Eagles Chalk Talk is BACK! Let's get right to it with some grades for the offseason's biggest story lines:
Swapped Brian Johnson for Kellen Moore as OC: B. I expressed cautious optimism about Johnson's hiring in last year's article, and defended him on the basis of the offenses' productivity towards the end of last season. That said, if you have top five talent on offense, a top ten ranking actually represents failure on the part of the unit, and the OC has to bear some responsibility for that fact. Kellen Moore is not a perfect replacement but if nothing else has experience and has led some potent offenses, going back to his time in Dallas. He's been a football nerd since high school, always a positive sign for a coach.
Swapped Sean Desai for Vic Fangio as DC: B+. To reiterate from last year's commentary: I don't think that the defense's struggles were all on Desai last year. He was saddled with a mediocre at best back seven and was coaching a unit that was replacing its top five tacklers; not an easy task. However, his crummy zone philosophies and refusal to rotate players at positions of depth doomed the unit. Fangio, of course, is the godfather of this style of defense and has improved every unit he's run. His career of managing defenses has yielded a barely above average ranking in yards and points (the average team ranking in both these stats is 14.7), but the context is important. He was the very first DC for both the expansion Panthers (in '95) and the expansion Texans seven years later, and also took over awful unit in Indianapolis and Chicago (both of whom were second to last in scoring defense the year before). He's taken bad units and made them average, and he's taken decent units and made them great. That's what's needed here (don't forget that the 2023 Eagles were the second worst scoring defense in the NFL). Barring some major trades, I do not look for the '24 Eagles defense to be a top ten unit, but improvement to the midfield is a reasonable expectation.
As expected, lost both Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox to retirement: D. These stories obviously represent bad news, and it's a sad thing to realize that we'll look at the Core Four as memory from now on. I can't go all the way to "F" as the retirements were expected, but pour one out for two of the very best players ever to do it in midnight green, and give this excellent read from just before the Super Bowl a year ago a look.
Traded Haason Reddick for minimal draft compensation: D. I don't know how you justify this trade in the absence of some dark behind the scenes goings-on. Reddick likely carried a day two value (reminder that Reddick was one of four players to rack up 50+ sacks over the last four years, and did it with four different DCs on three different teams). I understand that the league didn't value him as highly as that (otherwise the trade compensation would have reflected it), but if that's the case, why trade him for nothing? Isn't his productivity worth that much? Retaining him for 2024 would have cost roughly $20 million on the cap but you keep another quality edge in a year in which you'll need them, and you can let him walk next spring and scoop up a midround comp pick in the '26 draft for nothing. Again, short of some sort of behind the scene ugliness, I don't get it.
Signed Bryce Huff for an AAV of $17 million: B-. This is a projection by Philly, which I mean as a complement. They generally have done well finding guys heading out of their rookie deals who are about to take off (Brandon Brooks, Rodney McLeod, Javon Hargrave and even Reddick fit into this category). Huff is eighth in the NFL over his career in QB pressures per snap, which is impressive for an undrafted player. The downside is his run defense, which at this point in Huff's career is poor. The price tag is high for a one dimensional player, but that one dimension should be potent.
Signed Saquan Barkley for an AAV of $12 million: B. Bad news first: the price tag is really high for a RB with this much mileage (1,489 career touches). The criticism that Barkley lost a step after his ACL injury is concerning. It's impossible for me to believe that the Birds did not account for his injury history somehow, especially on a position that they've largely been cheapskates with in recent history. The upside is obvious: simply put, I don't think there's been a more talented RB to emerge from college football over the last couple decades (yes, I'm including guys like Adrian Peterson and Christian McCaffrey here). His combination of size, speed, explosiveness, elusiveness and versatility is completely unmatched over that time frame; like if Reggie Bush had weighed 230 pounds. As a Penn St. fan, it seemed like there was a new Barkley highlight or monster game every week. There's a criticism making the rounds that goes something like this: "What did he REALLY do in New York? His career numbers aren't special. Peterson won MVP in Minnesota with Christian Ponder as his QB; Christian McCaffrey was an All Pro in Carolina; where's Barkley's achievements like that? OVERRATED." That's mostly nonsense for one simple reason: Barkley's OL groups for his entire career dating back to Penn St. were largely terrible. His BEST OL group in New York ranked somewhere in the late teens per PFF, while that average was much closer to 25th. Philly, meanwhile, has had elite (top 5 at a minimum) groups pretty consistently and should again this season. Barkley hasn't played on an offense like this in his entire career, and as long as he's healthy (admittedly a big IF), should be an offensive POY candidate. Having said all that, the grade won't go higher than where I've put it, thanks to the high dollar figure and the injury risk.
