Howie Roseman said that he would be aggressive about the Eagles offseason and he’s been just that. While many are prepared to build a statue in Roseman’s honor, there’s still plenty of work that needs to be done. The Eagles made some bold moves to start free agency in hopes of returning to the promised land and hoisting the Lombardi once more.
On Monday, they signed Bryce Huff to a huge three-year, $51 million contract. Huff is an explosive pass rusher who will now get his time to shine in Philadelphia. Shortly after that the Eagles made one of the biggest signings in franchise history. They signed former Giants running back, Saquon Barkley to a three-year, $37 million contract in hopes that he is the missing piece to their already explosive offense.
After those big signings, the Eagles went on to continue filling some much-needed holes. They signed LB Zach Braun, who may be a pass rusher instead, OL Matt Hennessy, WR Devante Parker, and of course, the signing Tuesday evening, C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
With all of these great signings, there are still some questions that need to be answered, sooner rather than later. Here are the Eagles remaining needs that could be answered via free agency or even the draft:
Safety
While the return of C.J. Gardner-Johnson gives you the missing playmaker that they needed last season. It still does not solidify the safety group as a whole. Due to Sydney Brown’s injury, we may not see the stud’s second-year safety until later in the season. This means that the Eagles only have CJGJ, Reed Blankenship, and Tristin McCollum on their roster at the moment.
The Eagles could look to see if they can bring in Justin Simmons or Quandre Diggs to be that much-needed veteran presence in the group. They could also go young by signing Kamren Kurl or even Julian Blackmon. One way or another, the Eagles need to add some depth to a group that faltered last season.
Linebacker
How much longer will it take for Howie Roseman to see the value in having good linebackers? Many of the teams that went deep into the playoffs had/have great young and talented linebackers. It’s needed in a successful defense nowadays. The Eagles haven’t had that continuity at that position for years and last season may have been the final straw.
Roseman and the Eagles have to find a linebacker to pair with Nakobe Dean while also adding some depth to the position. Dean has been plagued by injuries in each of his two first seasons but has been productive when healthy. Adding a player like Devin White or Jerome Baker would be huge in my opinion. Honestly, I’d try to add both of those players before another team steals either of them.
You can’t overthink the moves at this position and hope to place a bandaid on it. There is some good young talent and some decent veterans available at the moment but who knows how long they’ll be available for at this rate. The draft isn’t screaming with amazing linebacker talent this year and I don’t see them trading for a stud linebacker anytime soon.
Cornerback
No one knows what the future holds for James Bradberry at the moment. It’s no secret that he was the weakest link of the cornerback groups last season but the Eagles haven’t been rumored to be moving the veteran corner just yet. They also released Avonte Maddox, who was visiting the Saints, before free agency which could mean they’re moving on from him. But he could return on a cheaper deal for all we know.
The Eagles need to figure out what the next move at cornerback is. Whether it is by trading for a player like Marshon Lattimore or Jaycee Horn or focusing on adding a stud corner from the draft. There isn’t a robust amount of talent in Free agency at the moment but they could sign a player like Tre’Davious White to a prove-it deal. White is coming off of a significant injury but could be a steal if he returns to form.
Wide Receiver
While the signing of Devante Parker is great on paper, the reality is that it’s a couple of years too late. Parker is outside of his prime and will be considered a depth piece for the Eagles this season. Which means that they are still in need of a WR3. Both Quez Watkins and Olamide Zaccheaus are free agents which means that the Eagles have to make the right move if they aren’t bringing either one back.
In my opinion, I would work to bring Zaccheaus back and focus on finding a speedster that can do damage in the slot position. They could bring in a veteran like Odell Beckham Jr, who was still pretty productive with the Ravens last season. Players like Curtis Samuel and Hollywood Brown would make sense as well but it’s likely that they’ll look to fill this role in the draft instead.
AP Photo/Matt Slocum
