Why the Eagles need to go get Deebo Samuel

 

The NFL Draft gets under way next Thursday, and there is a lot of hand wringing among fans that Howie Roseman will go to the well for a third straight year and draft a wide receiver with one of his two first-round picks.

But the news that broke today – 49ers WR Deebo Samuel requesting a trade from his team – should change everything.

While acquiring Samuel will likely cost more than one of the team’s 2022 first-rounders, you know what you’re getting in return: One of the most versatile, productive offensive weapons in the game today.

Last season, Samuel finished third in the NFL in yards from scrimmage (1,770). He’s the first player in NFL history to have more than 1,400 receiving yards and more than 300 rushing yards in a single season.

This trade takes the guesswork away from drafting a wide receiver who might produce and might fit into Nick Sirianni’s system.

Sirianni showed that he can change his offensive game plan on a dime last season. When the passing game showed it didn’t have nearly enough playmakers to sustain an offense, Sirianni pivoted and went run-heavy, and it worked, in the short-term.

The addition of Samuel will give the Eagles two wide receivers (including DeVonta Smith) who can make a game-changing play at any moment. Sirianni can do what he was brought to Philadelphia to do: Take the training wheels off and open up the passing game.

The 2018 Colts – with Sirianni as offensive coordinator and a healthy Andrew Luck at quarterback – had the second-ranked passing offense in the NFL, and ranked fifth in points scored. All that production was done without a dynamic player at the wide receiver spot. T.Y. Hilton was the leading receiver with 1,270 yards, a mark he hasn’t come close to approaching since.

Pairing Samuel with Smith will also serve another franchise goal: seeing exactly what you have in QB Jalen Hurts. Whether or not you judge him based on last year, if he begins the season with an arsenal like Samuel, Smith, Dallas Goedert and Miles Sanders, there would be no room for excuses.

Roseman has done all of his number crunching to clear more than $15 million in salary cap space for 2022. That’s plenty of room to not only add Samuel, but lock him down to a front-loaded long-term deal.

What would a trade package look like? One of the Eagles' 2022 first round picks, along with a third and a fourth-round pick, along the lines of what the Dolphins sent to the Chiefs for Tyreek Hill. Hill commanded five picks in all - a low first-rounder (No. 29), a second-rounder (No. 50), and a fourth-rounder this year, along with a fourth and sixth-round pick next season. Samuel is valuable, but not yet at Hill's level of value as of yet.

Roseman knows better than anyone that the draft is a dice roll. In adding Samuel, he would be bringing in a sure thing.

https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/eagles/nfl-rumors-why-eagles-need-go-get-deebo-samuel-49ers-howie-roseman

Love Deebo, but that's a huge price tag. I think building through the draft and infusing the defense with some much needed youth is more important than swinging for the fences with a win-now move like this. We'd also have to immediately extend him for 30 mill a season further handcuffing what we can do to improve the roster. Just not the right move right now.

No, he doesn't want to play the hybrid WR/RB role anymore, and the eagles could draft a big time WR this year......and get him on a 5 year rookie deal.....so no. Deebo is a very good player but a guy who wants to dictate how he's used in the offense for $25-30 million a year, no thanks.

5 hours ago, Kz! said:

Love Deebo, but that's a huge price tag. I think building through the draft and infusing the defense with some much needed youth is more important than swinging for the fences with a win-now move like this. We'd also have to immediately extend him for 30 mill a season further handcuffing what we can do to improve the roster. Just not the right move right now.

Which sucks, because you don't often have the ability to get a weapon like Deebo.  Would love to have him, but we also don't have a QB who can get him the football effectively.

1 hour ago, birdman#12 said:

No, he doesn't want to play the hybrid WR/RB role anymore, and the eagles could draft a big time WR this year......and get him on a 5 year rookie deal.....so no. Deebo is a very good player but a guy who wants to dictate how he's used in the offense for $25-30 million a year, no thanks.

Gotta agree - get a big WR on a cheap rookie contract and draft almost all defense for the rest of our picks except for a mid round RB. 

I'm going to go with no thanks. There's no doubt about his ability, he's a weapon for an offense in so many ways. But you have to know how to use him and you have to really scheme to use him. At this point I'm not sure if we know whether Sirianni could do that. Shanahan is a great offensive mind and whilst Sirianni showed promise and versatility I'm not sure he's that. 

Ummmmm...

Spoiler

No.

 

Graham Reagor and a 5th

 

No, no, and no again!. The cost in cap space and draft picks would be too much for me to stomach. It's just not the way to build a roster. 

Plus, his value has been that he's versatile, a super Cordarell Patterson BUT he doesn't want to be a part of the running game anymore. That shrinks his value to the point that I think a second day draft pick is worth more to the Eagles.  

16 minutes ago, Rob331 said:

It's just not the way to build a roster. 

And using those picks on guys who do nothing is the way ??

18 hours ago, downundermike said:

And using those picks on guys who do nothing is the way ??

Oh ye of little faith. Panning this draft before it happens is too Philly media like. Mike - you're better than that.