What is the long term prognosis for the Eagles?

[Joe Shades 73]

Murky

[birdman#12]

Eagles have some good young players.  But quite a few holes to fill.  

But Howie has proven he can fill holes with draft picks, free agents, end of camp cuts, and trades.  I think that Howie will try to make some trades to obtain some extra draft picks, whether using players or trading down in the draft.  

They have about $20 mil in cap space and could create another $10 million.  

I think Kelce will play another year and so will Johnson.  The defense is where they need to focus most of their attention.  

I think the new coordinators will be worlds better......

[UK_EaglesFan89]

I can’t say the future is bright but I also can’t say dark skies ahead.

The way this thing fell apart? I just don’t know if this team can turn it around in the right direction so quickly. 

There is talent on this roster. There are some really good young players and we have another offseason to add to this roster without losing too much. Also we have gone for real experience at both DC and OC so there’s hope there. I mean last year we had no experience there but now we have a lot.

But we might lose Kelce. Lane is another year older. There’s a murky situation with both Reddick and Sweat. Overall the defense lacks talent and needs major work.

And unfortunately the biggest question mark is Hurts. How good is he really? This time last year a lot of us were convinced he was the man and in the SB he sure looked like the man. But this offseason (much like 2 years ago) there’s question marks with him again. 

[opa-opa]

23 hours ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said:

I can’t say the future is bright but I also can’t say dark skies ahead.

The way this thing fell apart? I just don’t know if this team can turn it around in the right direction so quickly. 

There is talent on this roster. There are some really good young players and we have another offseason to add to this roster without losing too much. Also we have gone for real experience at both DC and OC so there’s hope there. I mean last year we had no experience there but now we have a lot.

But we might lose Kelce. Lane is another year older. There’s a murky situation with both Reddick and Sweat. Overall the defense lacks talent and needs major work.

And unfortunately the biggest question mark is Hurts. How good is he really? This time last year a lot of us were convinced he was the man and in the SB he sure looked like the man. But this offseason (much like 2 years ago) there’s question marks with him again. 

Well im hoping that whatever happened this year was the result of Hurts having to do too much because of the complete lack of good playcalling...by the end it looked Hurts and AJ were just trying to do stuff on their own to try to make things happen...thats how frustrated they got with the playcalling.

[Dweedlebug]

I would have voted murky if that bit about RT and C being a long term concern had been left out.  We already have Kelce's replacement on the team and Lane will be around for at least a couple more years, maybe even 3-4, so I'm not too concerned about RT.

[315Eagles]

All I know is football is year to year.

We heard when Chip was fired that we won't compete for another 3-4 years.

When Doug was fired......same thing.

Any team can make some changes in the offseason with players and coaches and get better.  You can turn things around quickly with the correct moves.  Not saying it's easy but Howie has done it numerous times.  He's also made bad decisions as well.

[opa-opa]

With a decent OC we should have the second best offense in the NFC at least. And these days it seems like offense is more important to winning so it might not matter so much that our defense is subpar.

[EazyEaglez]

I would call the current Eagles prognosis is murky, but I do believe that they can turn things around quickly. In two years they could be back at the top. I just don’t see those things happening until some players get replace and there is some stability at the HC position. 

[EazyEaglez]

On 2/5/2024 at 8:04 AM, brkmsn said:

My prognosis is that most fans will have a negative prognosis. 31 teams fail in this league every year. Some of the NFL's best players are "on the wrong side of 30." Teams can't rely on "luck" to continue. Windows are always small, always closing and ceilings are low --- anything that doesn't support that is an anomaly or outlier. Injuries are always a bigger concern if a player has had them before. Most players "are not the same" after an injury occurs. 

I wouldn’t call the murky prognosis as a negative one. It’s basically stating uncertainty which is no different from your injury post here. So you’re wrong.

[opa-opa]

This team will go as far as Hurts can take them. It really is all up to him.

