The Eagles have had an incredible offseason thus far. One that could be historically ranked depending on the outcome of this season and the following one. Ideally, Philadelphia usually goes with under-the-radar signings in hopes of putting a band-aid on several positions of need. This offseason though, that was not the case at all. Let’s take a look at five things that we learned about the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason.
Eagles’ front office awareness
It’s easy to call a team a Super Bowl contender to the talent on paper but everyone knows it takes more than just talent to win it all. The Eagles entered last season in hopes of getting back to the Super Bowl and finishing what they started. Unfortunately, the talent was severely underutilized due to the inexperience of their coordinators. Both Sean Desai and Brian Johnson came in with high expectations which made their failures louder than ever.
But the biggest failure of them all was Sirianni’s move to a new defensive coordinator after a 10-1 start. Now Howie Roseman and Nick Sirianni have hired two veteran coordinators with good track records. They finally have the creator of the defensive scheme that they love in Vic Fangio and have handed the offensive reigns to Kellen Moore, whom Eagles fans are very familiar with from his Dallas days.
Big money for the RIGHT players
Gone is the myth that the Eagles don’t spend money on running backs. Rumors circulated that they offered D’Andre Swift an extension but he turned it down before free agency’s tampering period opened. The moment that period went live, Swift was swiftly off the board and in Chicago. This led to the rumors of the Eagles being enamored with Saquon Barkley to cause a wildfire throughout the NFL.
After signing Bryce Huff to the biggest deal a former non-quarterback UDFA has ever received, analysts across the NFL started to focus on the bidding war surrounding Saquon. It was apparently between the Texans and the Eagles but no one believed Philly would give Saquon the money he wanted. Surely, none of us truly know what goes on in the minds of Howie Roseman and Jeffrey Lurie because Saquon ended up signing a three-year deal worth $37.75 million with $26 million in guaranteed money. Big chess move by the Eagles’ brass.
Howie Roseman is one of a kind
The masterclass that Howie Roseman pulled off this offseason is second to none. From the loads of talent that they added in the likes of Saquon Barkley, Bryce Huff, Devin White, Parris Campbell, and the return of C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the incredible draft class starting with both Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper Dejean. The newfound approach to building the roster has been a breath of fresh air for Eagles fans.
Philadelphia’s front office has found a recipe that works for them and continues to add the necessary ingredients as opposed to adding artificial nonsense that isn’t good for their team. The culture has been defined by bringing in players to want to be here because they believe in the end goal. It’s no longer about a player getting the bag to come to Philly. Instead, it’s about rewarding the talent and investing in the talent’s belief in the team’s goals.
Defensive Youth is a priority
Speaking of how they are building their roster. One thing has become obvious over the last several years. The Eagles are investing big money into their offense because of the talent that is already in place. This has allowed them to focus on adding talented youth to their defense. This allows them to stay under the cap due to most of the big-time defenders being on their rookie contracts.
Then there’s the defenders that they did bring in. None of them signed a deal to record money while the Eagles extended Dickerson, Smith, Brown, and Mailata to record deals. C.J. Gardner-Johnson signed a three-year deal worth up to $33 million. Devin White signed a one-year deal worth up to $7.5 million. The only defender to make big money was Bryce Huff but as you know the Eagles value the trenches more than any other position group.
Eagles are all in for 2024 and beyond
To say that the Eagles are all in on the 2024 season would be an understatement. Each key player brought in this season will be with the team for three or more years. It’s all about longevity for Philadelphia. The Eagles want to compete year in and year out without having to face a rebuilding period until Hurts falls off or retires.
They’ve surrounded the roster with a great coaching staff and have given the coaching staff an immense amount of talent to manage along the way. 2024 will be the foundation season where the Eagles will lay down their roots in hopes of only growing from here. As long as their key players stay healthy and the coaching staff does their part, the Eagles should be one of the premier franchises in the league for years to come.
AP Photo/Matt Slocum
