UK_EaglesFan89 Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 Is the Eagles' roster better or worse in 2020? Executive vice president and general manager Howie Roseman says the Eagles are a better football team after free agency and the draft. We put his claim to the test, breaking down the depth chart position by position to examine whether the roster really improved or actually took a step back this offseason. Here's the final breakdown at each position: Better: Quarterback, wide receiver, tight end, defensive tackle, linebacker, cornerback, special teams Worse: Running back, offensive line, defensive end, safety So, did the Eagles as a whole get better or worse this offseason? The short answer is, "Yes, but ..." Yes, but perhaps only marginally better. Yes, but there are still moves the Eagles can make to improve further, such as re-signing Jason Peters or adding a Jadeveon Clowney. Yes, but plenty of teams in their conference, such as the Cardinals or Buccaneers, and even in their own division, like the Cowboys, took far greater leaps forward. Perhaps the ultimate "Yes, but" in all is this: yes, the Eagles got better — but there aren't many teams you would look at in any given offseason and say they got substantially worse. If the Eagles let a player go or opt to replace somebody, there's usually a reason, whether it's age, performance, whatever. Not every decision works out as planned, but the thinking is a free agent signing, a draft pick, a player returning from injury or emerging talent already on the roster can do just as good of a job, if not better. Only the teams that are tanking, like the Jaguars, or are going through a retooling period after years at the top, such as the Patriots, look like they've taken a step back in May. So, sure, the Eagles project to have more talent. It's a little silly to claim they don't. Love it or hate it, the Eagles backed up Carson Wentz with a second-round pick, Jalen Hurts. They got their quarterback weapons in the form of Jalen Reagor and a returning DeSean Jackson. Javon Hargrave bolsters a defensive line that was already stocked with Pro Bowlers. Trading for Darius Slay gives the defense its first elite-level cornerback in almost a decade. The only players the Eagles lost they can't replace at this point are Peters and Malcolm Jenkins. Peters could still be back for one more year, which would probably be for the best. Jenkins is long gone. There's so much more talent everywhere else, though, so letting Jenkins walk doesn't bring down the entire house. And in both cases, the depth at those positions was bolstered by a number of offseason moves. Shedding Nigel Bradham, Ronald Darby and Nelson Agholor is essentially addition by subtraction. Watching Jordan Howard, Halapoulivaati Vaitai and Vinny Curry (the latter also a candidate to re-sign) go hurts a little more, but they're rotational/reserve players. The Eagles could even bring on another running back or D-end at some point. This is a roster Eagles fans should feel optimstic about — its two biggest needs, receiver and corner, addressed in big ways; its offensive and defensive lines strong with opportunities to get stronger; its receiving and linebacker corps loaded with freak athletes; its running back, Miles Sanders, poised for a breakout year; and its quarterback, Wentz, healthy and backed up. Is it a dream team? Not right now. Only the biggest fans are probably feeling like the Eagles are an obvious top-tier Super Bowl contender. Then again, next to nobody felt that way in 2017, either. Coming on the heels of consecutive nine-win seasons, the Eagles appear to have made only modest gains this offseason. However, there was a lot of fat to be trimmed on an aging roster with a bloated salary cap. It could be argued Roseman didn't have a one-year project on his hands here. It can also be argued Roseman didn't need to dismantle the entire roster here. The Eagles needed to get younger, faster, healthier — and they did all of that, losing few core players in the process. Roseman didn't need to create some kind of dream team to make the Eagles a contender. The team they had went to the playoffs three years in a row and won a Super Bowl. He just needed to build on the foundation that was already in place. In other words, yes, but ... Yes, the Eagles are a better football team now than they were in January. Maybe they don't look worlds better — but maybe they don't need to be. Phttps://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/eagles/eagles-roster-2020-darius-slay-jalen-reagor-carson-wentz-javon-hargrave Really hard to say isn't it? It's stronger in some ways, weaker in others. They've added youth and speed but lost experience and production at positions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EagleJoe8 Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 It’s really hard to say. Many times over the years, we’ve thought they looked great on paper only for that to not be the case in reality. Between the coaching staff and roster additions, a lot needs proven. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UK_EaglesFan89 Posted May 17, 2020 Author Share Posted May 17, 2020 5 minutes ago, EagleJoe8 said: It’s really hard to say. Many times over the years, we’ve thought they looked great on paper only for that to not be the case in reality. Between the coaching staff and roster additions, a lot needs proven. Yeah it's a tough one. I mean we didn't think in 2017 the team were going to be anywhere near as good as they were. On paper they look really good but with major question marks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