[devpool]

It's murky but because of the coaching situation. Maybe Fangio stays and doesn't want another HC gig if the defense turns around this year, but Moore is definitely going to be a HC candidate after this season. We have a guy at the helm who doesn't know Xs and Os so we're going to be continuously relying on finding good OCs and having them poached every year. 

People will point to Tomlin and Harbaugh as successful CEO type coaches, and yea those teams have more championships than we do but really what have they done in the last 10 years? Sure their teams make it to the playoffs, but then they generally fall apart. This was the first time the ravens have been back to the AFCCG since 2012 and they laid an egg. 

IMO, that style of coaching will no longer work in the league long term since the shift to hyper-focusing on offense. You can't have a HC that knows nothing on either side of the ball, you simply cannot win without consistency and having a revolving door at both coordinator positions and a HC who doesn't have expertise on either side of the ball basically guarantees inconsistency which leads to mediocrity. Look at this season, they looked off kilter from the get-go, talent masked it for a while and then they fell off a cliff. Lost both coordinators and talent (on offense) eventually burned out and couldn't hide coaching deficiencies. 

The only saving grace for us is that the NFC blows right now, the only team really built for sustained success is the niners who are at the end of their window after next season (which doesn't matter because they are likely winning today).

[Traveler Vic]

On 2/8/2024 at 7:30 AM, 315Eagles said:

All I know is football is year to year.

We heard when Chip was fired that we won't compete for another 3-4 years.

When Doug was fired......same thing.

Any team can make some changes in the offseason with players and coaches and get better.  You can turn things around quickly with the correct moves.  Not saying it's easy but Howie has done it numerous times.  He's also made bad decisions as well.

Usually I would agree if we were changing one thing....But we are starting from scratch on all fronts. It will take time for things to jell. Thinking that we can accomplish perfection from simply changing a lot of moving parts is naive. I say next year is a learn and watch the progress year. And if things look good...then perhaps the year after we could see some results.

[opa-opa]

I think Howie really needs to hit the jackpot on a defensive player or two in the next draft to have any chance of getting back to the SB.

[Dwide Schrude]

I think the coordinator hires were good, I feel more confident about this team. If the Offense gets back to what they’re capable of on a consistent basis, & like 80% of these young guys on defense take a really good step in their development, if our top draft picks in this upcoming draft play well, I think we have a legit shot at making it back to the Super Bowl. But all that can get turned upside down quickly. As of right now I just want to see Devonta Smith & Landon Dickerson extensions announced within next 2 weeks

[Cochis_Calhoun]

This might be the biggest draft of Howies career, he needs to ace it,  there are big needs all over the field, if he makes another patented Howie Roseman late first round clunker, he should be on a warming seat.

If he takes a development Right Tackle with our first rounder for example, he should be on a hot seat, because he knows if Lane isn't playing RT for the next 2 years at least we're eating a league record amount of dead cap and you shouldn't take development projects in first round.

 

[E-A-G-L-E-S Eagles]

I dont feel good at all over the next couple of years.  The core leaders are older and on their way out.  We pay too much for our average QB to invest other places. Contracts are bakloaded, so cap issues will be the norm.  The head coach is a huge question mark and now he has his staff forced on him by the FO.  AND Howie hasn't been good at drafts more often than not.  I hope I am wrong.  I WANT to be wrong.

[time2rock]

2 hours ago, Cochis_Calhoun said:

This might be the biggest draft of Howies career, he needs to ace it,  there are big needs all over the field, if he makes another patented Howie Roseman late first round clunker, he should be on a warming seat.

If he takes a development Right Tackle with our first rounder for example, he should be on a hot seat, because he knows if Lane isn't playing RT for the next 2 years at least we're eating a league record amount of dead cap and you shouldn't take development projects in first round.

