Reactions to a brilliant offseason: Part 2, Pickups

    When the Eagles lost Miles Sanders, Javon Hargrave, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Howie Roseman needed to get back to work. And he did start working. After gathering up a loaded defense from the draft including Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, and Kelee Ringo, they needed some veterans to complete the package. They quickly got Terrell Edmunds from the Steelers. Edmunds logged 41 tackles last year, and although he didn't get any interceptions, he did have five passes defended and got two sacks. He will be working with Darius Slay, James Bradberry, Avonte Maddox and Reed Blankenship to form a lethal Eagles' secondary.  

    The loss of Miles Sanders brought up concerns, due to the heavy workload on Jalen Hurts' shoulders in the first place. Running quarterbacks attract more hits, especially to legs, and can cause severe injuries. To decrease the risks, Roseman quickly picked up Rashaad Penny from the Seahawks. Penny averaged ran for 346 yards, averaged 6.1 per carry, and scored two touchdowns...all in five games. The only thing keeping Penny from stardom is his consistent injury. Penny has played in five NFL seasons and has never played a full season. He has only averaged 8.4 games per season. His productivity during his short seasons are promising, but his inability to stay healthy means that Kenneth Gainwell, and new Eagle D'Andre Swift, will probably have to cover for him. 

    With Zach Pascal gone and in Arizona, the Eagles needed another wide receiver. This is what happened in the 2019 season. They put to much stock into their two best wide receivers, DeSean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery. Both suffered season ending injuries, which restricted the Eagles' receiver options. They quickly filled up that spot with Olamide Zaccheaus. Zaccheaus isn't a WR 1 obviously, but the right person for the spot. Zaccheaus logged 533 yards and three touchdowns last year. It isn't anything big, but the Eagles don't need anything big.

    With the loss of Miles Sanders, the Eagles needed more than an injury-prone player to fill in the running back spot. They needed a Georgia Bulldog. D'Andre Swift The Lions managed to get both David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, so they didn't need their Bulldog back anymore. Roseman capitalized on the free player. Swift has yet to have a season over 650 rushing yards, but also has yet to have a season under 4.1 yards per carry. He ran for five touchdowns last year, but, like Penny, is no stranger to missing games. Swift missed three games last year, and has yet to have a season over 14 games. He is definitely better staying healthy than Penny, but regardless of both players' issues, Kenneth Gainwell is a young back who is fully capable of taking charge. They also still have Boston Scott, Trey Sermon and Jalen Hurts (who ran for 13 touchdowns last year!) all who visit the end zone frequently. 

The acquisition of Swift provides relief to the running back spot

Photo Credit: ESPN

    The Eagles look better than they did last year. They picked up players who fit their game plan and look make another trip to a Super Bowl. It isn't easy to win a Super Bowl and return. It's also really hard to lose a Super Bowl and return. The Eagles team is loaded with great players, but will have to fight hard against an NFC East rapidly getting better. This team looks like the team that can do it. 

The above photo was taken from an ESPN article. Photo not on page. Photographer not on page. Article written by Tim McManus. Image used for commentary.