5 Things The Eagles Should Do This Offseason
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Another playoff-less pro football season for Philadelphia.
On to the offseason!
Head coach Doug Pederson and quarterback Carson Wentz now have a year of experience under their belts, so no more rookie excuses. What moves should Howie Roseman and Joe Douglas (who is now in charge of the personnel department) make this offseason?
Related: Howie Roseman: Joe Douglas Will Run Personnel Department
Here are five.
5. Re-work Jason Peters' contract
I was a major advocate for cutting Peters last offseason to save cap space, and I was wrong (or maybe I wasn't because the Eagles didn't reach the playoffs anyway and now face the same exact decision).
Peters was excellent this season (despite all of the false start penalties) reaching his ninth Pro Bowl. However, the future Hall Of Fame left tackle turns 35 on January 22nd. More importantly, Peters has a mammoth cap hit of $11.2 million (with a base salary of almost $10 million) and the Eagles could save $9.2 million (82%) on their cap by releasing him.
Related: 5 Players The Eagles Need To Decide On
Look, the Eagles need Peters, especially if he plays near the level he played at this past season. But an $11.2m cap hit is too much and there's no way Peters even sniffs half of that from another NFL team, at 35. Peters is a proud dude, but a pay cut makes sense for both sides.
4. Release Ryan Mathews
I'm actually a fan of Ryan Mathews, I'm just not sure how badly he wants to play.
In 13 games played this season, Mathews received just 155 carries. At 29-years-old, Mathews will cost the Eagles $5 million on their cap if they keep him, which isn't much. But if they release him, they will save all but $1 million of that cap money.
He did produce at times, rushing for 661 yards and eight touchdowns, but with the Eagles' abundance of young backs (Wendell Smallwood, Kenjon Barner, Terrell Watson, Byron Marshall) combined with RB heavy 2017 draft class (Leonard Fournette, Dalvin Cook, Christian McCaffrey, among others), the cap space becomes more valuable than the 29-year-old Mathews.
The Eagles need to find a long-term answer at running back.
3. Sign a solid, reliable, veteran cornerback
The Eagles need a cornerback. They signed safety Rodney McLeod last season at 26-year-old to a five-year deal worth $35 million ($17m guaranteed). They signed safety Malcolm Jenkins at 27-years-old in 2014 to a three-year deal.
And that's exactly the formula for the type of player to target at corner, to solidify the position, in free-agency: A relatively cheap veteran who they can rely on, heading into his prime.
Some names? A.J. Bouye (Hou), Prince Amukamara (Jax), Darius Butler (Ind), Morris Claiborne (Dal), Stephon Gilmore (Buf), Dre Kirkpatrick (Cin), Logan Ryan (Ne), D.J. Hayden (Oak).
2. And, draft a cornerback early
Yep, the Eagles really need to improve at the cornerback position.
The Eagles drafted Eric Rowe in the second-round in 2015, and then just gave him away last year. They are solid at defensive line, solid at safety, and decent at the linebacker position. Load up at cornerback!
1. Sign DeSean Jackson
Why the heck not?
Sure, he's 30-years-old, a little bit older than Roseman's ideal target.
"Ideally in free agency, you are signing 26, 27-year-old guys who can be a part of the core," Roseman said on Wednesday.
But the value of signing Jackson, who is a little bit older than someone like a Terrelle Pryor, is he will be cheaper. And Howie can do what he does best with Jackson's contract to get the most value: Make sure you can get out of it after 1-2 seasons, keep it cheap, and add incentives (like games played).
Not to mention, Jackson already has friends and respect here.
Related: Brandon Graham: DeSean Jackson Said 'Tell Coach Come Get Me'
And last but not least, it will be FUN! Oh the headlines, the tweets, the phone lines. It will be glorious.
