EVP Howie Roseman, head coach Doug Pederson, and the Eagles’ staff received mixed reviews on their choice of roster moves and free-agents this offseason.
Some fans and commentators have claimed that they love the moves, and that they give the Eagles flexibility going forward. Some of those same people believe the Eagles screwed up this offseason by overpaying free agents, and not signing any premiere players.
Either way, there is no way to tell whether or not this FA period was effective, at least until the end of training camp. With new offensive and defensive schemes that will be implemented, it is irrational to base a successful free-agency period off of name recognition, which is exactly what most radio hosts and commentators have done.
That being said, all eyes now land distinctly on the draft, and what if I told you that Roseman had one more surprise move up his sleeve?
What if I told you that Roseman is not finished addressing the Eagles’ quarterback position?
When quarterback Sam Bradford was extended on a two-year deal worth $36 million, there was a collective ‘sigh’ that was released throughout the city of Philadelphia. There was no back-up on the roster that had the potential or the latent talent that Bradford had, so allowing him to walk in free-agency would be seen as a travesty.
There are only 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL, and that is exactly why a quarterback hitting the open market, who possesses starting ability, is so uncommon. That being said, there are some instances where teams will take a risk on a wild card with the intention of solidifying a primary back-up quarterback, or challenging their lower-end quarterback in training camp. No one in Philadelphia knows which of these two reasons the Eagles signed Chase Daniel. Did I mention he got $12 million guaranteed on a three-year contract?
Take notice of how his contract is longer than Bradford’s.
Signing Daniel was thought to be a Pederson move, and was definitely considered one of the strangest contracts. However, the Eagles have now been linked to the idea of taking another quarterback in the draft if a guy they want falls to the 8th pick, which is super possible.
Jared Goff, Carson Wentz, and Paxton Lynch are all possible targets for this team to take in the draft. Lynch may not be a great pick for the Eagles in the top 10, but Goff or Wentz would be very strong additions to a position the Eagles lack a clear future for. Neither player would have to start for the team right away because of Bradford and Daniel, however that would never rule them out as contenders for the position.
Remember when Russell Wilson was in a training camp battle with the highly paid Matt Flynn and Tarvaris Jackson? Russell walked into camp as a third-round pick, and soundly defeated both veterans for the starting role.
Personally, I do not believe that Goff or Wentz have limitations to their game that would suggests they absolutely cannot defeat Bradford and Daniel for the starting role. I wouldn’t bet on them winning that battle, but if Roseman does take one of these two guys in the top 10, chances are he believes the same.
That is not necessarily a bad thing either.
A rookie contract for top 10 pick is relatively inexpensive. However, the Eagles already have about $20 million invested in that position with just Bradford and Daniel. Adding another contract to that position would almost certainly limit the team’s ability to add talent at other positions going forward. That idea becomes a moot point if Roseman and Pederson are comfortable going into next season with this roster as is though.
Bradford’s deal can be aborted after a single season as well, even though he would leave a fairly large amount of dead money on the books for another year. So who knows, Roseman could be attempting to pull a franchise quarterback out of a batch of rabbits, which would indeed be a neat trick.
There is also the chance that Roseman could target a quarterback in the later rounds of the draft. Names like Dak Prescott, Cardale Jones, and Jacoby Brissett are interesting draft choices for the Eagles in rounds three, four, and five. Adding any of their talent would make just as much sense for the team considering the fact that franchise quarterbacks aren’t defined by their draft status.
All the talk about the Eagles taking a quarterback is interesting, but just like any other scenario, it is possible that the idea won’t happen. What if the Eagles don’t have the option of choosing Wentz or Goff because they were selected early? The idea that the Eagles DO NOT want a quarterback has also been floating around.
Many people around the league believe that the Eagles are trying to scare other teams into taking quarterbacks in the first seven picks in order to leave talent at other positions for the Eagles to swipe with the eighth pick. It is actually a pretty slick strategy that could work out pretty well for them.
The Browns, Cowboys, and 49ers all seem to be searching for a quarterback for one reason or another, and all of them have the perfect position to pounce on one. The Eagles losing out on Goff or Wentz would not be all bad if someone like Myles Jack, Vernon Hargreaves, Laquon Treadwell, or Ezekiel Elliott fell into their laps.
Lets see if Roseman’s search for the franchise quarterback pays off or if he lands another top 10 talent as a consolation prize. Its time like these when you think the draft needs to be available on local channels.
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