4 Questions Still Facing the Eagles as Howie Roseman Turns Towards the Draft

The Eagles spent March doing what they usually do under general manager Howie Roseman. They added talent, depth, and they let the league know that they’re still going to be hungry in the offseason. Philadelphia’s depth includes wide receiver Hollywood Marquise Brown, linebacker Arnold Ebiketie, and cornerback Jonathan Jones, just to name a few.

The addition of bringing back Dallas Goedert on a 1-year, $7 million contract also gives them a different view at what they want to do now during the draft, but the discussion around the team at the owners’ meetings made it clear there are still major questions to answer.

Free agency helps the Eagles, but it doesn’t give them full stability. Here are four questions the Eagles still face with the draft looming this month:

Have the Eagles fixed the offense, or did they just patch up holes around it?

On paper, the Eagles did add useful pieces to the offense. Brown brings in a speedy WR3 who, if used well, could cause some trickery in a fast-paced offense. The signing of Johnny Mundt gives them a valuable option for a blocking tight end, and Goedert’s return keeps a familiar face in the city for now.

But those moves feel like they just tried to stabilize the unit rather than fix every problem, especially when the passing game is one of the central talking points. There shouldn’t be anything to fix with the offense; they need everyone to step up once again.

Another question is how the offense will look under new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion? His scheme looks to maximize Jalen Hurts, which is something that Kevin Patullo did not do during his only year as the offensive play caller. The question is whether the Eagles have sharpened the offense or are looking to see what the draft has in store for them.

How will they handle A.J. Brown ahead of June 1st?

Trade speculation around A.J. Brown was always going to follow the Eagles in the owners’ meetings, so Roseman, Nick Sirianni, and Jeffrey Lurie were all asked about the receiver’s future. 

Roseman gave the firmest answer: “A.J. Brown is a member of the Eagles.” This signaled that the team is not eager to move him right now.

Sirianni backed up Roseman’s response right away with a similar message: “Nothing has changed there, A.J. is an Eagle.”

Now, how did Lurie respond to this? “He’s an Eagle, we’ll see what happens down the road.”

A much different response compared to Roseman or Sirianni. That distinction doesn’t mean a move is coming, but it keeps the conversation alive as the Eagles weigh their options heading into April and beyond.

It doesn’t help that the Eagles will travel to Foxboro in the preseason to host a joint practice with the New England Patriots, one of the teams that have shown strong interest in Brown. The real takeaway might be about how the front office will want to handle this situation. A trade before June 1st would take on a dead cap hit of over $40 million, but if they were to deal him after the beginning of the month, the cap hit would shrink by over $25 million. The Eagles have declined offers from multiple teams for Brown’s services, including New England, which offered a first-round and third-round pick for him.

READ MORE ON THE EAGLES’ JOINT PRACTICE WITH THE PATRIOTS:

What Does the Eagles’ Joint Practice with the Patriots Mean for A.J. Brown?

Did free agency solve enough on defense?

The Eagles added on defense, most notably with Riq Woolen in the secondary and Ebiketie on the edge, but besides that, the rest of the pieces are strictly for depth. The losses of Nakobe Dean, Reed Blankenship, and Jaelan Phillips are devastating, which shows that this defense isn’t settled one bit. They also sent Sidney Brown to the Atlanta Falcons for a fourth and sixth round draft picks, shrinking an already poor safety room that basically only consists of Andrew Mukuba.

It just goes to show that the Eagles have plenty of depth in certain spots (linebacker), but will struggle when it comes to a limited position like safety. Depth is not the same thing as certainty. A team that is a Super Bowl contender year in and year out needs stability.

Yes, the defense is still one of the best in the entire league, but until the Eagles show who they trust the most, this defense still looks like it’s being assembled rather than finished.

What are the Eagles really telling us about pick 23?

The draft is most likely going to remain the most central point of the offseason again for this team. Recent draft discussions have pinned the Eagles towards an edge rusher or offensive tackle. With the possibility of Lane Johnson retiring soon and the thought in the back of Landon Dickerson‘s mind, this wouldn’t be a bad move, but you can still grab a good lineman in the middle-to-later rounds. An edge rusher would be nice to prove stability with Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt, with Smith entering a contract year. They both fit needs, but they also have consistent strength at that position.

The biggest issue they need to address is safety with the trade of Brown. Bringing Marcus Epps back was a good depth addition to someone who played fantastic football down the stretch, but the Eagles should be looking for someone to recreate the same success that Blankenship had. The current roster setup suggests the Eagles want to complement their free agency signings and not just clean up after them.

The bigger message during the offseason is that Roseman is still building. The Eagles have improved the roster, but it’s nowhere near finalized yet, and that is why the most important part of the offseason has yet to come. 

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