Philadelphia Eagles: 5 Issues That Need to Be Addressed This Offseason

Anyone who follows the Philadelphia Eagles, or just the NFL, knows the "Dream Team" turned in a nightmare of a season.

Despite nearly creeping into the playoffs, an 8-8 season is simply unacceptable, especially with the names the squad has on both sides of the ball. 

The Eagles certainly have the talent and the coach, but they need to get the entire team on one page. Here are five problems they need to solve to get moving in the right direction.

5. The Quarterback Situation

Michael Vick and Vince Young both missed time with injury, and Mike Kafka—though, granted, in limited action—has looked anything but the solution for the future.

For two quarterbacks who need their legs just as much as their arms, staying healthy is all the more critical.

Reid won't part with Vick, but it may be time to either let Young and/or Kafka go as trade bait, or to draft a young quarterback. 

DeSean Jackson

There’s no question that Jackson could/would be the premier wideout on most teams, and certainly is for Philadelphia. However, he is a prima donna who demands money he hasn’t really earned yet.

Luckily, running back LeSean McCoy picked up the slack for Jackson, who let his attitude get the best of him.

I have no problem with the Eagles paying Jackson; could you imagine him and McCoy playing to their full potential in the same season? 

Depth Chart

Simply put, the Eagles are too unbalanced.

There’s no reason to have eight capable defensive linemen when the linebackers behind them don’t know how to tackle.

Why have three big-contract cornerbacks that underachieve if we don’t have a quarterback who can make up for it—even with all the weapons on offense?

If the draft class doesn’t please the Eagles front office, they have plenty of potential trade bait to make the team much more balanced. 

Linebackers

This young group was the glaring problem of the defense.

Toward the end of the year, they began to pull it together, but it was too late. Earlier in the year, however, it sometimes looked as if the linebackers were simply non-existent. They couldn’t tackle, they couldn’t play coverage...there wasn’t much they could do.

In a defensive scheme that pushes everything to the middle, you’re counteracting yourself by having linebackers with no ability to make a stop.

I am a fan of the “Wide Nine,” and with a little adjustment of the middle three, it should work out very well. 

Defensive Coordinating

Juan Castillo runs the “Wide Nine,” and the defensive line did an excellent job executing. However, poor linebacker play naturally caused an adverse effect on the entire defense and secondary.

Also, when a secondary with those names struggles, maybe you should consider realigning the coverages and stop letting Asomugha get burned every week.

If Reid doesn’t acquire a linebacker, Castillo may need to restructure his playbook. I like the scheme but he doesn’t have the personnel to execute it at a high level.