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On paper, Malcolm Jenkins looked like the sort of player the Philadelphia Eagles should have moved mountains to keep around. He hasn’t missed a snap in the last two years and has suited up for every game the Eagles have played since signing with them six years ago. However, the Eagles backed themselves into a corner and weren’t able to retain their defensive captain. The New Orleans Saints stand to benefit from it.
As Eagles general manager Howie Roseman explained to Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Inquirer, “We’re in a position now with our team where we’re going to have to lose some guys.” The Eagles are expected to be in the red next season, with more than $25 million in liabilities above the projected salary cap. Much of that is due to a $34 million cap hit for 27-year-old quarterback Carson Wentz, who has been limited to 13- and 11-game seasons with injuries in his first four years. The $128 million contract extension they signed Wentz to last summer, when he was very much an unproven passer, has forced them into a tough spot moving forwards.
Former Eagles team president Joe Banner suggested that Philadelphia’s decision to let Jenkins go could also be due to his age, suggesting that, “While Malcolm hasn’t been hurt, they just know that as he gets older, the odds (of an injury) go up. Having a younger player, there obviously are exceptions to this, but a younger guy has a smaller chance of getting hurt.”
Injuries have dogged the Eagles badly in recent years, especially in the secondary. Eight different cornerbacks and six safeties took the field last season, but just two players (Jenkins and free safety Rodney McLeod) were the only defensive backs to play more than 60% of snaps. Despite their age (McLeod is 30), the two ironmen rarely stepped off the field while the rest of the defense cycled through injury-prone options.
The age hypothesis might hold water if we’re strictly discussing performance — as athletes age, they won’t be able to run like they used to — but it obviously hasn’t factored into the Eagles’ experience. Many players younger (and theoretically healthier) than Jenkins have spent more time in the trainers’ room, including Wentz, who Eagles coach Doug Pederson pointed to as someone whose prototype stature as a quarterback (6-foot-5, 237 pounds) should protect him from injury. Pederson pointed to that virtue back around the 2016 draft: “I think he’s got everything you want in a quarterback. I like his size, his arm strength, mobility. I think he has all the tools.”
Maybe Jenkins’ body will suddenly break down. It’s not likely given his track record, but sure, it could happen. But more than anything the Eagles botching their salary cap situation has made a cautionary tale for other teams. Quarterback salaries are going to continue rising, but it’s important to commit to someone who has earned that sort of monumental contract.
Wentz might make the Eagles’ investment worth it if he can remain healthy and play better, helping make up for losses like Jenkins, but this experience is something the Saints should keep in mind before putting their future in the hands of, say, Taysom Hill on a long-term extension. While Hill has enjoyed good health in the NFL, it’s important to remember that four of his five years in college ended with injuries, too. The Saints have plenty of time to decide whether Hill is really their quarterback of the future, but giving him a shot as the number-two quarterback might be a good starting point.
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