Philadelphia Eagles: 5 Things We Learned This Offseason About the Eagles

Now that the draft is over and most notable free agents are signed, it is time to take a step back and examine just what all the moves made by the Philadelphia Eagles mean.

Anyone who has been following the Eagles the past two seasons can tell you that the approaches taken in each of the past two offseasons are like night and day.  So what are the Eagles trying to tell us?

Let us put this offseason under a microscope so we can determine what type of messages the Eagles are trying to send this year.

The Front Office is Being Smart With Their Money

Last year, the Philadelphia Eagles were all about spending big in free agency.  They brought in notable free agents like Nnamdi Asomugha, Jason Babin and Cullen Jenkins.  That worked with varying degrees of success.

This year, the Eagles are keeping most of their money within the organization.  They are signing key Eagles with expired or outdated contracts and are doing so in a way that is also beneficial to the team.  DeSean Jackson, LeSean McCoy and Evan Mathis have all been signed to cap-friendly deals.

It isn’t easy signing three players with that much talent, and to do so with a limited budget is even harder.  The front office needs to be commended for how they spent the team’s money this offseason.

Building Team Chemistry is a Focal Point

Because the Eagles were able to re-sign their biggest free agents, it shows that they are putting an emphasis on keeping last year’s team intact.

There is a belief among the organization that the team has some momentum carried over from the end of last season when they won their last four games.  If that is the case, then it only makes sense to bring back the same team in hopes that things are finally starting to click on both sides of the ball.

A full offseason gives this team even more time to gel and master the schemes.  If that happens, then this talented team could start off hot and never relinquish their grip on the NFC East.

The Team Knows What its Weaknesses Are

Despite keeping most of the money in-house, the team also knew when to seek outside talent. 

Such was the case when they traded for middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans.  This move was very telling of how the organization perceived their linebacker situation.  It was even more telling when they spent a second-round draft pick on Mychal Kendricks.

Moves like this show that the Eagles not only understand where their biggest weakness is, but also that they are willing to (finally) rectify the situation.

Some will complain that the Eagles didn’t do much to address the safety position, but it is likely because they are hoping that Nate Allen and Jaiquawn Jarrett become solid starters.  

Eagles are Thinking Long-Term

When the Eagles went out and signed all those free agents last offseason, they were likely viewing the 2011 season as “Super Bowl or Bust”.

This year, I think the team understands that it is better to have team capable of getting to the Super Bowl in the next five years than a team that is simply one-and-done.

The Eagles didn’t have to sign LeSean McCoy to an extension because his rookie contract didn’t expire yet.  But rather than wait a year, they decided to act now and lock him up long-term. 

That was a wise move, and now the team can avoid a situation that could have turned messy next year.

They are also getting younger.  Aside from Michael Vick, most of the offense is relatively young and are just entering their prime.  On defense, the team did well to draft young players like Fletcher Cox, Vinny Curry and Brandon Boykin. They can take over when Trent Cole, Jason Babin and Joselio Hanson start becoming less effective.

Andy Reid has faith in Juan Castillo

Drafting three defensive players with their first three picks proves that Andy Reid and the rest of the Eagles’ front office are putting all their eggs in Juan Castillo's basket. 

They have given the second-year defensive coordinator all the tools to succeed and are hoping that another year of experience will make Castillo much more effective.  Whether that confidence in Castillo is misplaced or not remains to be seen.

Hopefully, Castillo rewards the front office for the faith they invested in him.