time2rock Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 Quote Did the Eagles get better or worse? "Yes." 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UK_EaglesFan89 Posted May 17, 2020 Author Share Posted May 17, 2020 2 hours ago, time2rock said: Well they aren't wrong. Did they get better or worse. Yes they did. They either got better or worse. They sure didn't stay the same. 😁 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeathByEagle Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 Well that can all depend on coaching, scheme, play calling. Are they setting up plays that fit the style of the players? One player can be great in one system and suck in another. So the players/roster are only as good as the coaching and game plans. I think after Frank left our coaching has sucked majorly on the offensive side of the ball. I havent been big on Jim on the defensive side as many know already. So really to me it comes down to the offense since there is no change much on defense. Tons of changes on offense. Will see how those changes impact the team and Doug himself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UK_EaglesFan89 Posted May 17, 2020 Author Share Posted May 17, 2020 3 minutes ago, DeathByEagle said: So really to me it comes down to the offense since there is no change much on defense. Tons of changes on offense. Will see how those changes impact the team and Doug himself. I think the defense will be better. Perhaps not substantially but it should be better. More of a pass rush especially interior and should be a lot better at corner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeathByEagle Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 23 minutes ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said: I think the defense will be better. Perhaps not substantially but it should be better. More of a pass rush especially interior and should be a lot better at corner. Some people say Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Jim is that person in the DC world. If he doesnt change himself, I dont see a mojor change in this defense. A couple of better players added but how they react to this scheme is a major question mark. I like us adding Hargrave. BUT he has not played in the NFL in a 4-3 system and he was on a team that brings pressure from all areas. Steelers are a creative style defense and runs a system to try and confuse the QB, Eagles are not that style under Jim. So Hargraves improving this team is a big question mark right now. Slay is a great corner but like Javon this is a different system for him. Did he play under Jim? Yes but only his rookie year and he only started 4 games(only played 33% of snaps on defense) and was not one of his best years. Slay started having his success the year after Jim was fired. So my stance on this defense is still the same. Will they give up a ton of points? No, they play the bend but dont break defense. I see them as a mid tier defense like 78% of Jims career rankings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uscg-green Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 See you can't really say we got better at Quarterback. We had Carson last year and we have him this year. And Hurts wont even be the back up this year. Plus are we comparing it to last years roster or the players that played lol. Big difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle45 Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 Any article talking about making the OL better than last year by re-signing Jason Peters automatically loses credibility in their evals. RB should be one of the most improved positions on the team with Sanders entering what may be the best year of a RB's career...year 2. Safety should be better with McLeod 2 years removed from his injury and Mills covering better than Jenkins, who was more of a liability than anyone will admit. DT might be worse. Cox is in decline...sorry...he is. I expect nothing from Malik Jackson. Harvgraves is very good, but if injuries hit the position again and Cox continues to slide, the position is not going to carry the defense like many expect. How can we say ST is better? QB? It's all about Wentz. Same. TE? You've got the same 2 guys. I literally disagree across the board except WR, LB, CB, and DE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eglz1 Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 On 5/17/2020 at 5:45 AM, UK_EaglesFan89 said: Yeah it's a tough one. I mean we didn't think in 2017 the team were going to be anywhere near as good as they were. On paper they look really good but with major question marks. I'm not sure how much it mattered but in 2017 there were playing a last place finish schedule. Better or worse, it should sure be different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UK_EaglesFan89 Posted May 20, 2020 Author Share Posted May 20, 2020 7 hours ago, eglz1 said: I'm not sure how much it mattered but in 2017 there were playing a last place finish schedule. Better or worse, it should sure be different. I think our strength of schedule is pretty low down again going in to this year though? Not sure why because on paper it looks really tough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdman#12 Posted May 21, 2020 Share Posted May 21, 2020 Kulp's "analysis" is always ridiculous. There is NO WAY to know if they're better or worse simply by some idiot writer's opinion. The eagles went into the offseason with needs at WR and CB. With free agency losses, they developed needs at DT, RB, OL depth, and LB. The team's focus was to get younger and faster across the board, while maintaining or increasing the talent level, which they did pretty well. What is ALWAYS ignored by the media and by the vast majority of fans is the expected development of younger players and the impact of players coming off IR. Philly media and fans think that once a player is injured, he has no impact when he gets back, which is an idiotic assumption. Also, when a young player doesn't produce to the media and fans liking, he's never going to produce...again, an idiotic assumption. With free agency, the draft and some trades, the eagles obtained more talent, youth and speed in all those positions. In addition to the player acquisitions, the coaching staff added Sangarello, Morehead and Morningweig to the offensive side of the ball......With Pedersen clearly addressing the need for more creativity with the talent and speed the eagles have obtained. There are 3 big concerns going into the season. One, how fast can the team's unit's, offense and defense, jell and create chemistry with so many new players? And second, will the team stay relatively healthy this year? The effects of injuries on the DBs, the WRs, DTs, and the RBs had a direct relation to the team's struggles. And the 3rd is Wentz.....He seemed to overcome his lack of confidence he had early in the year.....as the year wore on he began throwing into smaller window, not double clutching as much and started to look like the MVP candidate from 2017. In 2017, he had complete command and had defenses on their heels......if he continues to have confidence in his talents and spreads the ball around, this offense could be a top 5 offense. And strength of schedule means absolutely nothing....it's the stupidest media talking point ever. Last year's record have almost no bearing on this year's teams....so stop talking about that idiotic measure. The eagles accomplished what they set out to do to improve the team this offseason. Younger, faster, more talent. They lost some experience at OT and S, but that's what happens when older guys are let go. But they addressed those positions in last year and this year's draft. So Better or Worse? The eagles moves always fly under the radar, or are generally underestimated. The did what they set out to do this offseason, they addressed their weaknesses and they addressed the issue of being more creative on offense with new coaches. And they still have cap space to add some additional role players. All that's left is to play the season and see if all these moves have indeed improved them or have put them on the right path. That's the only thing that matters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob331 Posted May 21, 2020 Share Posted May 21, 2020 Disagree that safety is so much different. If Jenkins was a top flight safety he'd have prevented some of the (too) many passes going over the cornerbacks' heads. Schwartz had to adapt his defense to compensate for his inability to cover deep. As for leadership - there is a fine line between a leader and a dominator. When was the last time one of the young guys spoke up? Remember when we had a veteran (Scandrick) he was not shy about criticizing St. Malcolm. Obviously, I just don't like the guy, but he's not a top 15 safety and is barely solid when you consider that its a passing league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UK_EaglesFan89 Posted May 23, 2020 Author Share Posted May 23, 2020 On 5/21/2020 at 4:54 PM, Rob331 said: Disagree that safety is so much different. If Jenkins was a top flight safety he'd have prevented some of the (too) many passes going over the cornerbacks' heads. Jenkins isn't the deep lying safety. That's on McLeod more and even then it's not really his fault. Our corners were too slow and you can't give both protection deep. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Portyansky Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 Give me last years team. And no one gets injured. Silver lining....Last year, injuries allowed us to give Ward his shot, we found Scott, Sanders showed he can be "the guy" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipples Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 13 hours ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said: Jenkins isn't the deep lying safety. That's on McLeod more and even then it's not really his fault. Our corners were too slow and you can't give both protection deep. Eh, there were plenty of instances last year when Jenkins was supposed to be the help and got roasted. Why I Was absolutely fine letting him walk. He was average at best last season and not worth the-signing for big money at his age as he’s clearly on the downside of his career. