Eagles mailbag: Upgrading the 5th skill position on offense

[time2rock]

Eagles mailbag: Upgrading the 5th skill position on offense

In his latest mailbag, Dave Zangaro answers questions about key upgrades, Haason Reddick and more.

By Dave Zangaro • Published February 20, 2024

 

The NFL offseason is about to pick up steam soon.

The entire league will take over Indianapolis for the combine next week and then free agency isn’t far behind.

But before we get there, let’s answer the latest batch of questions from readers:

I know both are important, but on offense should the Eagles prioritize a second TE so they can go more 12 formation or is 3rd WR a higher priority?

— Dan May (@dannmaal) February 19, 2024

This is a fun way to look at the offense. Because the Eagles could probably use an upgrade at both of these spots. For the last two seasons, the Eagles’ TE2 has been Jack Stoll and their WR3 (for the most part) has been Quez Watkins.

I think the third wideout should be the higher priority. Even in a heavy 12 personnel offense, the Eagles are probably still going to use three wideouts more often. And we know the Eagles want to prioritize an explosive offense so getting another viable receiver threat on the field would help.

Stoll hasn’t developed into a pass-catching threat, so I understand the desire to bring in a TE2 who offers more as a dual threat. And there’s a chance the Eagles could do that this offseason, especially when you remember that Dallas Goedert is now older than Zach Ertz was when they drafted Goedert. So if there’s a tight end on Day 2 or early Day 3 they like, it’s not out of the question to take them. But even if Stoll isn’t offering much as a receiver, the Eagles play him so much because they trust him as a blocker and that part doesn’t change. There’s more value in a tight end who doesn’t catch passes than a receiver who they can’t rely on. Stoll is a restricted free agent while Watkins, Olamide Zaccheaus and Julio Jones are all pending unrestricted free agents.

Now, adding a WR3 is a bit tricky too because the Eagles need to strike the right balance. They need to find a guy who Jalen Hurts will trust, but a guy who won’t vulture a ton of targets away from A.J. Brown or DeVonta Smith, who still need to be the focal points of the passing offense. But there should to be enough middle ground to find that player.

Who is this teams 2nd tight end? Do we go 2nd round TE like in the past or pick up a free agent. It can’t be Jack Stoll again.

— David English Jr (@Flyenglishfly19) February 19, 2024

I decided to lump these questions together and go back-to-back. The Eagles’ top three tight ends have been the same for the last two years: Goedert, Stoll and Grant Calcaterra.

New OC Kellen Moore has been known for going with a relatively heavy 12 personnel rate. He did it in Dallas and he did it again in LA. The Chargers used 12 personnel on 24% of their offensive snaps in 2023 after being at 19% before Moore’s arrival. The Cowboys were at 22% under Moore in 2022. (If you’re wondering, the Eagles were at 20% this past season.)

But the biggest reason Moore has used 12 personnel is still to run the football. That second tight end has to be able to block. Stoll can block but he hasn’t offered much as a pass-catcher. 

In LA last year, Donald Parham Jr. caught 27 passes for 285 yards and 4 touchdowns but was on the field for 48% of their snaps. He was their TE2 behind Gerald Everett, who will be a free agent next month.

Drafting a tight end on Day 2 could be a possibility. Like I mentioned above, Goedert is now older than Ertz was when the Eagles drafted Goedert. If you think back to 2018, Ertz was 27 years old and had just finished his fifth season. This offseason, Goedert is 29 and coming off his sixth season.

What is the deal with D. Smith contract? I thought he was signed through 2024.

— Jerome Childs (@chi96101) February 19, 2024

Smith was a first-round pick in 2021 so his four-year rookie contract runs through the 2024 season. He is under contract through this upcoming season and before May you can expect the Eagles to exercise his fifth-year option for the 2025 season. The reason you’re hearing talk about his contract this offseason is that he’s eligible for an extension for the first time in his career since he has now played three NFL seasons. The Eagles often like to get these kinds of extensions done before they absolutely need to.

How does Kelce's decision to play or retire fall into the Eagle's draft plans.

— Spot (@spotts128) February 19, 2024

If Jason Kelce decides to retire, the most obvious outcome is for Cam Jurgens to slide to center and for Tyler Steen to replace him at right guard. But the Eagles are always looking to add offensive linemen so there’s a chance they draft another guy with a Day 1 or Day 2 pick who could compete with Steen for the starting right guard spot. It probably wouldn’t shock anyone to see the Eagles use a high pick on a tackle to eventually replace 33-year-old Lane Johnson. But without a clear path to starting at tackle, maybe that player could compete to be a starting right guard in the interim.

Will we keep Haason Reddick ❓

— Tiffany Paige (@TChocolatePage) February 19, 2024

It’s one of the biggest questions of the offseason. My gut is telling me they find a way to keep Reddick but we’ll see. I feel like we’ve talked so much about Reddick in so many places that I won’t go too deep here. But basically when a player is granted permission to seek a trade it’s about exploring his worth to the rest of the league. Even if Reddick finds a contract elsewhere, there’s still the compensation hurdle because the Eagles won’t be in a hurry to trade away one of their best players. There’s a chance they come to an agreement of a two-year extension that makes Reddick happy, keeps him in Philly and lowers his cap hit in 2024.

When will the introductory press conferences be for Fangio & Moore?

— Dang It Bobby (@greens_sen76430) February 19, 2024

The Eagles like to wait for the entire coaching staff to be set before announcing it all. So that would need to happen first. They’re actually ahead of their pace from last year, though. They didn’t hire Sean Desai until they were in Indianapolis at the combine. Desai’s introductory press conference wasn’t until May. I’m hoping the Eagles don’t wait that long to let us hear from Vic Fangio and Kellen Moore.

https://www.nbcsportsphiladelphia.com/nfl/philadelphia-eagles/eagles-mailbag-upgrading-the-5th-skill-position-on-offense/566164/

[birdman#12]

The 3rd WR won't matter if he's never thrown to.....Hurts had real problems with his progressions this year, way too slow.  He rarely got to his 3rd read

[brkmsn]

Quote

Now, adding a WR3 is a bit tricky too because the Eagles need to strike the right balance. They need to find a guy who Jalen Hurts will trust, but a guy who won’t vulture a ton of targets away from A.J. Brown or DeVonta Smith, who still need to be the focal points of the passing offense. But there should to be enough middle ground to find that player.

So, we should find a player that we feel good about not using. Got it. 

[time2rock]

9 hours ago, brkmsn said:

So, we should find a player that we feel good about not using. Got it. 

It would be a good situation for us to have a WR3 that may not necessarily chew too much into the touches Smith and Brown get when both are healthy while having the ability to function at a relatively high level in the slot (but obviously should see more touches than our WR3 has gotten recently only because that means the offense is spreading the ball around more and therefore becoming less predictable) but could also step into a WR2 role and offer sufficient productivity outside if one of them were to go down for any length of time.  

[brkmsn]

16 minutes ago, time2rock said:

It would be a good situation for us to have a WR3 that may not necessarily chew too much into the touches Smith and Brown get when both are healthy while having the ability to function at a relatively high level in the slot (but obviously should see more touches than our WR3 has gotten recently only because that means the offense is spreading the ball around more and therefore becoming less predictable) but could also step into a WR2 role and offer sufficient productivity outside if one of them were to go down for any length of time.  

I'm sure you've seen my arguments by now. I had no issues with Quez as a backup (to Smith and Brown) on the outside. That's where he fits best. I don't know if the Eagles were trying to tailor the slot role in their scheme to Quez' strengths or if that's simply the vision Sirianni had for his slot receiver. Whichever it was, I hope Moore's offense completely changes that role to something useful. Even an unspectacular slot receiver should be able to produce something similar to what Greg Ward did in 2020 --- which is setting the bar pretty low. 

I don't think you worry about chewing into touches of the other guys. If you establish the slot receiver as a viable weapon in your offense and he helps keep the chains moving, opportunities for the stars should be higher. Also he's liable to draw more coverage his way on a consistent basis than a field-stretching decoy that isn't really part of the game plan. I don't expect Watkins to return and Jones and Oz are also FAs. So we clearly need to sign and/or draft a couple guys with a chance to make the final roster. I have a feeling Covey will get a good look in the slot in camp and believe he can be a Cole Beasley style player there. 

I don't see the Eagles using a day 1 or 2 pick on a WR in the draft though and I don't see them signing any FA that doesn't come cheap. I'm not worried about Smith and Brown's touches. I don't believe our lack of production at slot had anything to do with Jalen not trusting guys. The Eagles simply utilized an offense that limited itself by trying to force the ball to a select few.