If I understand the numbers on OTC correctly, it looks like Lane's cap number in 2025 is $17.7M.  If we cut him next year and use that post June 1 designation the dead money hit to the cap would be $12.4M (therefore ~$5.3M in cap savings).  Obviously the 2026 cap would absorb a sizeable hit from the remaining dead money but I don't think it it completely out of the question that 2024 could be Lane's last year.  

[Cochis_Calhoun]

1 hour ago, time2rock said:

If I understand the numbers on OTC correctly, it looks like Lane's cap number in 2025 is $17.7M.  If we cut him next year and use that post June 1 designation the dead money hit to the cap would be $12.4M (therefore ~$5.3M in cap savings).  Obviously the 2026 cap would absorb a sizeable hit from the remaining dead money but I don't think it it completely out of the question that 2024 could be Lane's last year.  

Both OTC and Spotrac have his dead cap next year at around Carson Wentz ($30-33million) so best case post june 1st he's $15 - 16.5million in dead cap against a cap hit of $17.5million, the absolute most you're going to save is $2.5million for 2025 and then still paying a top ten right tackle salary for a retired player in 2026.

Slay's contract is another one to keep an eye on, if he retires at the end of 2024 we'll get hit for $24million in dead cap.

 

[time2rock]

On 2/12/2024 at 10:09 AM, Cochis_Calhoun said:

Both OTC and Spotrac have his dead cap next year at around Carson Wentz ($30-33million) so best case post june 1st he's $15 - 16.5million in dead cap against a cap hit of $17.5million, the absolute most you're going to save is $2.5million for 2025 and then still paying a top ten right tackle salary for a retired player in 2026.

Slay's contract is another one to keep an eye on, if he retires at the end of 2024 we'll get hit for $24million in dead cap.

 

OTC is showing $12.4M in dead money next year (2025) if using the post June 1 designation (with $5.25M in cap savings).  It's still a lot but not quite as much as you posted.  

After looking at these numbers, they have to hope they can get 2 more years out of Lane.  Draft his replacement in 2025 with the intention to start in 2026.  Lane hangs em up then incurring a $9.9M dead money hit (and cap savings of $9M).  

[NOTW]

On 2/13/2024 at 12:16 PM, time2rock said:

OTC is showing $12.4M in dead money next year (2025) if using the post June 1 designation (with $5.25M in cap savings).  It's still a lot but not quite as much as you posted.  

After looking at these numbers, they have to hope they can get 2 more years out of Lane.  Draft his replacement in 2025 with the intention to start in 2026.  Lane hangs em up then incurring a $9.9M dead money hit (and cap savings of $9M).  

We all love Lane, he's a beast. And he's really not injured that much especially for his age, but when he does miss games the team has a losing record. I can understand not drafting his replacement as a 1st round OT yet, because then you waste a resource on a guy that might not play for a couple years. Unless they really love a guy who they think is special and a suitable replacement.

In the meantime, they really need a quality backup who can step in. Steen is probably going to be the RG correct? Driscoll isn't the guy. If Kelce retires Jurgens will probably do well enough at Center, but if Lane gets hurt and misses any games you have 3 O line positions with new guys (Jurgens, Steen, and backup RT). They need a free agent who has some starting experience to bring some depth and stability if there's injury. 

[time2rock]

1 hour ago, NOTW said:

We all love Lane, he's a beast. And he's really not injured that much especially for his age, but when he does miss games the team has a losing record. I can understand not drafting his replacement as a 1st round OT yet, because then you waste a resource on a guy that might not play for a couple years. Unless they really love a guy who they think is special and a suitable replacement.

In the meantime, they really need a quality backup who can step in. Steen is probably going to be the RG correct? Driscoll isn't the guy. If Kelce retires Jurgens will probably do well enough at Center, but if Lane gets hurt and misses any games you have 3 O line positions with new guys (Jurgens, Steen, and backup RT). They need a free agent who has some starting experience to bring some depth and stability if there's injury. 

