The vaunted New England Patriots defense that held the Los Angeles Rams to only three points at Super Bowl LIII wasn’t too different from the one Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles sliced up for 41 points and 538 total yards of offense a year ago.
Seeing the Patriots hoist their sixth Lombardi Trophy after only scoring 13 points on offense was like rubbing salt in the wounds for the Eagles. A divisional playoff game gone bad against the New Orleans Saints is the only reason they didn’t get a crack at the Rams in the NFC championship—the same Rams team they defeated on the road, 30-23, in Week 15 of the regular season.
A Super Bowl rubber match between the Patriots and Eagles could have been the NFL’s Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. Instead, we were left with Luke Skywalker (Rams coach Sean McVay) going head-to-head with Darth Vader (Patriots coach Bill Belichick). It sounded good on paper, and perhaps it would have been, if the force didn’t completely abandon McVay and the Rams on the NFL’s biggest stage.
The Eagles are already back at the drawing board, diligently working behind the scenes to ensure their one of the last two teams standing at Super Bowl LIV. A few right moves in the offseason, and they’ll be back to flying among the NFC’s elite.
Here are five moves that would increase the Eagles’ odds of getting back to the Super Bowl.
Finding an all-purpose running back
The run game was an important element missing from the Eagles’ offensive attack this season. It was only a year ago when they were bludgeoning defenses with the powerful combination of Jay Ajayi and LeGarrette Blount, while Corey Clement filled in as a change-of-pace option.
However, Blount was picked up by the Detroit Lions in 2018, and Ajayi went down with a torn ACL in Week 5 of the season. A knee injury claimed Clement as well in December and kept him out of the playoffs.
Ajayi and Darren Sproles will both be unrestricted free agents heading into the offseason, and the Eagles should strongly consider going in a different direction at running back.
Sproles, 35, has only played in 11 games in the last two seasons, and there were already questions surrounding Ajayi’s health before he suffered a devastating knee injury. One of the ways for the Eagles to protect quarterback Carson Wentz is by getting him a viable workhorse in the backfield that is also versatile enough to provide adequate pass protection.
Pittsburgh Steelers disgruntled tailback Le’Veon Bell could be the big-ticket prize this offseason, along with former Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt. The cheaper option would be Hunt, but he is also potentially facing at least a six-game suspension for a domestic violence incident that led to his release from the Chiefs last season.
If the Eagles miss the boat in free agency, they could also take a shot at Alabama’s Josh Jacobs or Damien Harris in the draft. Jacobs might be a no-brainer if he slides down the board in the first round, but Harris could provide value as a possible second-round pick.
New blind protector for Wentz
If Foles is traded in the offseason, that would put even more pressure on the Eagles to protect Wentz in 2019. They won’t have the safety net of another starting caliber quarterback sitting on the bench. Like every other team in the league, they’ll be one bad injury away from absolute calamity.
That should push Jason Peter’s left tackle position to the top of the list of needs heading into the draft. The former undrafted lineman out of Arkansas has forged a memorable Hall of Fame-worthy career with a Super Bowl title, nine Pro Bowls and six All-Pro selections. He’s one of the most beloved players on the Eagles’ roster.
But he is also 37 years old.
An injury-plagued season followed the catastrophic end to 2017 for Peters, who tore his ACL and MCL in a Monday Night Football game against the Washington Redskins. His ability to play through all 16 games in 2018 is a reflection of his toughness more so than his ability to avoid Father Time. That youthful, soul-sucking demon could claim him at any second, and the Eagles would be left with Halapoulivaati Vaitai and Jordan Mailata as the possible replacements.
Not that Vaitai or Mailata are incapable of doing the job, but given Wentz’s injury history, the Eagles can’t afford to have any shaky business on that side of the line. The best case scenario is Peters returning for another season, while the Eagles draft and groom a replacement. There is also the possibility of either Vaitai or Mailata improving and developing into a potential long-term answer.
Adding another receiving weapon
Another versatile receiving weapon to join the likes of Alshon Jeffery, Nelson Agholor, Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert could turn the explosive Eagles offense nuclear.
Veteran receiver Golden Tate, who the team acquired before the trade deadline for a third-round draft pick, claimed he was open to returning for another year. A full offseason with the Eagles would give him an opportunity to delve deeper into the playbook, along with developing chemistry with Wentz. Lesser options would be re-signing Mike Wallace or Jordan Matthews to another one-year deal.
Aside from drafting a receiver, there are some intriguing unrestricted free agents that could help the Eagles win now. One in particular is New England Patriots wideout Chris Hogan.
He could be an interesting addition to the offense with his deep play-making abilities and experience in big games. The Eagles haven’t forgotten the 128 yards and one touchdown he hung on their defense at Super Bowl LII.
His lack of usage down the stretch for the Patriots could open him up to the possibility of change in the offseason. Not to mention he’d come on an affordable contract that would allow the Eagles to address other areas as well.
Pass-rushing help
Making quarterbacks tap-dance in the pocket played a big role in the Eagles’ championship run a year ago. Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham delivered the strip sack on Patriots quarterback Tom Brady that ultimately won Super Bowl LII. It was the biggest play he’s made in his nine years in Philadelphia, and it could be his last, depending on what other teams offer him in free agency.
Graham and the Eagles couldn’t come to an agreement on a contract extension, and the former All-Pro player is preparing to test his value on the open market. The timing couldn’t be worse for the Eagles with so many other players at that position in limbo.
Derek Barnett, the former first-round draft pick, is coming off a season-ending shoulder injury, and veteran pass-rusher Chris Long remains undecided on whether to continue his NFL career. Michael Bennett, 33, was in on 69 percent of the snaps and delivered nine sacks in 2018. Would he be able to deliver similar numbers with the same workload for another year?
The Eagles would be better off rebuilding their defensive end depth and avoiding that question altogether.
Quarterback depth
If everything goes according to plan, the Eagles will be back in the playoffs in 2020 with Wentz getting his first postseason start. That could be a stretch considering things haven’t gone according to plan for the team in the last two seasons. They’ve always seemed to land on their feet with Foles as the backup quarterback, but that all could change next season.
The Eagles will need a new Plan B in 2019, if Wentz goes down with another injury. They could start off the offseason by retaining restricted free agent Nate Sudfeld, who has two years of experience under coach Doug Pederson in Philadelphia. He had a strong preseason and proved himself to be a capable backup, but there is a huge difference between exhibition games and actual NFL football.
Along with bringing back Sudfeld, the Eagles should also consider bringing in another veteran quarterback for an emergency glass situation. An incident could arise where Wentz is sidelined, and the moment proves to be too big for Sudfeld.
There should already be an experienced player in the pipeline with a firm grasp of the offense in the event of another catastrophe.
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