State of the Eagles (Offense)

The state of the Eagles offense is a bit of a mystery.  How desperate is the need for a franchise quarterback?  Where are the play-makers on the offense?  Will the Eagles use multiple draft picks on the offensive line?

The Eagles were rather busy in the off-season after signing four of their own on offense. (Celek, Ertz, Johnson and Bradford)  Gone are DeMarco Murray and Mark Sanchez.

The Eagles made improvements to their offensive line and added veteran depth to the wide receiver group.   They arguably had an equal swap with their backup quarterback but did add a vacancy at the running back position.

Having both a short term and long term plan is crucial for Doug Pederson.  Looking beyond the 2016 season is necessary in building a championship caliber team.  This could be the last year in an Eagles uniform for Jason Peters, all three running backs at the top of the depth chart, Sam Bradford, Huff, Givens and Randle.

What the Eagles should do and will do at pick #8 changes on an everyday basis.  Some would argue that offensive line in round one has to be the direction the Eagles go in.  Others believe if Pederson has identified his “franchise quarterback,” that he should make the necessary trade to secure his guy.  Others feel the Eagles should take the best player remaining at pick #8, whether it’s a running back, cornerback, linebacker or defensive lineman.

The Eagles have made it well known they are going to draft a quarterback.  Plenty of reports have surfaced that Pederson thinks the world of Carson Wentz.  It would take the Eagles moving up to land Wentz and possibly Jared Goff who Pederson also thinks highly of.  Even if the top two projected quarterbacks go elsewhere, the Eagles are going to draft a quarterback. They worked out several quarterback prospects and it’s likely a few more will have their chance to show the Eagles why their name should be considered.

The Eagles have also made it clear they are going to address the offensive line.  For the better part of the off-season when the Eagles were still at pick #13, the focus was taking an offensive tackle, starting him at guard this season and then to right tackle for 2017.  The Eagles could certainly do the  select Ronnie Stanley or Jack Conklin even after the signing of Stefen Wisniewski.   Personally, I think the Wisniewski signing is going to be similar to that of when the Eagles signed Evan Mathis.  It was a quieter deal as far as making initial headlines, but the play on the field drew the praise of fans and was once of the better payoff signings that the Eagles have had in recent years.

The 2016 draft has terrific depth at the offensive line position which would allow the Eagles to wait until day two or even day three to draft offensive line depth.  The Eagles could certainly get away with drafting a guard who has experience playing tackle and gamble that Wisniewski earns the starting guard position and then resign him.  Worst case scenario, they move on from Jason Peters in the offseason and use that money to find a free agent to take over the right-tackle spot.

The Eagles need play-makers at the running back and receiver positions.  The team has yet to replace DeMarco Murray.   Ryan Mathews can’t be relied on as a NFL starter, his career continues to be plagued by injuries and he missed multiple games with his one and only season with the Eagles.

Darren Sproles has had an interesting career with the Eagles in terms of how he has been “misused” in his offensive role.  Sproles has stretches of games where he is involved in the offense only to be followed up by weeks of being nearly invincible.  Sproles is likely spending his last season with the team.  He will continue to have the opportunity to show his electricity in the open field as a punt returner, but it’s difficult to project his role out of the backfield.

Barner has glass hands and is a mediocre runner; he likely would have been released prior to the 2015 regular season if he didn’t have one of the “next great thing” preseasons.

The Eagles could really use a running back, and the draft has some three down guys that could be the Eagle lead back of the future. Ezekiel Elliott is wishful thinking, but he would be the “franchise” running back moving forward.  If not Elliot, a guy like Paul Perkins who the Eagles have looked at could be a realistic choice in the third round.

The current wide receivers on the Eagles will get the job done, but the team has a bunch of role players and lacks a guy that can take over a game.  Nelson Agholor doesn’t get a free pass on his rookie season,  expectations are certainly there for a sophomore season that supports why he was drafted in the first round.  The Randle and Givens additions were smart by the Eagles; both serve as an improvement to Huff who may not even make the final roster.  It the Eagles were to trade down in the first round, there are several wide receivers that could make an immediate impact. The likely scenario leaves me to believe the team will select a receiver in the early portion of day three of the draft and approach the 2017 free agency period with wide receiver on top of their “needs” list.

How well the offense produces for the 2016 season ultimately comes down to the play of quarterback Sam Bradford.  It’s very likely that a minimum of five draft picks are used on offense with the upcoming draft (quarterback, running back, wide receiver and two offensive linemen).

How well these selections are scouted and coached up could really impact the process of returning the Eagles to championship conversation. The draft is where the “core” of the future will be built, which means the Eagles can’t miss out on their early and mid-round selections like years past.