One of the biggest needs this offseason for the Philadelphia Eagles was helped on offense for starting quarterback Carson Wentz. During the 2019 season, it was clear the Eagles needed to be aggressive in free agency and in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Wentz had an unbelievable end of the 2019 season, as he willed the Eagles into the playoffs, even with a plethora of injuries and playing with UDFA players. Former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky talked the Eagles Wire about what it would mean for the Wentz and the Eagles to make the playoffs last year and he said, “It is just as impressive as the MVP season. It is not going to feel the same, but it is just as impressive as the Nick Foles run in its own right.
Sadly, a concussion on a cheap shot in the Wildcard round of the playoffs took Wentz out of the game and started the Eagles offseason earlier than they wanted. It was a disappointing end to the season, but after watching what Wentz was able to do at the end of the year, there was excitement heading into the 2020 season.
First up was free agency, which featured a bunch of solid free agent wide receivers. There was tons of excitement about which free agent receiver the Eagles would add to help Wentz, but the only problem was that the Eagles did not sign one in free agency.
They also let their 2015 1st-round pick Nelson Agholor walk, so, even though Agholor will likely be regarded as a bust; Philly actually lost a weapon instead of adding one. Along with Agholor, who signed with the Las Vegas Raiders, the Eagles also lost running back Jordan Howard to the Miami Dolphins. So, if you’re keeping score at home, the Eagles are down 2 weapons as they entered the 2020 NFL Draft. Add in that future Hall of Fame left tackle Jason Peters was not re-signed and even with 2019 1st pick Andre Dillard filling in for him, it is still another loss on offense.
A team that badly needed help on offense actually entered the NFL Draft even worse than they were to end the 2019 season. But do not worry, the Eagles were lucky enough that the 2020 NFL Draft was regarded as one of the greatest wide receiver draft classes in NFL history.
Philadelphia had the 21st overall pick and it was clear they needed to get an elite receiver for Wentz. As the first round progressed on Thursday night, the No. 1 receiver, former Oklahoma receiver CeeDee Lamb started to slide.
Eagles fans started to get rowdy, as they wanted the Eagles to move up a few spots to secure Wentz a legitimate No. 1 receiver. However, Philly decided not to move up and take Lamb, who then was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys 5 picks before them. A big reason people accepted not moving up a few spots to get Lamb was that the Eagles would’ve had to give up their 2nd round pick (Pick 53) if they moved up.
Philly then drafted former TCU receiver Jalen Reagor at 21. The Eagles finally added a receiver to the mix, but Reagor was considered a reach by many people, including myself. Reagor is not a No. 1 receiver, but instead, he’s more of a gadget type player in my opinion, that can also help in the return game.
In a historic receiver class, coming out of the 1st round with Reagor seemed to be very underwhelming. No worries though, the Eagles could clearly double-dip at receiver with the 53rd overall pick, the pick they wanted to keep instead of trading to get Lamb.
After a quick run of receivers in the 2nd round, the Eagles got on the clock at 53 with limited options at receiver. Former Baylor receiver Denzel Mims, who was an Eagles Twitter fan favorite was there for them to pair with Reagor. Former Florida Gators receiver Van Jefferson was also there, but a trade down would work better to get Jefferson. However, the pick is in and then Twitter blew up.
The Philadelphia Eagles select Jalen Hurts, Quarterback, Oklahoma.
Wow.
Jalen Hurts is actually a solid quarterback, but the Eagles needed to add weapons on offense, not a backup quarterback. Taking a backup quarterback in the 2nd round when you have an elite starter is just bad business. It is a waste of resources and when you need to add weapons and you add a backup quarterback, you’re truly messing up.
No matter what way you try to spin it, the Eagles are giving off the impression that they don’t fully trust Wentz.
They may have signed him to a mega-deal, but do they have true faith in him.
Spending such a high draft pick on a quarterback isn’t an insurance policy like many have been saying. You draft a quarterback that high because you expect them to play. And as I mentioned earlier, 50% of the fan base already wanted Wentz benched for Foles. Well, a majority of that 50% are already back and ready to bash Wentz again.
The Eagles did trade for former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Marquise Goodwin by swapping 6th round picks with the 49ers, but Goodwin has only played 16 games once in his career and has never scored 5 or more touchdowns in a season.
They then drafted John Hightower with Pick 168 in the 5th round. Hightower is a speedster who is solid after the catch, but he was available in the 5th round for a reason. He will need a lot of coaching to succeed in the NFL. Eagles fans will get excited about the Goodwin and Hightower moves because both players are fast, but are these moves really the true help needed for Wentz and the offense.
Have the Philadelphia Eagles have failed Carson Wentz this offseason?