Revisiting Philadelphia Eagles' Best, Worst Moves of 2017 Offseason

As the competition for roster positioning heats up throughout OTAs and minicamp, it's time to assess how the Philadelphia Eagles fared on their biggest offseason moves.

It's safe to say that general manager Howie Roseman had his work cut out when the 2016 season concluded, overseeing a team with an obvious star quarterback of the future in Carson Wentz who had little help around him offensively.

Tack on a number of gigantic defensive holes and unsavory veteran contracts that needed addressing, and Roseman became one of the busiest men in pro football this spring.

The Eagles' front office couldn't afford to botch this offseason and they surely didn't, orchestrating a couple of savvy moves to improve the team. But they were far from perfect, leaving some questions to be answered and perhaps entrusting too much of the 2017 campaign to inexperienced talent at key positions.

Let's dive right into the best and worst moves made by the Eagles this offseason, and where each decision might lead them.

Best: Signing Alshon Jeffery, Torrey Smith

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Last season marked the arrival of a new sheriff in town for Philly. But without a proper right-hand man, Wentz found himself in a world of trouble finding consistent targets down the stretch of his rookie campaign. 

The Eagles' marquee signing of the free-agency period sent shockwaves throughout the NFC East as they landed premier receiver Alshon Jeffery from the Chicago Bears on a one-year deal.

A 6'3", 215-pound alpha male, Jeffery is a prototypical No. 1 receiver threat with elite talent who should provide the immediate production Wentz needs without having to commit big money on a long-term deal.

Philly's receiving corps failed so massively to impress that the front office felt it necessary to add another veteran in deep-ball threat Torrey Smith. The dependable wideout will help to take the top off of defenses and prevent them from pinching up on routes like the Eagles saw too often in 2016.

The Eagles still have some key young receivers in Jordan Matthews and Nelson Agholor along with a pair of rookie draft picks to depend upon, but a severe lack of depth required the team to make considerable improvements. Reliable targets are a young quarterback's best friend, and now Wentz has a couple. 

Locking down Jeffery and Smith on team-friendly contracts marked Roseman's best coup of the offseason and one that can take the Eagles' offense to the next level.

Worst: Failing to Replace Mychal Kendricks

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Eagles linebacker Mychal Kendricks receives an extreme amount of flak in Philadelphia circles that is partially undeserved, but sympathy is waning for both the Eagles and their displaced fifth-year defender.

The reality is that the 26-year-old is a poor fit in the scheme of defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who rarely implements a blitzing dynamic from his linebackers. That happens to be Kendricks' main strength, and his inability to fulfill the weak-side linebacker duties in Schwartz's defense saw him on the field for less than 27 percent of the defensive snaps in 2016, per Pro Football Reference. 

With Jordan Hicks and Nigel Bradham pairing together well at the other two linebacker spots, it's easy to see where the weakness is on the second layer of Philly's defense. Nevertheless, they've failed so far to find any veteran answer at the position and the lone linebacker drafted, Nebraska's Nate Gerry, is more of a safety hybrid.

Cutting Kendricks doesn't really make sense as he would produce $4.8 million in dead money and only save $1.8 million in cap space, per Over The Cap. Plus, he could be utilized in rare packages to blitz the quarterback.

But, it's as clear as day that he doesn't fit the requirements of a Schwartz linebacker, and the failure to find an effective replacement could be the most detrimental development of the Eagles' offseason.

Best: Restocking the Pass Rush

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Within the first few hours of the Philadelphia Eagles' hometown NFL draft, they answered one of the team's biggest question marks and significantly bolstered an already-scary defensive front.

Tennessee's Derek Barnett will need plenty of time to make good on the comparisons to Eagles legend Reggie White, the guy whose collegiate sacks record Barnett broke with the Volunteers.

But the 21-year-old joins the Eagles as one of the most NFL-ready defenders in his draft class and one who can immediately alter pockets and get to the quarterback with ease.

Although Brandon Graham now has a partner on the edge, that's not all the Eagles did to bolster their pass rush. They also released Connor Barwin to open up much-needed cap space before signing veteran Chris Long fresh off his Super Bowl win with the New England Patriots.

Vinny Curry has effectively been put on notice after his production vanished on the heels of signing a big-money contract, and former first-round pick bust Marcus Smith's days may soon be up in the gang green. But both of those are signs that the Eagles are no longer reliant on underwhelming talents.

Worst: Not Finding a Workhorse RB

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Yes, the Eagles' backfield will be better suited for success in 2017 than they were in 2016. But opportunities were there all offseason to land a true No. 1 back to take over for Ryan Mathews and the Eagles never took a swing.

The Eagles willfully ignored a bona fide class of running backs in the draft, and while most fans can't argue with their top three draft selections, it should pain them to wonder what this offense would look like with a top-end rookie like Dalvin Cook or Alvin Kamara in the fold. 

Just as well, the crop of veteran free-agent backs included the likes of Jamaal Charles, Adrian Peterson and Latavius Murray, none of whom drew much interest from the Philly front office.

Of course, the Eagles backfield looks to be in good shape after the signing of LeGarrette Blount and drafting of Donnel Pumphrey to go along with Wendell Smallwood and Darren Sproles. But the unit still lacks a true home-run threat and a complete back, which they appear content to replace with a by-committee approach.

You can't knock the Eagles for addressing other needs like defensive end, receiver and cornerback first and foremost, but it's not hard to imagine just how much better their offense would be with a true workhorse back.

Best: Finding the Future at CB

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Of all the dire needs for the Eagles this offseason, priority No. 1 had to be finding a clear plan for the future at cornerback. Already one of the league's worst units, their secondary lost starters Nolan Carroll and Leodis McKelvin, which called for considerable replacements via the draft.

After their third pick of the 2017 draft, that plan became readily apparent.

The Eagles landed one of the steals of the draft in Washington cornerback Sidney Jones with their second-round pick, a first-round talent who saw an Achilles injury in draft prep hamper his stock. But one stud cornerback is pretty useless without a capable No. 2, and that's why the Eagles followed it up by selecting West Virginia's Rasul Douglas in the third round.

Philly throws its pair of rookies into a unit that includes second-year revelation Jalen Mills along with veterans Ron Brooks and Patrick Robinson. Starting reps won't be guaranteed for either, but the attention paid in the draft to the position indicates they're the faces of the unit moving forward.

In an NFC East division that features receiving talents such as Dez Bryant, Odell Beckham Jr., Brandon Marshall and Terrelle Pryor, complete cornerbacks are at a premium and the Eagles got two good ones in the draft.

Worst: Relying Too Much on Youth

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Investing heavily in young talent often leads to the team relying too heavily on those inexperienced players to produce as rookies, and that's an issue that could hamper the Eagles' chances of contention in 2017.

As decisive as their plan to replenish the cornerback position appeared to be, it leaves plenty of tough questions moving forward.

Jones is still rehabbing from his April surgery to repair a torn Achilles, leaving a midseason debut as an optimistic outcome. Whether or not Jones sees meaningful snaps in 2017, fellow rookie Douglas can bet that he'll be on the hook for top-end production as perhaps the team's most skilled healthy corner.

Cornerback isn't the only spot where a young core could cause problems. At running back, the Eagles will need second-year pro Smallwood and rookie Pumphrey to play ahead of their years and provide a dimension of speed and elusiveness to the backfield that Blount doesn't possess.

Perhaps the Eagles could take note of what they did at the receiver position, sacrificing reps for their inexperienced young players to give to proven veterans.

The plan currently in place will require corners like Robinson and Brooks to step up big-time, and it will require Blount to become more than just a short-yardage bruiser.