Everyone is looking forward to free agency and the draft, hoping to see the Eagles make some important additions. But where does the roster rank as of right now?
Evan Silva of Rotoworld ranked all 32 teams as-is and placed the Eagles 11th. Here are his main concern areas.
11. Philadelphia Eagles
S: Defense, defense, defense. The Eagles could use talent injections at all three levels, with safety as the most glaring deficiency. Strong safety Nate Allen‘s rookie deal is up, and free safety Pat Chung is fully expected to be released. Fifth-round pick Earl Wolff failed to distinguish himself in his first NFL season. Philadelphia may very well open next season with two new safety starters.
DT: Fletcher Cox and Cedric Thornton are a formidable duo on the ends, but first-year DC Billy Davis was forced to rely too heavily on undersized rookie Bennie Logan at nose tackle in 2013. Logan can shoot gaps, but gets pushed around against the run. The Eagles turned to Logan because $11 million pickup Isaac Sopoaga flopped on the nose. Sopoaga was traded to New England in October.
WR: With Riley Cooper and Jeremy Maclin‘s contracts expiring, overpaid slot man Jason Avant is left as Philly’s current No. 2 receiver behind DeSean Jackson. Maclin has hinted he’d be willing to accept less money to stay with the Eagles, which would smoothly shore up this hole. Cooper also seems unlikely to break the bank. It’s not inconceivable that Philadelphia could bring back both.
CB: Offseason free agent addition Cary Williams predictably finished toward the latter end of Pro Football Focus’ 2013 cornerback ratings, while bookend LCB Bradley Fletcher was better, but not great. Brandon Boykin is entrenched as Philly’s long-term slot corner, but the outside positions are far from settled. Adding an early- to mid-round draft pick to compete for snaps would make sense.
Interesting stuff. I don’t fully agree about Bennie Logan. There were certainly times that he did get pushed around, but Silva is ignoring 2 key things. The team will have Logan get bigger. That’s been part of their plan for him since drafting him. Also, he was new to playing NT. Logan out-played Sopoaga. He showed real promise. He does need to get better at anchoring and taking on double teams.
Logan showed enough potential that I don’t think the Eagles will see NT as an area of need. They’ll see it as a spot that can be upgraded if they want. There is a need for depth.
I think it is bad that big media guys are using PFF’s grades as gospel.