Sports

[gardenman]

With the Super Bowl now behind us, the season is over and the offseason begins. The Eagles have a lot of work to do, starting with filling out the offseason roster. Most of the guys now on the practice squad will likely get re-signed. And they'll likely add a few guys from outside the practice squad. 

The Eagles have eighteen free agents they need to make decisions on. Zach Baun, Mekhi Becton, Josh Sweat, Milton Williams, and Kenny Gainwell being the bigger names. The Eagles will make offers to most of those guys at a price they feel is reasonable and fits their cap model. The offers will likely be a bit lower than the players could get by leaving in free agency. 

Josh Sweat seems likely to eschew the Eagles' offer and test the market. I'm pretty much assuming he's gone. Bryce Huff (largely invisible in 2024 due to injuries) and rookie Jalyx Hunt can fill that void. Zach Baun and Mekhi Becton will be more interesting. Both could get more money elsewhere but both feel at home in Philly for the first time in their careers. I suspect the Eagles would like both of them back but at their price. If the players move on, Jeremiah Trotter Jr and Tyler Steen are ready to take over for them. Kenny Gainwell will likely take an offer elsewhere. Will Shipley is standing by to take over the backup RB role and might be better. Milton Williams could leave, but the Eagles have Moro Ojomo and Thomas Booker standing by.

Cornerback Isaiah Rodgers is an interesting guy. He could take over for Darius Slay (not a free agent but could be a cap casualty) if Slay leaves. But the Eagles have Kelee Ringo, Eli Ricks, and Cooper DeJean (now the nickel back) standing by if Rodgers leaves in free agency. Darius Slay won't be back on his current deal. I could see them re-work the deal though to make it more cap-friendly. He wants to play just one more year which makes him a bad value for other teams. 

The Eagles have the cap space to sign a few of their guys and add a guy or two in free agency. Maybe get a guy in a trade? One of the Eagles scouts talking about this year's draft class said there were no generational talents in the draft like Barkley or Myles Garrett. The fact that he mentioned Myles Garrett unprompted implies the Eagles are looking at possibly getting him. That would be an impressive get.

The Combine starts on the 27th and that's typically when the groundwork for trades takes place. All the teams and their execs are together and players' agents are there also. You can expect a few deals to be done, or at least started then.

The 2024 season is now in the books and it was a great one for Philly. Now is when we start prepping for 2025. Not a lot of holes for the Eagles to fill. They've prepared a deep roster with solid backups ready to take over if need be. 

In a perfect world, the Eagles would get Myles Garrett or find a way to move up in the draft to get Abdul Carter or Tyler Warren. Getting Abdul Carter would pretty much require him tearing something important (Achilles, ACL, etc.) between now and the draft. He won't make it out of the top five if he stays healthy. Carter is going to be a great one, but getting to him will be a challenge. 

It's going to be an interesting offseason. Will Kellen Moore commit career suicide and take the Saints' job? Who will replace him? Who will he poach from the Eagles' coaching ranks if he leaves?

The NFL season never ends. It just goes through different phases. We're now in the roster-building phase. Get this right and the rest is a lot easier.

[teganslaw]

Congratulations to the Eagles! Barkley was held in check, but the team made up for in other ways. 

Deebo Samuel has requested a trade out of SF. He has been injury prone, so the market value might be less than expected. Or maybe not, if some team is willing to take a chance.

Colts C Ryan Kelly would like to stay in Indy but is also willing to test the open market if the opportunity arises. I expect him to eventually leave. Kenny Moore could also be on the move. 

I saw that the Titans could be willing to trade their draft position. I don't know if that is accurate or a prediction. 

[gardenman]

You'll probably see a lot of teams looking to move back in the draft this year for future picks. There are two upper-tier guys in Abdul Carter and Travis Hunter. After those two it all becomes something of a mess. There are good players who could become great, but this isn't a very deep draft up top. 

People are expecting a better crop next year, so if you can trade out this year, get some extra picks next year, you could end up coming out ahead of the game in the long run.

In most drafts you expect your top two or three picks to be starters. Probably not going to happen for most teams this year. You might get one immediate starter. Maybe. 

Once you get past the top ten or so players, everyone more or less could go eleventh or seventieth. The top two QBs would have been the seventh and eighth QBs if they came out last year. It's just not a great draft class. 

Not a great free-agent class either. It's not a great year to be looking to rebuild quickly. A lot of teams have a lot of money to spend in free agency, but that will simply drive up the cost of the free agents and not improve their quality.

Trades are looking interesting as some decent players are on the trading block with more likely to come. If you need help now, trades might be the safer option this year.

[Ohio St8]

Hi Gardenman!

Congratulations on the big Eagles' win. They came to play. You could see the "Brotherly Love" among the players & coaches. I hope you have a great time celebrating. They all deserve every cheer!

[Ladybug724]

Congratulations on your Eagles win @gardenman! I had a feeling they would win but didn't expect the blowout it was.

[PARedbird]

@gardenman - any word yet on Kellen Moore?  I was just watching them getting off the plane and now heading over to the NovaCare Complex.  They were mentioning the different coaches they saw getting off the plane but nothing on Kellen.  I wonder if he stayed behind to talk more with the Saints?

They confirmed the parade will be Friday.  I'd totally love to be there!  However, I'll just have to be satisfied watching it on TV.

Makes me also wonder if Jason Kelce regrets his retirement to not stay on one more year to get a ring and then retire!  

[gardenman]

@PARedbird 

No word on Kellen Moore yet. Jeff Lurie seems convinced he's going to the Saints. We'll have to see if anything changes.

[PARedbird]

@gardenman - thanks much for that info!  I kinda figured nothing happened yet as I'm sure the Philly news would be all over it.  I think he's crazy if he leaves, but oh well!  Maybe he thinks now that he has a ring with Philly, he's accomplished all he wanted here and wants to try elsewhere.   

Funny how the Chief coaches have stuck with Andy.  I know Vic Fangio will stay with us, though, so that's good!  

[drizzellla]

@gardenman I was wondering if you saw the "Eagles Landing" at the airport. It was nice that so many people turned out to see the team getting off the plane. AND the team going over to the people who were there to cheer their team. 

What a ride this year.

PS - In case anyone is interested -

Two Philadelphia Eagles will appear at the Oxford Valley Mall on Sunday to sign autographs and take pictures as players representing the best team in the National Football League.

Longtime All-Pro Tackle Lane Johnson and Jeramiah Trotter Jr., the son of the legendary linebacker, will appear at Dynasty Sports & Framing on Sunday. A time will be announced shortly.

[teganslaw]

According to NFL Insider Jonathan Jones, the Jets and Aaron Rodgers are parting ways. Rodgers will be able to test a new team in March, provided he still wants to play. I don't know which team would want to sign Rodgers after his bad showing in New York. 

The Jets seem to go through the QB carousal every few years. (I can't judge, as the Colts are similar with QBs.) Anyway, it's back to the drawing board again for Jets.