January 30, 2022
Believe it or not, but there are only three games left in the 2021-22 NFL season. And by the end of Sunday, there will be just one, the Super Bowl.
The Eagles' season may have come to an end a few weeks ago with a loss to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Bucs in what may be Brady's penultimate start — if reports that he intends to retire turn out to be true — but it actually lasted one game longer than many thought it would. And that surprise playoff berth in Nick Sirianni's first year at the helm has given hope that the Birds can complete the turnaround in short order, not unlike two of the teams who are playing in their respective conference title games.
The Bengals finished the 2020 NFL season 4-11-1, last in the AFC North.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) January 30, 2022
The 49ers finished the 2020 NFL season 6-10, last in the NFC West.
They're both playing for a shot at the Super Bowl today.
Turnarounds can happen fast in the NFL.
That's right, things can change quickly in the NFL, and even though they didn't go as far as those two teams mentioned above, they did finish with a 4-11-1 record of their own in 2020, and turned that into a 9-8 season that included a playoff berth under second-year quarterback Jalen Hurts. And now, the team has some cap space — with the chance to free up more — and a trio of first-round picks they can use to upgrade their roster in a variety of ways.
With the start of NFL free agency now just over six weeks away — and the Eagles likely to be involved in plenty of rumors, whether that's signing players or potentially making a trade for a franchise quarterback — the themes of these What They're Saying posts are typically going to skew that way. We'll include the normal analysis when applicable, but with the regular season in the rearview and the postseason rapidly speeding toward a conclusion, that means it's almost time for free agent season. And that's where we'll start today's edition of WTS...
DeVonta Smith did his part as the Eagles No. 1 wide receiver in his rookie season, finishing with 64 catches for 916 yards and five touchdowns, numbers that would've likely been much higher if the Birds, 1) threw the ball more, 2) had a more accurate quarterback, and 3) had better complementary wide receivers to take attention away from him.
This offseason, the Eagles could improve in all three areas, simply because if they have better wide receiver depth and/or a better QB, then they will likely throw the ball more. It's not rocket science. And with those three first-round picks, the Eagles could go for a wideout early in the draft again. But with poor results going that route before nabbing Smith in 2021, Howie Roseman and Co. might instead opt to upgrade through free agency, where there should be some options for them (even if Mel Kiper has them taking a WR in the first).
The Eagles aren't afraid to pour resources into the receiver position, however, having spent first-round picks on wideouts Smith and Jalen Reagor each of the last two years and a second-rounder on J.J. Arcega-Whiteside in 2019. Unfortunately for them, Smith is the only one who has generated significant production to this point (64 catches for 916 yards and five touchdowns in 2021).
Hurts didn't have a single primary receiver over 25 years old last season. While that offers hope in one aspect -- guys like Reagor and Quez Watkins still have room to grow -- Roseman can't sit around hoping things will break the right way. As ESPN's Jeremy Fowler outlines, there's a lot of splash names in this free-agent receiver class like Davante Adams (Packers), Chris Godwin (Bucs) and Odell Beckham Jr. (Rams), and other intriguing players like Mike Williams (Chargers) and Allen Robinson II (Bears).
Kiper has Philadelphia taking Ohio State receiver Chris Olave 19th overall in his mock, and there are other options in that range like Jameson Williams out of Alabama. [espn.com]
Those are all intriguing names for the Eagles, and if they decide to go after any of the wideouts that Tim McManus just outlined, they're likely going to have a bit of competition. But they'd have significantly less competition — and would have to pay less — for a guy like DJ Chark.
DJ Chark Jr. is a fascinating case. After a 1,000-yard season in 2019 with the Jaguars, he seemed poised to stardom but struggled with injury and performance over the next two years. (He's already moving well and running on that fractured left ankle suffered in October, so that shouldn't affect his free agency status.) One AFC exec questions whether Chark has what it takes to be great, saying the traits are there, but his fitness and nuanced route-running aren't where they could be. The Philadelphia Eagles could look to Chark if they need a deep threat to complement DeVonta Smith. [espn.com]
Interestingly enough, our Jimmy Kempski pointed to Chark recently as a free agent option who might intrigue the Eagles.
We've looked at some ways the Eagles could help their passing game by surrounding Smith with more talented wideouts, possibly allowing someone like Quez Watkins to move into a No. 3 spot where he would be even more effective. But the most obvious way to upgrade the passing game next year is to upgrade the quarterback position.
Hurts showed some things in 2021, including the fact that he can win you some games. But he also struggled against tougher competition, and for all the growth he showed throughout the season, some of the same warts still remained late into the year and were only exposed again when the playoffs arrived. But with names like Aaron Rodgers, Deshaun Watson and, yes, Russell Wilson potentially on the move this offseason, the Eagles at least have to take a look at the possibility of fast-tracking their rebuild by upgrading the game's most important position.
Not pursuing Wilson would be like turning down a slightly used $1,000 bill because you’ve got a crisp, new Benjamin in your packet that you plan to grow ... into $500.
Incumbent starter Jalen Hurts, a second-round pick, has played two seasons. At this point in his career Wilson, a third-round pick, had gone to two Pro Bowls and won four playoff games, including a Super Bowl. Jalen Hurts, after 20 NFL starts, has proven himself worthy of an NFL contract, but little else.
This is not meant to denigrate Jalen Hurts. This is meant to denigrate any argument against replacing Hurts with Wilson, one of the better quarterbacks in football history. ...
We just witnessed the best playoff weekend perhaps in the history of sports. It was so because of the quarterback play. ...
There has never been greater evidence that it takes a top-flight arm to reach the top of the NFL. That, Hurts lacks. That, Wilson has, even at age 33. [inquirer.com]
Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon is apparently a finalist for the Texans job, where he had a second interview this weekend. This comes after he interviewed last week for three jobs, including the Broncos and Vikings. The Broncos job, where he was at one time reportedly the favorite, has since been filled. But Houston (and Minnesota) still appear to be possibilities.
Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon is a finalist for the Texans’ head coaching job.
Gannon, 39, interviewed with the Texans back on Jan. 18 but now he’s getting another interview on Saturday, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The Texans interviewed former NFL quarterback Josh McCown a second time on Friday, which means McCown and Gannon are the first known finalists for this job. [nbcsports.com]
Eytan Shander wrote recently for us how Gannon's rapid rise to a hot head coaching candidate only highlights the problems with the Rooney Rule and the NFL's hiring process. Bo Wulf of The Athletic has a similar stance, highlighted by a former Eagles coach not getting the same consideration despite his unit outperforming Gannon's — and still playing in the postseason.
On that point, while I think the Eagles are probably better off if Gannon returns, I do find his popularity as a head-coaching candidate confounding. He’s a one-year defensive coordinator whose only season in charge produced a bad unit. It’s impossible not to compare him in this sense to 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans. Like Gannon, Ryans is a first-year defensive coordinator. Like the 39-year-old Gannon, Ryans, 37, is young and has a winning personality. Unlike Gannon, Ryans’ defense was (and is) very good. The Niners defense finished the regular season seventh in DVOA and just held Aaron Rodgers’ Packers offense to 10 points in the playoffs. Unlike Gannon, Ryans is black. Feel free to draw your own conclusions as to why he’s had one interview for an open head-coaching job while Gannon has had three. [theathletic.com]
What he said.
