagles this season to even list here and I don’t feel like inciting another Football related breakdown right in front of Christmas, but from an over-attachment to aging players who just don’t cut it anymore, to questionable contracts and whatever happened to the Mighty Morphin Offensive Coordinators, the only things that we can really hope to see are growth and accountability.
Howie Roseman preached that he’d changed his ways last offseason, but it became rapidly apparent that the more things change, the more they stay the same. One can only hope that after a mess of a season, things do finally change for the better.
Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire
