Embrace Youth

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Embrace Youth

Posted: February 28th, 2024 | Author: Tommy Lawlor

The Scouting Combine is taking place this week in Indianapolis. That means coaches and GMs speak to the media. Howie and Nick gave us 33 minutes of great insight and colorful tales about the 2023 Eagles and the future.

 

https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1dRKZErpykrxB

Okay, I might have oversold their media sessions a bit. They did talk for 33 minutes, but we didn’t gain a lot of insight. Coaches and GMs are masters at talking without really saying anything. They want to seem accessible, but sure don’t want to give us much real content.

The best nugget for me came from Howie. He talked about how the Eagles probably should have played young guys more than they did last year. Howie didn’t get into specifics, but Kelee Ringo, Nolan Smith and Sydney Brown all come to mind.

Howie mentioned that young guys will need to play this year. Ringo and Smith will have a chance to earn key roles. Tyler Steen could be the starting RG. We’ll have to wait and see what the rookie class looks like, but one or two of them could push for key roles. The Eagles need to move away from the one-year band-aid veterans. Relying on guys like Shaq Leonard, Bradley Roby, Justin Evans, Terrell Edmunds, Zach Cunningham and Julio Jones isn’t ideal.

I know injuries complicate things, but that is where you need to develop depth at the bottom of your roster. Play young guys. Give them a chance.

Nick Sirianni talked about needing to play the guys who give you the best chance to win a game. That’s a dangerous mentality. You also need to develop players for the future. That means living with some mistakes.

The Chiefs have done a great job of drafting in recent years. They also coach the guys up and get them on the field right away. They give the players a chance to show what they can do. Not every player has panned out, but a lot have and that’s a big reason they have won the last two Super Bowls.

That isn’t to say if  you play young guys you’ll win big. You need veterans and proven stars. But we’re in an era when star players make big money. That means you need cheap players around them. Those tend to be young guys or veterans on one-year deals.

It will be interesting to see how the Eagles go about constructing the roster. Then it will be interesting to see how the coaches use players.

*****

This is a fluid situation. The Eagles want Reddick to be happy, but they don’t want to throw a bunch of money at him. If they can trade him and invest in a young pass rusher, that would make a lot of sense. There are two key issues. Another team would have to give up good compensation for him. Teams value pass rushers, but will someone meet the Eagles price. The team would also have to be willing to pay Reddick more money. If there is some team out there in desperate need of a pass rusher, Reddick could be a good target.

*****

The Eagles are highly rated by players. That’s a good sign. When you compete for free agents, things like this can make a difference.

It doesn’t guarantee you’ll win. The Chiefs did not rate well and they keep winning titles. That’s what happens when you have Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid.

http://igglesblitz.com/