First let's take a look at the coaching moves. Losing five coaches in any offseason is quite a bit of turnover, especially after a third straight playoff run and just two years removed from a Super Bowl win and MVP caliber play from not one but two QBs. But I digress, because this is exactly the situation the Eagles find themselves in and most of it was by design. The first departures were Mike Groh, and Carson Walch, in a way that has been talked about way too much, and shortly there after Phillip Daniel's was let go as well.
Mike Groh and Carson Walch were arguably at the very end of the ripple effect that was Josh McDaniels backing out of the Colts job at the last second. When McDaniels backed out of taking the Colts job we wound up losing Frank Reich. This was a much bigger loss than I believe any of us truly thought, and was obviously a much better hire than most gave the Colts credit for. Mike Groh was the man Pederson tabbed as his replacement.
Mike Groh's rise and fall in Philly has almost mirrored the career of a guy who will also not be on the roster in 2020. Nelson Agholor, who had a break out year in 2017 on our Super Bowl run catching 64 passes, for 768 yards and 8 tds all career highs that nearly doubled all his previous numbers. The arguement was that his move to the slot caused this uptick in production but there were numerous factors. After Agholor's break out season Groh was promoted, and survived in that capacity only until Agholor again faltered in 2019 and slumped back to his 2016 numbers. After seeing the regression at the position after Groh and Walch were promoted they were fired. This couldn't be tolerated not if Wentz is to realize his potential in his Super Bowl Window.
Immediately after the firings word was out that the team was looking for outside voices, but it was also a very public fact that Pederson calls his own plays with input funnelled from position coaches through the coordinator. Pretty standard for head coaches who call plays. That's also why bringing in a guy with an outside perspective was important for a coaching staff that was staying largely the same. Guys like Jim Caldwell, James Urban, Graham Harrell, Mike Kafka, Mike McDaniel, among others were of interest. However we landed none of these guys and as reported Tuesday Feb. 4th the Eagles have promoted in house candidate Press Taylor not to offensive coordinator which was my original fear but to passing game coordinator, but it comes with the aid of Rich Scangarello formerly of the Shanahan coaching tree in San Francisco, which suddenly explains why we waited so long. Scangarello was hired in 2019 to turn around a Broncos offense that was putrid in 2018, after a search that looking back seems oddly familiar to what Eagles fans just endured. Scangarello is a guy who loved the Shanahan offense so much that he literally took an unpaid internship to work with Kyle in Atlanta to learn this offensive scheme. He then followed Kyle to San Francisco where he helped coach Nick Mullens to success in 2018.
I like this move, and I like the fact that they didn't give Taylor full oversight as O.C. I also hope them not giving him the entire title will appease Duce Staley the assistant head coach, and rb's coach who interviewed for the job during the cycle Groh was hired in, but was never mentioned in this one. He is an important part of this coaching staff and the culture in this locker room.
Aaron Moorehead is the new WR coach and I am hoping he lasts longer than one season in the role. Gj Kinne accepted the offensive coordinator position with the University of Hawaii. I believe his direct replacement is Andrew Breiner the former qb coach and passing game coordinator for Mississippi State. He should bring some concepts from his offense such as more zone road concepts which will help the Eagles get Wentz out of the pocket and on the move where he is at his best.
On defense we fired Phillip Daniels but no one is quite sure why.. as far as I can tell Josh Sweat seemed to continue his development, while a defensive tackle rotation that was decimated by injury still managed to hold it's own. Regardless the former player and personal favorite of mine is now on to the next job. I am rooting for him to land in DC. Cory Undlin has also moved on but into a coordinator position with the Lions under Matt Patricia who he crossed paths with in 2004 as an assistant with the Patriots. Undlin was experienced but you can't argue the lack of performance we have gotten from a whole lot of resources poured into that position since 2014 when he arrived.
I personally believe our defensive coaching staff simply got stronger. While we lost a DB coach to a coordinator job, we hired former coordinators to replace him and Daniels. Marquand Manuel is a former NFL safety, former Legion of Boom position coach, and former coordinator under Dan Quinn in Atlanta. He is a strong hire even if Tim Hauck will still coach safeties, that means you have him simply focusing on CB's and their development. Then there is Jim Schwartz right hand man Matt Burke. These guys have worked together in three stops. He spent 04-08 with Schwartz in Tenneseee then followed him to Detroit as a LB coach where he stayed for the five seasons Schwartz was there 09-13. After that Burke attached himself to Vance Joesph. Burke met Joesph when he was hired to be the LB coach in Cincy in 2014. He stayed there for the 2015 season before following Joesph to Miami. Where it was just one year before Joesph left to take a head coaching job in Denver and Burke was promoted to defensive coordinator a position he held until Brian Flores a defensive coach wanted his guys to run his system, so naturally Burke went back to his roots and hit up his good buddy Schwartz who helped him get a job as a special assistant. Now he has helped him get another promotion arguably his third under Schwartz.