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeathByEagle Posted May 24, 2020 Share Posted May 24, 2020 3 hours ago, nipples said: Eh, there were plenty of instances last year when Jenkins was supposed to be the help and got roasted. Why I Was absolutely fine letting him walk. He was average at best last season and not worth the-signing for big money at his age as he’s clearly on the downside of his career. Every DB and LB is avg at best in this system. its set up to make the DB/LB position fail. If the Dline is not on the QBs butt in 2 secs, they are exposed. Everyone knows the scheme. Now I agree Jenkins is losing his skill base but he was still very smart in breaking down most of the plays. Sadly though until we get a new scheme I think we see the same in the secondary no matter who is at safety. So yes he was not worth the money to keep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UK_EaglesFan89 Posted May 24, 2020 Author Share Posted May 24, 2020 8 hours ago, DeathByEagle said: Every DB and LB is avg at best in this system That's not quite right though is it. McLeod is good he's not average at best. Slay is very very good but average at best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeathByEagle Posted May 24, 2020 Share Posted May 24, 2020 7 hours ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said: That's not quite right though is it. McLeod is good he's not average at best. Slay is very very good but average at best. Slay has yet to take a snap in this system. Remember when Slay was with Jim in Detroit, Slay played less then 30% of the snaps. He really never played in Jims system full time. Slay didnt start having success till the following year when Jim was gone. So I cant say what he is till he plays a few games in the system. Rodney I would say is avg actually. His numbers are not great. They are good, but when you ask who are the best safeties or top half he usually wont be mentioned by the majority. Yea Eagles fans might name him due to being homers. Not saying hes not a decent safety, but I would call him extremely good. I think Jims system turned Jenkins from a top 3 safety to top 15. Even by stats he doesnt look great under Jim esp with how much playing time he had. He gets the top mentions every year due to his name. But I think Jim played Malcolm wrong. He was better playing deep safety instead of the slot/box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UK_EaglesFan89 Posted May 24, 2020 Author Share Posted May 24, 2020 1 hour ago, DeathByEagle said: Slay has yet to take a snap in this system. Remember when Slay was with Jim in Detroit, Slay played less then 30% of the snaps. He really never played in Jims system full time. Slay didnt start having success till the following year when Jim was gone. So I cant say what he is till he plays a few games in the system. Dude come on. The scheme puts corners on an island where they have to hold their own. Good players, top players at their positions which Slay is, will handle that. Limited players like we've had will struggle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeathByEagle Posted May 24, 2020 Share Posted May 24, 2020 1 hour ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said: Dude come on. The scheme puts corners on an island where they have to hold their own. Good players, top players at their positions which Slay is, will handle that. Limited players like we've had will struggle. Still holding my view on Slay till he plays here.But luckily I hoping this will be Jim's last year in Philly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipples Posted May 25, 2020 Share Posted May 25, 2020 8 hours ago, DeathByEagle said: Slay has yet to take a snap in this system. Remember when Slay was with Jim in Detroit, Slay played less then 30% of the snaps. He really never played in Jims system full time. Slay didnt start having success till the following year when Jim was gone. So I cant say what he is till he plays a few games in the system. Rodney I would say is avg actually. His numbers are not great. They are good, but when you ask who are the best safeties or top half he usually wont be mentioned by the majority. Yea Eagles fans might name him due to being homers. Not saying hes not a decent safety, but I would call him extremely good. I think Jims system turned Jenkins from a top 3 safety to top 15. Even by stats he doesnt look great under Jim esp with how much playing time he had. He gets the top mentions every year due to his name. But I think Jim played Malcolm wrong. He was better playing deep safety instead of the slot/box. I completely disagree on Jenkins. He’s never been a top 3 safety. Not saying he was bad in his prime, but sure as hell not too 3. I think we have just suffered through so much bad safety play since Dawkins left that any above average safety looks great in comparison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeathByEagle Posted May 25, 2020 Share Posted May 25, 2020 When Jenkins was signed under Chip Kelly that first year and few years after he was one of the better safeties in the league. Now Granite there were not as many good safeties in the league as there is today. The talented safety is so much better now then it was during the Chip Kelly days in the entire league. That's why Jenkins would be higher on the list back then then he would today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob331 Posted May 26, 2020 Share Posted May 26, 2020 On 5/23/2020 at 3:43 AM, UK_EaglesFan89 said: Jenkins isn't the deep lying safety. That's on McLeod more and even then it's not really his fault. Our corners were too slow and you can't give both protection deep. I disagree my friend - a safety is a safety or he'd be called a linebacker. There are deep and coverage responsibilities for everyone in the secondary and Jenkins is weak on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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