Grading Philadelphia Eagles' Free-Agency Plan so Far
The Philadelphia Eagles' opening week of 2017 free agency has been eventful, to say the least, and has left the team and its fans with a much clearer view of the front office's plan for the draft and beyond.
With such limited cap space going into the opening of free agency and some huge holes to fill on the roster, general manager Howie Roseman needed to make his moves in a clever and careful way while still giving the team serious upgrades where they're needed. The Eagles were never going to answer all of their needs with free agency and they didn't, but it's obvious the team is in a much better position entering the draft.
Through a combination of tough decisions, intelligent salary management and bold gambles, Philly fans have to feel an inflated level of excitement for 2017 than where it was just a week ago. With that said, some of the moves come with a level of risk and uncertainty moving forward in the Carson Wentz era.
Let's take a close look at each significant move and dole out a letter grade for each.
Signed WR Alshon Jeffery: A
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Prized free-agent wideout Alshon Jeffery landing in Philadelphia seemed like a pipe dream for many reasons, but tons of Eagles fans got who they wanted most when Jeffery inked a one-year deal.
The consensus opinion around the NFL leaned toward Jeffery having plenty of options at landing a long-term deal with one of the many receiver-needy teams with a ton of cap space. The Eagles were undeniably receiver-needy but had little ability to sign Jeffery to anything more than a short-term, incentive-laden deal.
Jeffery's deal initially came out as a one-year $14 million deal, but USA Today's Tom Pelissero quickly reported that it's only a $9.5 million guarantee with another $4.5 million in incentives. Getting a receiver of Jeffery's caliber on the books on that number is nothing short of cap wizardry from Roseman, and that was really the only way they could get No. 17 on board, given their cap situation.
The former Bear made no secret that Wentz was a big reason he wanted to come to Philly, telling CSN Philly's John Clark that Wentz will be an MVP someday and he wants to help him get there. That certainly sounds like a level of commitment to staying with the Eagles much more than the 2017 season alone.
Having uncertainty of Jeffery's future, and the Eagles' future at receiver, isn't ideal, but neither is Jeffery's past that includes a four-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs late last season. This move alone should elevate the Eagles offense and provide a ton of optimism surrounding Wentz's second-year development.
Signed WR Torrey Smith: B
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The Eagles agreed to a contract with Torrey Smith before the news of Jeffery came down the pipeline, and the deal makes a lot more sense after the Jeffery acquisition is factored into the equation.
When Smith was viewed as the big wideout signing of the free-agency period, there remained a decent level of dependence on a young core of receivers who have proved far from capable of being consistent producers and elevating Wentz's skills. Now that Philly has a pair of veteran targets in Smith and Jeffery as the No. 1 and 2 options, it's apparent that the Eagles aren't willing to allow their underachieving receiving corps to weigh them down in 2017.
Initially a three-year deal worth $15 million, details have emerged that Smith's cap hit of $5 million per year can be taken off the books in either of the next two offseasons if the Eagles decide, per Spotrac. They're on a show-me basis with Smith as well as Jeffery, but it plays into the Eagles' favor that they can simply extend Smith instead of entering another negotiating period, which they'll have to do with Jeffery.
Smith is primarily a deep-ball receiver, but the Eagles will have to structure their offense to make him a possession receiver at times, with Jeffery sure to receive a lot of attention. He'll need to prove he can move the chains with consistency if he's going to remain in Philly for three years.
Re-Signed G/C Stefen Wisniewski: B+
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The Eagles have some tough decisions to make with their future on the offensive line, but re-signing interior lineman Stefen Wisniewski gives them a lot more flexibility there.
Wisniewski joined Philly hoping to battle for a starting spot but never got a true opportunity to do so until injuries forced him into the lineup for three starts in 2016. He must have gotten assurances he'll have more opportunities when he inked a three-year deal worth $9 million, and that could be tied to how the Eagles deal with guard Brandon Brooks or center Jason Kelce.
Both Brooks and Kelce enter 2017 with cap hits of over $6 million, and the writing could be on the wall that the Eagles are either looking to make a trade or make a tough cut before the offseason is done. Re-signing Wisniewski seemed like a cushion to allow the team more flexibility to make those moves, and it's hard to imagine they would retain a starting-worthy center/guard if a move like that wasn't on the horizon.
