Moneyball

Posted: August 21st, 2025 | Author: Tommy Lawlor

The Eagles have some holes on the roster that could have been filled by keeping certain players around. So why did Howie let the veteran players leave and take chances on replacing them?

Money.

The Eagles have some of the highest paid players in the league.

Jalen Hurts
Lane Johnson
Saquon Barkley
AJ Brown
Zack Baun
Jordan Mailata
Landon Dickerson
DeVonta Smith

They also have some terrific young players who are going to need big paydays in the next year or two.

Jalen Carter
Nolan Smith
Quinyon Mitchell
Cooper DeJean
Darius Cooper (just checking to see if you’re paying attention)

In order to pay star players star money, you need some cheap solutions. You can go with mediocre veterans or you can take a chance on young players. Howie Roseman and the Eagles are focusing on youth. If you hit on some of those players, they can be hugely impactful.

There is no question that Howie would have rather kept Darius Slay and Isaiah Rodgers instead of going with Kelee Ringo and Adoree Jackson. But money changes things. Not just the salary cap, but how much actual money is spent. The Eagles are always near the top of the league in cash spent. It can be challenging to keep doing that.

There is risk in this approach. When you go with young players you are taking a chance. Kelee Ringo has not taken advantage of the opportunity the team gave him. He still might pan out this year or down the road, but you certainly can’t trust him right now. The Eagles took a chance on Tyler Steen at RG and he has panned out so far. Steen had the best camp of his career and looks ready to be a full-time starter.

It is frustrating when a player like Ringo fails to step up. Still, you have to take those chances. The worst thing you can do is fill your roster with "safe” veterans, guys who are effective, but have a ceiling. Sometimes even they don’t pan out and you’re stuck with a mediocre player. He can help you be around a .500 team, but isn’t likely to get you to the big game. You must take some chances.

The Eagles scouting staff has done a great job in recent years of finding talented young players. The coaching staff has done a great job of developing those players. That’s how you build the best roster in the league.

The team got several good answers from young players last year and that helped the Eagles win the Super Bowl. If the team can get some more good answers this season, the Eagles will remain near or at the top of the league.

*****

The final preseason game is on Friday. The Eagles will be judicious about who they play. They won’t want to risk a key backup or role player getting hurt unless that person desperately needs the reps. Expect all the CBs to play so the coaches can get another look at them. I lean toward Jakorian Bennett at this point, but Adoree Jackson still might win the job. It would be great to see rookie Mac McWilliams come out and have a strong performance.

Kyle McCord should play a lot. He needs the experience and the team will want to see what he can do in his third game. He got better from Week 1 to Week 2. He’s also had some good practices recently.

I’ll be interested to see what happens on the OL. Will Darrian Kinnard get reps at LT? LG? Will the coaches just play the rookies a ton?

Let’s just hope there aren’t any key injuries and that the game is more entertaining than last week’s debacle.

*****

This is fantastic.

Jerry Jones team is worth more money. He’s richer than Jeffrey Lurie. That doesn’t mean a thing to anyone but them and their families. The rest of us can actually focus on…winning and losing. What a novel idea.

The Cowboys can have their Netflix series.

The Eagles will have to settle for Super Bowl parades.

http://igglesblitz.com/2025/08/moneyball/

Tommy - would isaiah Rodgers really have cost that much more than Adore' Jackson? That''s the only one of the trade offs to a younger player that I have an issue with.

Than there's Big Fred. JAX paid the bonud and the Eagles get the salary. I hope JAX simply made a mistake letting him go and he hasn't slipped.