Philly Front Office

News this week was that the Eagles and Nick Sirianni have agreed to a contract extension of an as yet undisclosed length and amount. My sleuthing tells me it will be for 4-5 years at around $16.5m per season. With the schedule out, draft done, free agency frenzied, and several extensions signed and sealed, what is left for the off season? Well, there is still a little meat on the bone…

One More Extension

There are four Eagles who are currently eligible for extensions that have yet to sign. Jahan Dotson isn’t getting a new deal right now. Nakobe Dean and Jordan Davis are both entering their 4th seasons in the league and are therefore open to some contract negotiation. Davis had his 5th year option picked up, so he is at least in no danger of leaving. Dean on the other hand is entering the final season of his contract. However, because of his devastating knee injury in the playoffs and the drafting of Jihaad Campbell, there has not been any mention this spring of extending him. Before getting hurt, there was genuine intrigue of whether the Eagles would resign Zack Baun because of Dean’s emergence. Well, things have changed. I doubt an extension for either will be discussed in earnest until after next season. (There is a possibility of a 1 year extension for Dean as a gesture of goodwill to the captain of the Bulldogs, but that would be it.)

So that’s three, who is the other one? Reed Blankenship. I would be shocked if his agent and Howie weren’t on the phone right now. Blankenship arrived undrafted out of Middle Tennessee and almost immediately made his mark by intercepting Aaron Rodgers on Monday Night Football. He has been mostly in the starting lineup ever since. At the end of this season, he was dubbed a leader of the secondary by the departing Darius Slay and the most underrated member of the Eagles by Pro Football Focus. The only hitch in extension talks has to be the money, not the desire. The Eagles have a policy of not overpaying “good” players. This is the reason there was ZERO discussion of bringing back Milton Williams and Josh Sweat. If Reed thinks of himself in the $10m+ per year range, the Eagles will probably draw the line. Anything less than that and a deal probably gets done. At the beginning of the offseason I had him getting 3/$21m. That seems kind of light now though.

What we learned this offseason with the Eagles is that they are very aware of succession plans. Zack Baun was great, but the main reason he was the priority in free agency was because Dean got hurt. Milton Williams has Moro Ojomo to step in and Josh Sweat has Jalyx Hunt. Who is stepping in for Reed Blankenship? The Eagles are probably wondering if Sydney Brown is that guy. I don’t think he is. 3/$30m seems realistic on both sides if the Eagles want to do it.

Depth

All signings before April 29 count toward the compensatory pick formula. Thankfully that is now in the rearview mirror. Another key date is June 1. That is the day teams can release players and split their salary between this season and next (teams get 2 June 1 designations, but that is to just get on with the process early; the Eagles did this with Darius Slay and James Bradberry). Expect a mini-wave of releases to come at this time. From there, teams can carry up to 90 players on their rosters. It isn’t until August 27 that up to 47 of those guys need to be cut (no more gradual cutdowns). So, look for some cuts in the next few weeks before things really get started in training camp. The Eagles will always be looking for depth along the lines.

Through the draft and free agency, the Eagles brought in a ton of CBs, EDGEs, and project OTs. Three positions that are pretty light though are S, DT, and WR. Who’s on the radar?

• Justin Simmons (S) is making it very clear that he wants to be an Eagle. Who could blame him? Not only does he want a shot at a ring, but he is a former disciple of Vic Fangio. He is a natural ballhawk. Despite his age, he might be looking for one last payday. That doesn’t seem to be coming though. If he wants to come to the Eagles on a minimal salary with performance bonuses, I think they would be happy to have him. Otherwise, pass.
• Jedrick Wills (OT) is a former first round pick who busted out of Cleveland. That’s tough to do. Still, he was a top-10 pick out of Alabama for a reason and stands 6’4″ and 310+ pounds. His combine measurables were off the charts too in terms of athleticism. If the Eagles aren’t interested, his agent should be begging Howie and Jeff Stoutland for a favor.
• Evan Neal (OT) is technically still on the NY Giants, but barely. Everything that could be said about Wills is true for Neal. I’m still shocked someone as good as him coming out of college flopped so bad. It’s hard not to simply blame the Giants’ ineptness on this one.
• Julian Blackmon (S) is still unsigned for some reason. He is 26, ha good size, and is regularly around the ball. I would have guessed that he is simply too expensive to be on this team, but the longer he goes without a contract, the more I like him. I can’t imagine he isn’t a starter though.
• Asante Samuel Jr. (CB) seems to be still recovering from injury. He plays like his dad, but obviously not nearly as good. If he is looking for a rebound, I can’t imagine the Eagles wouldn’t give him a shot at CB2/3 with Kelee Ringo and Eli Ricks. He is another one that you would expect to start, but the longer he is available the more that hope dwindles
• Taven Bryan (DT) looks like an absolute goon. That’s a plus as a backup DT. The Eagles have 4 guys right now at the position, but nabbing Bryan, who has a lot of starter experience, as a backup would be nice depth to have.

I couldn’t find any receivers worth getting. We are set at 1, 2, and 3, but we need a burner. I don’t care who it is, but we haven’t had that homerun threat in awhile even counting Quez Watkins. Amari Cooper and Keenen Allen are still out there, but I don’t see where they fit on this team. Maybe the UFL will yield someone worth giving a contract? Who knows. We need some young guy to get released from a dumb team.

That’s It

The Eagles have simply taken care of business this offseason. They collected compensatory picks from lost free agents, locked up most of their guys, and drafted VERY well. Now that Sirianni is officially back, let’s lock up Reed and get ready for training camp.