At a press conference last week, Eagles General Manager Howie Roseman admitted that one of his weaknesses was player affection. Considering that many of them helped bring the first Lombardi trophy to the city, this is not so surprising. Roseman also added that he is familiar with the rules of the game, so next season the plans to begin updating the team.
In March last year, at a meeting of team owners in Arizona, Orlov owner Jeffrey Lurie noted that 65% of the NFL club lineups are players spending the first to third year in the league. At the same time, in Philadelphia itself, the share of such players is only 42%. In the season ending, the club roster was one of the three oldest, eight players of the starting lineup were 30 or more years old. The presence of a group of veterans is not necessarily a bad thing; in the last four Super Bowls, more experienced teams have gained the upper hand, but at the same time there is an increased risk of injuries and a low speed of the game. With these difficulties, Philadelphia encountered during the regular season.
Roseman said that, in fact, the club considered the compositions from 2017 to 2019 as one. Eagles drafts resources were reduced as a result of exchanges, in particular for the sake of Carson Ventz. For this reason, the emphasis was on maintaining the existing backbone of the team and replenishing it due to age-free agents.
To make room for beginners, Philadelphia will have to part with someone from the old guard. Here is a list of players who become free agents indicating their age:
Attack: QB Josh MacCount (40), T Jason Peters (37), WR Nelson Agolor (26), QB Nate Sadfeld (26), T Jalapulati Vaitai (26), RB Jordan Howard (25)
Defense: DE Vinny Curry (31), LB Nigel Bradham (30), CB Jalen Mills (26), S Rodney MacLeod (29), CB Ronald Darby (25), DT Tim Jernigan (27), LB Camu Grugier Hill, DT Hassan Ridgeway (25)
Runningback Corey Clement becomes a limited free agent (25).
Safety veteran Malcolm Jenkins (32) has already stated that he is not comfortable with the current agreement with the club. Depending on the outcome of the negotiations with him, the Eagles may have a new starter in the line of second-hand gear. The case of receivers will also look in a new way, since Nelson Agholor is likely to leave as a free agent, and the future of Alshon Jeffrey is in doubt.
Roseman will have to look for a way to rejuvenate the composition, while preserving the soul and heart of the team intact. This is the main task for the offseason and the Eagles begin a new stage in their history.
