Normally we drop the critically-acclaimed Ten Takeaways column on a Monday morning, but the Eagles didn’t play on Sunday, which gave us the freedom to do something productive instead. There were myriad options available, from raking leaves, to taking the kids to the park, to sitting on your couch and watching other, more competent football teams battle it out on the gridiron. Sundays are more enjoyable when the Eagles don’t play – but fear not! We’ll get to see the slop again tonight.

In lieu of our weekly Birds recap, let’s do an exercise on a Monday morning, an exercise inspired by the Tim McManus report that Jalen Hurts has been getting first team reps. What should the Eagles do with their quarterback situation? How about the salary cap in the coming offseason? Any trade possibilities?

There are a lot of questions, so let’s go down the entire roster and decide what should be done with every single guy who is with the team right now:

 

  1. Carson Wentz – Sit him down. It doesn’t need to be for the rest of the season. Put him on the bench for a game or two, let him clear his head, and then make your QB decision from there.
  2. Jalen Hurts – Take off the training wheels. The guy is not a scrub and can throw the ball. He doesn’t need to have his hand held while the defense tees off on him because you only let him run zone read plays.
  3. Nate Sudfeld – Nothing. He enters free agency and the Eagles can look elsewhere this summer, or bring him back on a cheap, one-year deal.
  4. Miles Sanders – Give the guy more carries, and if he’s not durable enough for 18-22 touches per game, go out and get a complementary back who can do the heavy lifting between the tackles.
  5. Boston Scott – He runs hard but you can do better with this spot. We will not tender him and allow him to test free agency, and if nothing lands, he can come back and be our third RB next season.
  6. Corey Clement – Should not have brought him back in the first place. Thanks for the awesome Super Bowl season; we are now parting ways.
  7. Jason Huntley – We need to see what the dude has. We know what Boston Scott and Corey Clement are. Huntley is 22 years old and we know little to nothing about him.
  8. Travis Fulgham – Get the guy more targets. You need to find out now if he’s the next big thing or the next Dom Brown. Fulgham is one of just a few good stories this season, and he’s dropped off in production recently, so you really need to know what you have in him moving forward.
  9. John Hightower – Give him Alshon Jeffery’s snaps.
  10. Alshon Jeffery – Thank you for the Super Bowl. We’ll be waiving Jeffery and eating his $10 million dead cap hit, then giving his snaps to a younger receiver.
  11. Jalen Reagor – Scheme up some stuff for this guy. He’ll benefit from better coaching and QB play, the latter of which held him back at TCU (ironically).
  12. Greg Ward – He’s fine as a cost-controlled slot receiver right now. Ward is an exclusive rights restricted free agent, so we’re gonna tender him the minimum salary to help with our cap issues.
  13. Quez Watkins – I have no clue, but with the issues at receiver, we’d like to see what he has before making a decision.
  14. J.J. Arcega-Whiteside – It’s not going to work out with JJAW. Thank you for your service.
  15. Luke Juriga – More reps. Jason Kelce ain’t getting any younger. Juriga and Nate Herbig are the other options behind the Eagles’ vet.
  16. Jason Kelce – I love Kelce as much as anybody, but let’s be pragmatic here. He’s got one more year on his contract at $8.4 million. The Eagles need cap relief, and if you aren’t gonna be competitive next season, then retirement could really help out here. Jason doesn’t have many years left, and has talked openly about calling it a career, so the Eagles could stumble backward into a situation that helps them out (and spares Jason another crappy season, so he can save his body for whatever comes next).
  17. Michael Jacquet – He goes back to the practice squad when Cre’Von LeBlanc is healthy.
  18. Avonte Maddox – Not convinced he’s a CB2 in this league. This summer we bring in some competition and take another look at this position.
  19. Nickell Robey-Coleman – Thank you for your service (he’s a free agent after this year).
  20. Darius Slay – He’s your CB1 and he’s not going anywhere. If you’re that desperate, you can explore a trade.
  21. Derek Barnett – The Birds exercised the 5th year option on his contract, so he hits the cap at $10 million next year. You can’t move forward with that. You have to trade or waive him.
  22. Vinny Curry – Thanks for the Super Bowl, Vinny. We’re gonna go in a different direction now.
  23. Brandon Graham – He’s having his best season ever at age 32. Problem is that he has a monstrous cap hit next year, and he’s very close to the end of his career. Eagles kind of painted themselves into a corner with B.G.’s deal, but we’re gonna let him play it out and then retire.
  24. Josh Sweat – He’s been very good this year. He’s outplayed Barnett and should be here for years to come.
  25. Fletcher Cox – Two more years at big money hits. He turns 30 in a few weeks. Need him to refill the gas tank this summer.