As if all that wasn't enough, one of the guys tasked with hiring these coaches also took a promotion midsearch. Andrew Berry the v.p. of personnel was hired by Cleveland to be their GM making him the youngest GM in the league. There is speculation that his role will not be directly replaced because Berry was a Jack of all trades, whose specific roles aren't typically handled by one person. While he won't be directly replaced Connor Barwin a former player has been added to be a special assistant to Howie Roseman and could be a guy who takes on some responsibility that Berry had in the Eagles organization. All in all I like the moves the team made so far in the front office and on the coaching staff. Although there is definite clarification that will need to happen in terms of roles but that will be figured out in time. But the vast majority of coaching won't matter if we can't improve the talent and depth at two extremely important positions in today's NFL, WR and CB,
Let's start by looking at WR. Last season we suffered major injuries at the position with DeSean Jackson missing nearly the entire season, Alshon Jeffery was banged up again and missed time with a foot injury. Rumor at the time was that the team wasn't confident that Jeffery would be healthy at the start of 2020 and could actually even miss games next year as well. However most believe the Eagles need to move on from Jeffery no matter the status of his health. Jeffery came to Philly with high expectations and ultimately has been a disappointment. Whether it has been numerous injuries, or key drops in big moments Jeffery simply never dominated as a number 1 receiver in Philly despite the beginning of his career being so explosive in Chicago. I would be slightly shocked to see him return in 2020, and that outcome shouldn't be affected by the impending departure of Nelson Agholor who is an unrestricted free agent coming off of a really down year in which the Eagles clearly lost confidence in his ability to lead the offense. This is more a formality than it is an educated guess as this move has been speculated for some time now. Luckily for the Eagles they have a knack for finding talent from their practice squad, with Greg Ward, Robert Davis, and Deontay Burnett all contributing last year. Greg Ward however managed to carve himself out a spot on this roster after catching 28 passes for 254 yards and 1 td numbers that aren't far off of Agholor's numbers in 2019. He is expected to compete for time in the slot in 2020. The Eagles spent a second round pick at WR in JJ Agrega-Whiteside who didn't seem to impress anyone last season as a rookie and despite injuries to various starters he caught just 10 passes for 169 yards and 1 td. Stats that simply won't be enough for a guy the Eagles expected to start sooner rather than later. This rounds out our current roster at WR. With only Jackson, Ward, and Whiteside expected to return the Eagles have work to do at the position prior to 2020, luckily we have options as the draft could be arguably the best WR class since 2014. With guys of every body type, and skill set available I strongly expect the Eagles to draft a WR in the first round this year. Honestly there are a bunch of names that fit this roster but the main guys I want are those with the speed to burn dbs early and often. I would really like to see Henry Ruggs be the pick here. Sub 4.30 speed as advertised as a junior, despite being overshadowed by some other guys Ruggs still put up solid if not spectacular numbers in college. The main element to his game I think will benefit us is his ability to get separation immediately off the line with his tremendous burst. I believe he will be used on faster developing routes to get the ball in his hands when he has a step on the defender. However I don't think the team should stop there either. There are several free agents I think we should target as well. Robbie Anderson is at the top of my wishlist this offseason with guys like Emmanuel Sanders, Demarcus Robinson and Breshad Perriman as others I would be interested in for the right price. Perriman scares me being that he had an incredibly slow start to his career prior to signing with Tampa. Robinson intrigues me as he has familiarity with our scheme, and Sanders is the kind of crafty veteran that can help teach younger guys while still giving Wentz a solid target.
At cornerback we almost certainly will look to the free agent market with a bunch of bigger names expected to test the market. This list is headed by three former members of the No Fly Zone, Chris Harris Jr, Aqib Talib, and Bradley Roby. Now I for one do not want the Eagles going after a mid 30's Talib, who is coming off of IR, or Bradley Roby who was allowed to walk out of Denver but had a strong season in Houston. Neither strike me as guys we can count on at this point. There has been a lot of speculation about Chris Harris Jr. Because Philly had made overtures at trading for him during the season. Now he is available with no cost but money, and I believe Philly should take a run at him. He is a tenacious tackler, and versatile cornerback who might be 31 years old but hasn't shown signs of slowing down yet, and still commands respect from opposing QBs. He is also a very smart player who could easily transition to safety in a year or two if he loses a step. He is one of my favorite free agent CB'S available this offseason. 32 year old Jimmy Smith will test the market but in my mind should be looked at as a safety at this point. After several injuries and a lack of top end speed to begin with I don't really think he fits what the Eagles need at CB. Logan Ryan, Jonathon Joesph, Tramon William's, Trae Waynes, Byron Jones, James Bradberry, Kendall Fuller, and Jason Verrett round a solid group that could see free agency. If I had to rank my favorites on this list it would look like this:
1.Trae Waynes-At 27 years old he is right in that range of players Howie targets, guys looking at a second contract with many years of their prime left. At 6'0 190 lbs he fits the kind of CB Schwartz likes as well. Wayne's can play zone, or press man, provides an extremely solid tackle, and a nose for the ball. While he has just 7 ints in 5 years he has 42 passes defended. He is in my eyes a perfect fit for our number 1 cornerback spot. While his coverage grades haven't been great he allowed 61 receptions in 2019, good for 6th while he was targeted 4th most in the NFL. I think he is a guy who can use the right system, and coaches to get him to the next level. I am thinking Schwartz and Manuel are those guys. He should come relatively cheap after a few unspectacular seasons.