Definitely agree with the need for better play from a backup RT.  Someone to potentially keep an eye on in free agency should Howie go that route is Jermaine Eluemunor (although I don't think a mid round pick on an OT prospect to serve as cheaper (relatively speaking) depth there for the next 4 years is a bad idea ... someone like a Big V).  Anyway, a blurb on Eluemunor:

[NOTW]

37 minutes ago, time2rock said:

Definitely agree with the need for better play from a backup RT.  Someone to potentially keep an eye on in free agency should Howie go that route is Jermaine Eluemunor (although I don't think a mid round pick on an OT prospect to serve as cheaper (relatively speaking) depth there for the next 4 years is a bad idea ... someone like a Big V.  Anyway, a blurb on Eluemunor:

Big V is a great example. Eluemunor can play both tackle positions that's good. 

I know if they love an OT in the draft at any point they will take him, they value drafting O linemen which is a good thing and they do well there. I'd rather see them load up on defense this year but Tackle or Guard are O line positions I could see them taking. They have those extra 5th round comp picks, it would make sense to invest in an O lineman at some point. I always like bringing in depth linemen to develop.

[Procus]

On 2/12/2024 at 8:13 AM, time2rock said:

If I understand the numbers on OTC correctly, it looks like Lane's cap number in 2025 is $17.7M.  If we cut him next year and use that post June 1 designation the dead money hit to the cap would be $12.4M (therefore ~$5.3M in cap savings).  Obviously the 2026 cap would absorb a sizeable hit from the remaining dead money but I don't think it it completely out of the question that 2024 could be Lane's last year.  

I don't see the Eagles cutting Lane under any circumstances.  Don't forget how long Runyan hung around, and Tra Thomas.  Both retired as Eagles.

[GoEagles614]

Other. 
 

Offense has excellent receiving duo WRs a stable QB. The offensive line has been built well, and has the  eventual replacement for Kelce.  Cam Jergens with Steen, Dickerson, and Mailata. Are all very young with Mailata yet to hit his prime as a LT. 

Wildcard: DeAndre Swift. Eagles didn’t let him break out how he was hoping to, especially as a receiving threat. His Market might be dry, and if we can get him on a multi year deal that would be great. I have note confidence in Kellen Moore than I do Siri when it comes to designing plays.

 

On defense there’s room to grow, but we have 5 players I’m willing to give time and like what I’ve seen. JD, JC, Dean, Nolan, Sydney Brown. Very young and all have flashed some sort of special here or there.  
 

With Ricks, Rodgers, and Ringo I think our CB group is deeper than people think, based on such terrible play and scheme from last season. Bradbury needs to go, he just can’t run or play man. 
 

Josh Sweat is only 26. Milton Williams is only 24. 
 

Defensive Wildcard: Shaq Leonard. He looked bad. So did everyone. Another 1-year deal wild be nice, give him a full off season with maybe a competent staff and you nab him at 28 for cheap. 
 

Where to worry

Coaching. We carried 4 RBs this season to run 2 of them 1/2 as much as we should’ve. Wasted a year of Rashad Penny on the cheapest deal imaginable. Albert O, was never used it I remember correctly, then shut down for an injury. OZ got some snaps, but not nearly enough schemes for his strengths. I can’t recall him running into empty space or getting the ball as a playmaker. His best play was backyard football versus Buffalo. 
The defense was lifeless and confusing to watch. We’re going to need a coach who can make adjustments, see the indoor things everyone else sees, and get out of his own way. 
 

We have 9 picks + free agency, we honestly don’t have that many holes, assuming we hit on 2-3 picks again, we’ll be fine. 

[RememberTheKoy]

As long as we have Jalen Hurts we will always be a contender.  He still remains the beat QB in the conference and just a flat-out winner.  Great young offensive core.  Defense still going through its transition/rebuild but at least has some young promising players for the first time in awhile that they should be able to build around. 

 

The HC is a major concern though and might be a lame duck.