Philadelphia Eagles: 5 offseason needs in 2019
By Jon Dove
The Philadelphia Eagles head into an offseason where they will be forced to make several tough decisions.
It’s going to be a very busy and unique offseason for the Philadelphia Eagles. They have several high profile free agents and little to no money available to spend. Philadelphia’s salary cap situation is a major concern and will dictate a lot of their moves.
According to Spotrac, the Eagles are over the salary cap at the moment and will need to find a way to clear some money. This means that any moves the team may make in free agency are likely to be limited to bargain deals.
There’s some talk that pricey veterans like Timmy Jernigan, Nelson Agholor and Jason Peters might be on the chopping block. Moving on from these players will free up some cash, but also create depth problems.
A lot of Philadelphia’s work this offseason will come during the draft. They currently hold the No. 25 pick in the first round and two second round picks.
That extra second round pick is coming from the Baltimore Ravens in last year’s trade that allowed Baltimore to select Lamar Jackson. The Eagles also have their own forth, five, sixth and seventh round selections.
With plenty of needs to fill, it wouldn’t be a major surprise to see the Eagles move off that No. 25 pick and gain some more draft assets. Teams in Philadelphia’s salary cap situation often need to fill out the roster with cheap younger players.
The problem for the Eagles is that they are still trying to compete for a championship. They need to find a way to balance adding cheap players while remaining competitive.
5. Running Back
The Eagles head into this offseason with some work to do at the running back position. They have a few intriguing pieces on the roster, but none have cemented themselves as a long-term fixture. Josh Adams might have the best shot at the moment to secure that spot.
However, he wasn’t used much during the playoffs with the Eagles preferring to give Darren Sproles a larger chuck of the workload. Sproles’ future is very much up in the air as he is coming to the end of his career.
This year’s draft class has some solid options that could be available when the Eagles are on the clock. Alabama’s Josh Jacobs would be a fit at the end of the first round while someone like Devin Singletary or Damien Harris are mid-round candidates.
Philadelphia has some major salary cap issues and will struggle to fill their needs via free agency. However, some bargains could be found. Corey Grant is a well rounded back who flashed while with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
He’d pair nicely with the more physical style of Adams. Maybe someone like Jacquizz Rodgers would also be a fit. The Eagles may also push Sproles to come back for one last season. Either way, Philadelphia will need to add some talent at the running back spot.