PHILADELPHIA _ As is often the case this time of year, pandemic or no pandemic, the Eagles are being judged by what they didn't do rather than what they did.
Yes, they added an ascending defensive tackle (Javon Hargrave) and a cornerback who was a first-team All-Pro selection three years ago (Darius Slay).
But they also bowed out of the bidding for the top-rated cornerback in free agency (Byron Jones), and they passed on an opportunity to get one of the league's top wide receivers (DeAndre Hopkins).
And maybe, most egregiously in the eyes of many fans, they had the audacity to let popular three-time Pro Bowl safety and team leader Malcolm Jenkins walk out the door.
Meanwhile, 1,200 miles to the south, the New Orleans Saints gobbled up Jenkins quicker than it takes to down a bowl of Cajun seafood gumbo, handing him a four-year, $32 million deal with $16.2 million in guaranteed money over the next two years.
The Saints also signed 33-year-old wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who helped the San Francisco 49ers get to the Super Bowl last season, to a two-year deal that could be worth as much as $19 million.
The Eagles, meanwhile, whose wide receiver corps had a grand total of 146 receptions and 11 touchdown catches last season, apparently are going to wait for the draft to find Carson Wentz some pass-catching reinforcements.
Before you start contemplating ripping up your season tickets or placing general manager Howie Roseman's picture back up on your dartboard, understand that the difference in the offseason approaches between the Eagles and the Saints has nothing to do with competence or a commitment to winning and pretty much everything to do with the ages of their quarterbacks.
With 41-year-old Drew Brees at the helm of their offense, the Saints are on the clock. Their focus is on winning now because they have no idea what the future is going to hold when Brees finally retires, which very well could be after this season or next.
The Eagles quarterback, Wentz, just turned 27 in December. Barring something unforeseen, the organization expects him to be leading the offense for at least the next decade, maybe longer.
Roseman and the Eagles have a broader plan right now than the Saints. Like the Saints, they're trying to win now while at the same time also build a young team that will grow and flourish around Wentz over the next five or six or seven years.
