Philadelphia Eagles: 5 Biggest needs to address in 2020 NFL Draft
By Drew DeLuca
This offseason, the Philadelphia Eagles welcomed new faces as familiar ones left town. What holes remain for the Eagles to fill in the 2020 NFL Draft?
Last season, the Philadelphia Eagles overcame a myriad of injuries to key players on both sides of the ball. The Super Bowl LII Champions won their last four games in 2019 en route to their second NFC East championship in three years.
Many months later, the name “Jadeveon Clowney” still evokes bitter, Pavlovian reactions of foaming mouths from Eagles fans, who still wonder what would’ve happened if Carson Wentz wasn’t forced to leave the game with a concussion. Sigh.
Gone from last year’s squad is wide receiver and whipping boy Nelson Agholor, who signed a modest one-year contract to play for the Las Vegas Raiders. While many Eagles fans appreciated his contributions during the team’s Super Bowl run, many fans were not sad to see the USC product go.
The Eagles have chosen to let perennial Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters test the free-agent market; the 38-year-old future Hall of Famer has yet to sign as of the time of this article’s publication. Meanwhile, Halapoulivaati Vaitai, a key reserve on the Eagles’ offensive line for years, signed a five-year, $50 million contract to play for the Detroit Lions, not long after I finally learned how to properly spell his name.
Jordan Howard, whose role was diminished by injury and the emergence of Miles Sanders, is now a member of the Miami Dolphins, along with linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill. Cornerback Ronald Darby, torched twice by rookie Darius Slayton in one half this past December, was recently inked by the Washington Redskins and defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan just signed a one-year deal with the Houston Texans.
With last year’s first-round pick, Andre Dillard, set to take over for Peters, the biggest shoes to fill are left behind by longtime safety and fan-favorite Malcolm Jenkins. The Eagles chose not to pay top dollar for past performance and let the clubhouse leader walk; he eventually signed with the New Orleans Saints, the team that drafted him.
In an attempt to fill the void, the Eagles resigned cornerback Jalen Mills and moved him to free safety alongside Rodney McLeod, who they also brought back on a new contract. The team also signed safety Will Parks, a local kid from Germantown, and linebacker Jatavis Brown, who became a forgotten man in the Los Angeles Chargers’ defensive scheme in recent years after posting an impressive rookie campaign.
One of the Eagles’ highest-profile additions this offseason is former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, who solidifies one of the best interior defensive line rotations in the NFL. Hargrave is a great player, but a curious addition as a nose tackle in a 3-4 scheme who now finds himself on a team with two other excellent defensive tackles; perhaps Malik Jackson will slide outside to take some snaps at defensive end, as he once did in college.
Last but not least, the team traded for a pair of cornerbacks: Pro Bowler Darius Slay and former Los Angeles Rams starter Nickell Robey-Coleman. While this addresses the team’s most glaring need on the defensive side of the ball, what holes do the Eagles still have to fill come the 2020 NFL Draft?