2.Byron Jones, the only reason he isn't my top cornerback is his price tag is expected to be extremely high. Perhaps highest paid corner in the league, high. He may be deserving of that contract to some people but I would disagree, I have a hard time paying that kind of money for a DB that simply doesn't produce turnovers. This man has just 2 ints, and 3 forced fumbles in 5 seasons. However this guy can tackle with the best of them and provides Malcom Jenkins like versatility with his ability to play inside, outside, as a single high safety or in the box if needed, and giving Schwartz another chess piece is never a bad idea. Especially if long term he ends up being the replacement to Jenkins.
3. Chris Harris Jr. As mentioned above he may be 31, but I believe he has a solid 3-4 years left in him.
4.James Bradberry-He would be the top of my list if not for a regression in 2019. He still managed 3 ints, And his third straight year with a sack. He is a solid tackler, that needs stronger coaching as stated above I think Schwartz and Manuel are the best guys for the job. Bradberry would be my fallback signing if you don't go big with Jones and Wayne's signs elsewhere. Chris Harris Jr. Is a bit older and not as long term of a solution.
5. Logan Ryan to me is one of those cornerbacks that stays in a starting role because he is solid at everything but spectacular at nothing. He is a smart player that has a great understanding of situational football thanks to his time under Belichek, and Vrabel. He is the type of player however that needs the right scheme to be a starting level player. I just don't think Philly provides that scheme. Ryan is more of a slot corner in my eyes and with that being the case isn't an exact fit for what we need right now.
6.Kendall Fuller is primarily a slot cornerback, which is why he is so far down this list. Fuller is a guy who is extremely young still at just 24, even though he has four years experience including 31 starts. In 2018 the Chiefs used him as a starter outside, shifting in to the slot when teams went three wide. I haven't watched the film on him as an outside corner to determine if he has the skills needed to do it full time, however he managed 82 tackles, 12 tipped passes, and 2 ints. Regardless of where he lines up at just 24 years old with his level of experience it wouldn't hurt my feelings to see Philly sign him. It doesn't hurt his value that the world just watched him clinch a Super Bowl win with an extremely athletic interception. His 71 pff rating in 2018 playing outside can't hurt either. Toward the end of 2019 Fuller also showed real skills as a safety at times which could actually drive him quite a bit higher on the Eagles' wishlist. He may be lower on my list but that's as a CB prospect, not as a guy who can 0lay in the slot and line up as a free safety. If we sign him in that capacity suddenly this move makes a ton of sense.
7. Jonathon Joesph was born April 16th, 1984. Meaning prior to training camp he will be 36 years old. While he is still talented enough to play in the NFL, I truly believe he is simply not for the Eagles due to his age. I do believe he will be playing in 2020 but I am not sure which teams will be interested in a 36 year old cornerback heading into his 15th year. I do have to say that he still managed to start 11 of 14 games he played last season and defended 11 passes and intercepted 1 pass. He has always been a solid tackler, and helps in run defense as well. I only see a couple of teams looking his way, Tennesee, Houston, or New England where they view aging players slightly different. I do have to say if this was the 2010 offseason, and not 2020, I would have jumped at the chance to sign him. But the reality is we are trying to get younger, even if signing Joesph would essentially hiring Marquand Manuel an on field assistant.
On to my favorite moves so far this offseason! Connor Barwin, Darren Sproles, and Brent Celek three former players and fan favorites are joining our front office in entry level rows. Connor Barwin gets the biggest role being hired as the Special Assistant to the GM, while Sproles and Celek both will be personnel consultants. I love these moves, this is Philly the city of brotherly love and you are bringing in guys that helped build the recent legacy of the Eagles. All three of these guys embody what it is to be an Eagle, and are very intelligent people that I believe will flourish in their roles and grow into bigger roles should they decide front office work is for them long term.
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