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Signed QB Nick Foles: A
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Alas, quarterback Nick Foles has made his triumphant return to Philly, but it's obviously in a much different capacity than his previous stop in Gang Green.
Foles signed on to be the incumbent backup for Wentz when he inked a two-year deal worth $7 million guaranteed to return to Philadelphia, per ESPN.com news services. The move freed up Philadelphia to make a related move to cut ties with previous backup Chase Daniel and save some much-needed cap space.
Of course, Foles doesn't bring quite the same veteran presence to the quarterbacking room, sideline and practice sessions for Wentz, but the 28-year-old is probably a more effective stand-in quarterback if Wentz were to miss time. Foles may not have another 27-touchdown, two-interception season in him, but he will give the Eagles a better chance to win than Daniel would if called upon.
And for Eagles fans who might be able to recycle their old Foles No. 9 jerseys and put them back to use, it's a win-win.
Signed G Chance Warmack: C
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Former Titans guard Chance Warmack signed a one-year, prove-it deal with the Eagles to give them some much-needed depth, but it's unclear how much of a chance he'll really get to prove himself.
A former No. 10 overall pick out of Alabama, Warmack started his first three years in Tennessee but saw his quality of play dip before losing his spot in the lineup in 2016. That coincidentally lined up with the same time the Titans' offensive line morphed from one of the league's worst to one of the league's best, so take that for what it's worth.
Warmack is certainly capable of turning his career around, but he'll need a good chance at playing time if that's going to happen. Unless the Eagles part ways with both Brooks and Kelce before the start of training camp, the likelihood of that is small.
The potential is there for Warmack to become a mainstay at guard for a solid offensive line, but the Eagles need to give him that chance if they're going to find out if he can tap that potential. Barring a serious shake-up up front, it's hard to see that happening.
Released DE Connor Barwin: A
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The Eagles gave their fans a chance to get out in front of the cap-casualty decision regarded as the most sobering when they released defensive end Connor Barwin just before free agency.
With a cap number of more than $7 million and a diminishing impact coming off the edge, the Eagles needed to sever their ties with the fan favorite and made that tough decision before free agency to give Barwin a fair chance at hitting the market. Few players have been more integral to the Eagles' front-seven success in the last five years than Barwin, but he'll be 31 before the season and the time came to part ways.
Without making this decision, a lot of the aforementioned deals made by Roseman and company would not have been possible. Credit has to be given where it's due for not letting emotion get in the way of business.
Released QB Chase Daniel: B+
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Adding backup quarterback Chase Daniel to the list of offseason releases was not as widely expected as Barwin's, but it was no less important to navigating a sticky cap situation.
Daniel's contract seemed a bit excessive at the time the Eagles signed him last offseason, and it began to make less and less sense as Wentz took over as the starter and the team found itself in a cap bind. There were plenty of backups on the market who could be attained for much less than Daniel and his $7 million cap hit, and the Eagles landed one when they signed Foles.
It's unclear as of yet just how much the Eagles will save with Daniel's release. The Eagles immediately open up just $1 million in space, but USA Today's David Hennessey noted the offset language in the deal will open up more money when Daniel signs with another team.
We don't know as of yet exactly how much the subsequent signing of Foles and release of Daniel will impact the cap number, but it undoubtedly boosts the roster talent and should be a good move for the cap when the dust settles.
Restructured TE Zach Ertz's Contract: A+
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Out of all the clever moves made by Roseman throughout the opening of free agency, none flew more under the radar than the restructuring of tight end Zach Ertz's contract.
The Eagles didn't take any money off the table for the young tight end, but don't tell that to the cap space it freed up. Per ESPN's Field Yates, Philly moved a chunk of Ertz's salary over into a signing bonus and opened up an extra $2.58 million in salary-cap room.
Ertz is a rising star at tight end and embodies the athletic pass-catching prototype that the position is moving toward. The fact that the Eagles could take part of his salary off the cap and leave him convinced of their commitment to him moving forward is nothing short of a genius move by the Eagles.
The $2.58 million number isn't a huge one, but when you're the Eagles right now, every dollar counts as they try to move into the 2017 season under the cap limit. If this is the move that gets them there, it deserves to be lauded.
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