CJ Gardner-Johnson returns on a $9 million AAV deal: A. CJGJ adds athleticism, versatility and confidence to a unit that has sorely needed it. Few players have produced plays at the rate that he has over his five year career. Credit to both sides for swallowing their pride and getting a mutually beneficial deal done.
QB Factory strikes again with a trade for Kenny Pickett: C-. You know the terms: Eagles give up a 2024 late 3rd round pick and two 2025 seventh round picks for one in the middle of the 4th round this year and the Steelers' former starter at QB. In last year's QB ranking column I slotted Pickett at 30; in 2022 he was unranked (I only went to 37). This is not a great player but he's acceptable as a backup.
Classic churn of the roster depth: B. Here's the list of the role players lost:
Jack Driscoll
Marcus Mariota
Nick Morrow
Sua Opeta
Jack Stoll
Kevin Byard
D'Andre Swift
Quez Watkins
Olamide Zaccheaus
Role players gained:
Zach Baun
Matt Hennessey
DeVante Parker
Devin White
Oren Burks
PJ Mustipher
Parris Campbell
Tyler Hall
Will Grier
CJ Uzomah
For the players lost, very few will be significantly missed other than perhaps Swift. The players gained likely won't move the needle either, with the possible exceptions of White (if his head is right) and Campbell (if he moves to the slot). The upshot here is that the Birds added ten players for a little less than $20 million. Few if any will be stars (several won't even make the 53) but at a minimum the Eagles got themselves some decent depth. I'm fine with how this played out.
All told, I grade the free agency portion of the offseason to be a B-. That's a faint praise, but on the whole there's little to get very excited over and even less to be too upset about. Philly was unlikely to do worse, and that alone is good news.
To wrap up, this article would be incomplete without a seven round mock draft (I'll list both a probable pick and my personal dream pick for some of these slots):
22nd overall: JC Latham, OL, Alabama. This guy is 6-6, 340, and has tackle-guard versatility. The Eagles love Alabama offensive lineman and can fit organizational philosophy and both short and long term needs with this pick.
The dream pick for this slot for me would be Jared Verse, who profiles as a bigger and more athletic Brandon Graham.
50th overall: TJ Tampa, CB, Iowa St. Tampa may well be gone by now, but if not, Philly absolutely will take a shot on a long, athletic and experienced corner from a developmental program that can play both press and zone coverage.
A dream scenario involves Xavier Worthy somehow sliding to this slot; in 2008 few expected DJax to drop to where Philly ended up getting him (49th overall); perhaps lightning strikes twice.
53rd overall: Payton Wilson, LB, NC State. Elite size-speed guy that could play eight years here if given a chance.
Dream scenario: Tyler Nubin may be the top safety in the class (unless Cooper DeJean moves there).
120th overall: Johnny Wilson, WR, Florida St. Not many pass catchers have ever been taller; Wilson could either solve Philly's backup outside WR problem for good, or possibly move inside and back up Dallas Goedert.
Dream scenario here is obvious and has been mocked at this spot elsewhere already: Jeremiah Trotter Jr. would make too much sense for Philly, even with Wilson already in tow.
161st overall: Dylan Laube, RB, New Hampshire. Philly struck gold already with an FCS all-purpose back from the old CAA once before, why not try again with the multitalented Laube?
171st overall: Xavier Thomas, DE, Clemson. Six years ago, Thomas was the only passer rusher in Micah Parson's stratosphere, according to the recruiting experts. Their paths diverged there, but Thomas still offers an intriguing athletic profile and represents good value here.
172nd overall: Kalen King, CB, Penn St. King had a rough outing against Marvin Harrison Jr (who didn't?), and his stock dropped from "potential top ten pick" to "day three prospect". I don't care about a bad day against a hypertalented WR prospect or a poor combine, this guy can play and showed it as a true sophomore.
210th overall: Myles Cole, DE, Texas Tech. This guy is currently carrying a consensus 6th round grade, and I don't get it. He's 6-6, 280, ran a sub-4.7 40 and is still developing. The relative lack of college productivity is likely scaring teams, but that physical profile is worth a late round lottery ticket.
A dream scenario for any of these late round picks is the inevitable "prospect with a top 60 grade that drops inexplicably into the late rounds", aka Riq Woolen a couple years back. I think a player like Kiran Amegadjie (OL, Yale) may fit the bill. He's gotten some 2nd round buzz but this is a deep OL draft and I can't remember the last time an Ivy League player was a Day 2 pick. Similar comments could be made about Kingsley Suamataia. Stay tuned.