2012 NFL Free Agents: Why DeSean Jackson Is Eagles' Most Important Target

The Philadelphia Eagles will head into the free agent signing period with a shopping list catered to bringing the franchise to the Super Bowl XLVII, and no player on that list will be more important than wide receiver DeSean Jackson.

Earlier in the week I wrote an article per request of Bleacher Report that named six players who were better options than Jackson. I believe those players would be better options for the Eagles if Jackson's contract dispute continued. But with him reaching the end of that contract this year, it will be over well before the season begins.

For the sake of being persuasive, I generally avoided giving Jackson any type of praise.

I focused on his antics and the contract situation to make my point stronger. Here is where I'll give him the praise he deserves.

Jackson is in a class of his own in terms of speed. There are few that can match his 4.35 40-yard dash and his acceleration makes him incredibly dangerous on special teams.

He is one of few legitimate deep threat receivers in the NFL and teams have to gameplan against him specifically because of his big play potential.

Jackson is an essential part of the Eagles' offense. His deep routes open up spaces underneath for Jeremy Maclin and Brent Celek. A couple times a game, Michael Vick will go up top to Jackson and sometimes those plays earn big scores. Few things create more momentum than a 60-yard touchdown pass.

On special teams, the two-time Pro Bowler has the ability to change the pace of a game in a heartbeat. Every time Jackson's punt return touchdown at the New York Giants two seasons ago is replayed, the whole city of Philadelphia smiles.

It's true that he wasn't as electric this year, but I firmly believe it was because he was trying to make the point that you get what you pay for. And for the previous two years, the Eagles had been getting much more than they were paying for.

The only real concern with Jackson is his attitude. He has so much swagger that sometimes it's impossible for him to suppress it. He'll get excited on occasion and say or do something stupid that earns him a personal foul.

But a lot of fans love Jackson for that. Not necessarily the penalties, but the personality.

Jackson sells tickets and attracts viewers because nobody ever knows what he's going to do. Half of the excitement on his big play touchdowns comes from what he does when he gets close to the endzone.

But is that enough to make him the Eagles' most important target in free agency?

Philly also has needs at the linebacker and safety positions, and could have to shore up the defensive line as well if Mike Patterson doesn't return to form following his brain surgery.

The linebacker situation is dismal.

The Eagles finished the season starting a former 6th-round pick in Brian Rolle, 7th-rounder in Jamar Chaney and undrafted free agent in Akeem Jordan. 2011 fourth-round pick Casey Matthews has been nothing more than a shadow of his brother, Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews.

Instead of signing a free agent, I believe the Eagles will buck tradition and draft a linebacker in the first round for the first time ever under Andy Reid.

ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper currently has the Eagles taking Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly, a player that is graded 95 by Scouts Inc. Kuechly can make an immediate impact on the defense and would provide a long-term solution to the position.

As far as safety goes, if the Eagles draft Kuechly, they will miss out on Alabama's Mark Barron. Barron is the only safety available that can step in become a starter right away, so I don't see the Eagles looking to the draft for answers there.

Instead, they could focus on developing last year's second-round pick, Jaiquawn Jarrett, a player who saw more and more playing time as the season progressed. A successful sophomore campaign from him would relieve a lot of defensive woes for Philly.

The Eagles could also go after other free agent wide receivers like Dwayne Bowe, Marques Colston, or Vincent Jackson.

At this point, however, it's better to hold on to somebody who knows the offense well and won't have to learn a new system in the offseason. A huge factor in the defensive struggle that killed the Eagles early was the lack of preparation time.

A lot of that was due to the lockout, but it didn't help that two cornerbacks had to learn a new defensive scheme.

The best option for the Eagles is to keep their current playmakers and simply build off of last year.

On defense, Juan Castillo will now have a whole offseason to get his system in place. He will also have a leader at linebacker to communicate it on the field.

On offense, the Eagles have a myriad of weapons who can make big plays.

Vick will be standing behind an offensive line that got better as the season went on and will have a much better chance at replicating 2010's success. LeSean McCoy broke out as an every-down back and with the wide receiver corps, opposing defenses will have too much to focus on to stop them.

In a perfect world, Philly would also have a receiver who could be a big red zone target, and maybe a power back who can pick up that essential yardage on third and short. But neither of those things are as important as keeping what they have now in DeSean Jackson.

The Eagles offense is reliant on having a receiver who can take away a defender or even two simply because of his speed.

They missed Jackson greatly during the Arizona game and would miss him greatly next season if they decided not to resign him.

Next year, the contract issue will be over with and Jackson will be back to his Pro Bowl self. The Eagles just need to make sure he returns to that form playing in Philadelphia.