By Andrew Franceski, Staff Reporter
Depending on who you asked, almost everyone would give a different answer to how the Eagles season went: success, failure, pleasant surprise, fluke. A humiliating defeat at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wild card round capped a season that defied analysts’ expectations and was full of controversy and COVID.
The Eagles regular season however, shocked the league. With the combination of the number one rushing offense, and a defense that bent but did not break, the Eagles turned a 2-5 start into a 9-8 playoff berth as the 7th seed and geared up for a matchup with archnemesis Tom Brady.
The game was brutal. Tom Brady had his way with the defense and the offense couldn’t even muster up a touchdown until garbage time. But worst of all was Jalen Reagor. Drafted ahead of 2021 Rookie of the Year Justin Jefferson, he played by far the worst game of his career. He dropped two passes and contributed nothing to the offense, but worst of all was his muffed punt in the third quarter. He horribly misjudged where the ball would land and instead let it hit his fingers and then the turf. The drop was recovered by the Bucs and ended any hope of a comeback.
The next few months are crucial for the Eagles. Now freed from Carson Wentz’s contract of $30 million and with three first round picks, the Eagles have an opportunity to set themselves up for future success. Getting rid of Jalen Reagor and admitting it was possibly in the top 10 worst draft picks of all time should be the first step. However, general manager Howie Roseman tends to try and justify bad draft picks, but the Eagles really need to do away with one Jalen. Hint: it isn’t the quarterback.
Fletcher Cox’s contract needs to be restructured as his output has dropped significantly below his pay level. The Eagles also should not re-sign Derek Barnett and look to trade Miles Sanders. Sanders is very injury prone, and with arguably the best offensive line in the league, many other running backs can be successful. A veteran wide receiver and a veteran linebacker are at the top of the list of Eagles offseason needs, and speculation about Devante Adams wearing kelly green has swirled in recent weeks.
Lastly, the Eagles must draft well. The defense needs help, and with three first round picks, this is the draft to get a generational talent such as Kyle Hamilton, a safety out of Notre Dame, who scouts say may be the next Brian Dawkins. The Eagles cannot afford to not upgrade the talent on both sides of the ball this offseason. The team made strides at the end of the season. We can’t lose that momentum this offseason, otherwise it could spell the start of a long rebuild and years of pain for Eagles fans.
Andrew Franceski can be reached at [email protected].
