March 12, 2021
The Philadelphia Eagles will not be big spenders in free agency, because, well, they won't have much in the way of money to spend, seeing as their salary cap is in horrendous shape. Still, it's unlikely that they'll sit out free agency entirely, as they'll hope to find some bargain-bin guys to fill out their roster.
Here are three free agents that I believe make sense for the Eagles in free agency this offseason. Yes, I'm aware they're underwhelming.
Here were versions 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0, in case you missed them.
The Eagles could use a power runner to complement Miles Sanders and Boston Scott. While Williams isn't a 240-pound sledgehammer (he's only two pounds heavier than Sanders), he is a tough inside runner who played a similar role in Green Bay, as the thunder to Aaron Jones' lightning. A look:
It has also been theorized that the Eagles will be looking for production in the passing game out of their running backs under Nick Sirianni, since the Colts heavily used their backs as receivers over the last few years. Williams has had at least 25 receptions in all four of his NFL seasons, including 70 receptions and six receiving TDs over the last two.
If the Eagles become a run-heavy offense under Jalen Hurts, they are going to need more backs, and Williams could be a cheap, but significant upgrade over Corey Clement.
The Eagles have attempted to convert safeties into linebackers over the last few years, like Kamu Grugier-Hill, Nate Gerry, and (sort of) Davion Taylor. That track record isn't exactly awesome, obviously.
It's unknown if that was more of a Jim Schwartz directive, or if the Eagles' front office prefers that tact, but if they're still looking for linebackers who can cover like safeties, the Raiders had success converting Morrow from a safety into a linebacker after signing him as an undrafted free agent in 2017.
In 2020, Morrow allowed just 4.5 yards per target, per pro-football-reference.com. He was also a threat as a blitzer, as he collected three sacks and eight pressures on the season. Breakdown of his game here:
The Eagles have a rather obvious need at linebacker, and Morrow could pair with Alex Singleton as the starting duo, with T.J. Edwards reassuming his effective run down role.
Robertson-Harris was an undrafted free agent in 2017 who made the Bears' roster, and became a nice rotational defensive lineman. While his stats aren't super impressive (7.5 sacks, zero FF in four seasons), he has shown flashes of legit talent.
The combination of his sleek, long build and his athleticism reminds me a little of Malik Jackson. Here's a look from Fran Duffy prior to an Eagles-Bears matchup in 2019:
One other player that has stood out on film while studying the #Bears? Roy Robertson-Harris. It started in Week 1 against Green Bay.
— Fran Duffy (@EaglesXOs) October 31, 2019
Robertson-Harris is long, explosive, versatile and disruptive. With Akiem Hicks on IR, his development has been pivotal to the #Bears100 defense pic.twitter.com/Ulda3XXlQw
In 2020, Robertson-Harris' season ended early when he injured his shoulder. He had surgery to repair it, but will reportedly be good to go for training camp. Because of the injury, and his lack of impressive production (at least in the stat sheet), Robertson-Harris could potentially be a bargain in free agency.
Jackson will be released at the start of the new league year, and injury-prone Hassan Ridgeway is also unlikely to return. With a crappy defensive tackle class in the 2021 draft, the Eagles could turn to free agency (again) to land an interior rusher.
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