  26. Javon Hargrave – Show him highlights of his Pittsburgh Steelers years and ask him to replicate that in 2021. If not, sniff around and see if a 3-4 defensive team is interested in his services.
  27. Malik Jackson – If Cox and Hargrave are your starting DT pair, you look to get something for Jackson, who enters 2021 on the final year of his contract. Not sure what his value is at this point, but you’re paying a lot of money to three defensive linemen who haven’t had their best seasons.
  28. Natt Herbig – Stay the course. Herbig is a solid backup lineman and spot starter, possibly a guy who could replace Jason Kelce long term.
  29. Matt Pryor – I sense that they aren’t very high on Pryor, but he’ll back for his fourth season to battle for a roster spot.
  30. Jake Elliott – Signed a five-year deal, so he’s not going anywhere. You’re not eating five million in dead cap for a kicker, but you have a potential out in 2022.
  31. Rick Lovato – All I can say about Lovato is that we have had a grand total of zero long snapping issues since he’s been here.
  32. Cameron Johnston – Stud. Always steady and reliable.
  33. Shaun Bradley – Let him fight for a job in camp.
  34. Duke Riley – He’s a free agent, so you can let him walk.
  35. T.J. Edwards – He’s shown some moments, so you let him grow and continue to play special teams.
  36. Nate Gerry – He can find another team in free agency. We will not be tendering the Whitesnake.
  37. Alex Singleton – Put him on the field as much as possible. He’s played well in recent weeks and we need to see if he’s a legit and consistent NFL linebacker.
  38. Davion Taylor – Get the guy reps. You used a third round pick on a project linebacker, and if you want the project to develop into something tangible, then we need to see this project in action.
  39. Isaac Seumalo – Left guard of the future. Cap hit grows to $7 million in 2022.
  40. Marcus Epps – Thank you for your service.
  41. Rudy Ford –  Thank you for your service.
  42. Rodney McLeod – One more year on his contract and then you only bring him back on a one-year deal after that, if necessary. He’ll be 32 at the end of the next year.
  43. Jalen Mills – Jalen can test free agency this summer. Thank you for the Super Bowl.
  44. Will Parks – Put the guy on the field. Don’t need to hear more from Jim Schwartz about the lack of dime defense or opportunities to play three safeties. Parks can’t be any worse than any other dude currently in the defensive backfield.
  45. K’Von Wallace – Get him reps.
  46. Jack Driscoll – Did okay in the action he saw this year. He’s only a rookie.
  47. Lane Johnson – Tell him that he can’t continue to play through injury. We appreciate this greatly, of course, but he’s 30 years old now and has some wear and tear on those tires. Gotta take a different approach moving forward to keep him on the field.
  48. Jordan Mailata –  A tackle of the future. Depends on what happens with Andre Dillard. Either Mailata becomes Jason Peters’ long term replacement or becomes a swing tackle who backs up Dillard and Johnson before taking on a starting role at some point.
  49. Jason Peters – Thank you and goodbye.
  50. Brett Toth – Need to find out if this guy can pass block. He came from a college program that ran the ball 75 times per game.
  51. Dallas Goedert – You’re gonna be the guy moving forward, so it’s time to take the next step.
  52. Richard Rodgers – If he wants to stay on board as a third tight end at veteran minimum salary, he is welcome to stay.
  53. Zach Ertz (IR) – Unfortunately, I think this is it. They just don’t have the cap space to extend an aging tight end, one who is coming off an injury. Thanks for everything, Zach, sorry it didn’t work out this season.
  54. Genard Avery (IR) – This angers me. I don’t even want to think about trading a 4th rounder for Avery right now.
  55. Andre Dillard (IR) – You get a mulligan for your sophomore season, but now it’s time to show something. We’re putting Dillard into a preseason left tackle competition against Jordan Mailata.
  56. DeSean Jackson (IR) – The reunion just didn’t work out. Thanks for all of the great memories from your first Eagles stint.
  57. Craig James (IR) – Thanks for your service.
  58. Sua Opeta (IR) – Get him healthy and get him more experience. He did much better in his second career start.
  59. Cre’Von LeBlanc (IR) – I know Strap is a fan favorite in these parts, but he’s replaceable.
  60. Hassan Ridgeway (IR) – Get him healthy then bring him back on a one-year deal to rejoin the DT rotation.
  61. Josh Perkins (IR) – Thank you for your service.
  62. Brandon Brooks (PUP) – Get healthy, big guy. We need you.

 

That’s about it. On the practice squad you’ve got Grayland Arnold, Elijah Holyfield, and a couple of guys we’d like to see in camp next season, guys who need reps.

Birds vs. Seahawks tonight. We want a healthy dose of Jalen Hurts, and we want Doug to take off the training wheels. Let the guy throw the ball and use his legs. You used a second round draft pick on him, so let’s see what he’s got.