There’s still one game left on the schedule, but it’s more than a week ago, and for 30 other teams, the NFL offseason has already started. Per usual, it’s a big offseason in the NFL.
The league is celebrating its 100th anniversary this fall, and there figures to be plenty of fanfare. So to start the offseason, ESPN created a list of 100 figures and issues who will shape the not-too-distant future of the NFL.
“Instead of 100 candles on some giant, football-shaped cake, we've decided to take a look at the 100 people or issues -- in no particular order -- that will shape the NFL over the next ... let's say ... three or four years,” ESPN’s Dan Graziano writes. “We've sorted them into categories -- quarterbacks get their own, of course -- and tried to give you a snapshot of who and what we think will be driving things in the league over the next couple of seasons and offseasons.”
It’s not surprise that there are a couple figures from the Philadelphia Eagles on the list. After all, the Birds are (still) less than a year removed from the first Super Bowl win in franchise history.
And ESPN sees quarterback Carson Wentz, tight end Zach Ertz and safety Malcolm Jenkins as players who are shaping the future of the NFL.
Nearly a quarter of the list is devoted to quarterbacks — 20 current quarterbacks, two college quarterbacks, Colin Kaepernick, “the replacements” for some current veterans — and given Wentz’s performance through the first 13 games of the 2017 season, it’s no surprise he’s on the list.
Here’s what ESPN has to say about Wentz:
Imagine being as good as Wentz is and living in the shadow of your backup. Nick Foles' legacy in Philadelphia is locked in if he never throws another pass as an Eagle. Wentz was on an MVP track before he got hurt in 2017 and Foles led the team to a Super Bowl title. He’ll burn to win one of his own.
That characterization seems to track with recent comments from Wentz’s teammates in the aftermath of a report that characterized the quarterback as “egotistical” and “selfish.” That, Jenkins said, is just Wentz’s drive. He has much to prove in 2019 and beyond, and he’s eligible for what figures to be a rich, long-term contract extensions. He just has to show that those first 13 games of 2017 will be the norm.
Jenkins is another name that isn’t surprising to see on this list. His performance on the field has remained top-notch — he played ever defensive snap in 18 games in 2018 — and his work off the field as one of the leaders of the Players Coalition has earned him headlines.
From ESPN:
To the chagrin of some, Jenkins has become the leader of a players coalition that has decided to work with NFL owners on criminal justice reform issues. Jenkins has managed to use his platform to get some of his initiatives passed, and he’ll continue to speak out on the issues behind player protests, even as such protests fade.
It’s not a coincidence that Jenkins is right above Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid on this list. Reid was critical of Jenkins’ leadership, and the two exchanged words before the Eagles and Panthers played in October. Reid had more words for Jenkins after the game.
But Jenkins remains a face of the movement for social justice among NFL players, and the Eagles, with players like Chris Long, Rodney McLeod and Michael Bennett, were one of the most active groups on this front.
Ertz makes the list toward the bottom of the “playmakers” section. The Pro Bowler is coming off a career year in which he caught 116 passes — a single-season record for a tight end — for 1,163 yards and eight touchdowns.
From ESPN:
Ertz set a tight-end record for catches in a single season with 116. Whether it’s Carson Wentz or Nick Foles at QB, it’s clear the star tight end is the focal point of Doug Pederson’s Philadelphia offense.
It was a banner year for tight ends. Ertz set the single-season record for catches at the position, while San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce broke the single-season record for receiving yards by a tight end. Tight ends are getting more athletic, and the position is full of mismatches for opposing defenses.
Ertz owned a great rapport with both Wentz and Foles, so he figures to be a significant part of the Eagles offense moving forward.
This type of list is completely subjective, so any omission isn’t too glaring, but it is a surprise to see coach Doug Pederson’s absence. There are 18 coaches on the list — including former Eagles quarterback Mike Vick, who is slated be offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Legends of the Alliance of American Football, and former Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich — but no Pederson.
He’s the only coaching hire that’s lasted from the 2016 hiring class, and he’s obviously had the most success of that group. Plus, he’s a prominent branch of the Andy Reid coaching tree, and he’s already got a successful branch of his own in Reich, who took the Colts to the playoffs in his first season. Anyway.
ESPN also did an interesting exercise behind its Insider paywall that involved re-drafting the first two rounds of the 2018 NFL Draft. There’s a couple items of interest to Eagles fans.
The first is that tight end Dallas Goedert goes to the Dallas Cowboys — his namesake — with the No. 19 overall pick. The Eagles, of course, drafted Goedert out of South Dakota State at No. 49 (one spot ahead of the Cowboys) after trading out of the first round and then up in the second round.
Goedert displayed great strides in his first season, and he caught 33 passes for 334 yards and four touchdowns. At times, it felt like he should have been more involved in the offense. For the Cowboys, he would fill a need at tight end after the retirement of future Hall of Famer Jason Witten.
The second note of interest is that the re-draft, which didn’t allow for trades, has the Eagles picking SMU wide receiver Courtland Sutton at No. 32.
From ESPN’s Tim McManus:
The Eagles' first selection in the real draft came at No. 49, as they picked tight end Dallas Goedert, who was snatched up by Dallas here. The Eagles need a steady presence opposite Alshon Jeffery, and Sutton would provide that. Philly will gladly take 6-3, 216-pound Sutton, who had 42 catches for 704 yards and four TDs for the Broncos. His 16.8 yards per reception ranked seventh in the NFL.
Sutton was solid in his rookie season for the Denver Broncos, and he would have easily led the Eagles in yards per catch. The Eagles didn’t address wide receiver in the 2018 draft, but after a disappointing 2018 season for the group (outside of Jeffery, for the most part), it looks like a position that could use an upgrade. Philadelphia needs someone who can stretch the field and let Jeffery and Nelson Agholor work in more space.
The Eagles didn’t have a second-round pick in 2018 as part of the deal with the Cleveland Browns to select Carson Wentz in 2016.
It’s an interesting exercise that can be seen in full here.
Philadelphia Eagles on PennLive