Good morning, Eagles fans. Doug Pederson remains under siege for pulling Jalen Hurts in the fourth quarter and replacing him with an ineffective Nate Sudfeld during Sunday’s 20-14 loss to the Washington Football team.
The loss clinched the No. 6 pick in the NFL draft for the Eagles. Had they lost, they would have selected ninth.
The offseason is officially here, and the Eagles have plenty of work to do. In fact, one could argue that they have more work to do than any other NFC East team.
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How the NFC East teams stack up
If the Eagles season wasn’t disappointing enough, the work they have to do in the offseason is monumental. Remember, entering this season, the Eagles and Cowboys were supposed to be way ahead of the New York Giants and the Washington Football Team.
Well, the latter two teams not only have closed the gap, but one could say they might have better futures than the Eagles.
Here iswhere the NFC East teams stand in key areas as the regular season ends. All four will have plenty of moves to make to upgrade. (Salary cap numbers provided by overthecap.com, which projected the NFL salary cap to be $175 million.) The list of unrestricted free agents came from spotrac.com.
Dallas Cowboys
Record: 6-10
Quarterback situation: Dak Prescott is an unrestricted free agent, and if the Cowboys again franchise him, it will cost $37.7 million. Prescott is also coming off a season-ending ankle injury in the fifth game. That was his first major injury in five seasons. He figures to be the quarterback. Andy Dalton is among the top backups in the NFL. He will also be an unrestricted free agent. If both come back, the Cowboys could have the best QB situation in the NFC East.
Biggest questions: How to fit Prescott’s salary into an already tight cap. ... Tackle Tyron Smith and guards Zack Martin and La’el Collins all ended the season on injured reserve, and can they rebound? ... The defensive line is old and needs an upgrade.
Estimated salary cap space: $2,545,086
First round pick: No. 10
Key unrestricted free agents: Prescott, Dalton, S Xavier Woods.
Pro Bowl players: None
Outlook: Assuming Prescott returns, the Cowboys will have to cut some players or renegotiate contracts to make salary-cap room. Will there be any chance to add quality depth after that? Teams get in trouble paying great money to good players. Prescott doesn’t appear to be a great player who elevates others. Like the Eagles, Dallas was hit hard by injuries, and if the Cowboys get their regulars back, they should be an NFC East contender next season.
New York Giants
Record: 6-10
Quarterback situation: Daniel Jones, in his second year, showed great progress, especially in the two games against Eagles. He got hurt late in the year, and it affected his play. If Jones can continue to cut down the turnovers, he has a chance to be a winning NFL quarterback.
Biggest questions: Can the Giants get more playmakers for Jones? It would seem that they should go for a receiver high in the draft. ... Can the offensive line, which showed improvement, take another step next season, especially with the expected return of OT Nate Soldier, who opted out of this season? ... Is Jones ready to take the next step and provide more consistency?
Estimated salary cap space: $22,976,708
First round pick: No. 11
Key unrestricted free agents: DE Leonard Williams, RB Wayne Gallman.
Pro Bowl players: TE Evan Engram, CB James Bradberry.
Outlook: If Jones makes even more progress next season, and that is a big if, then the Giants could have the best situation in the NFC East. They also will get RB Saquon Barkley back from an ACL injury. If a playmaker or two on offense and secondary depth can be added, the Giants should be a contender in the NFC East.
Record: 4-11-1
Quarterback situation: This will be the question of the offseason. ESPN reported that Carson Wentz plans to ask for a trade. Wentz had a career-worst 72.8 passer rating, but there should be suitors if he does depart. Pederson said after Sunday’s game that he is confident that he and Wentz can work together. The Eagles have to determine whether Jalen Hurts, who started the final four games, can lead this franchise. Would the Eagles use a first-round pick on a quarterback? Is there any way Wentz will be back? There is no shortage of quarterback questions.
Other big questions: Will the secondary, which was depleted by injury, get some needed additions? ... Can offensive linemen Lane Johnson, Brandon Brooks and Andre Dillard rebound from injuries? Because of their absence, this was arguably the weakest unit on the team. ... Can TE Zach Ertz return to Pro Bowl form, and will he even be on the team next season?
Estimated salary cap space: minus $72,140,588
First round pick: No. 6
Key unrestricted free agents: CB-S Jalen Mills, LB Duke Riley.
Pro Bowl players: C Jason Kelce, DE Brandon Graham, DT Fletcher Cox.
Outlook: It could be argued that because of the salary cap, this is the worst situation in the NFC East. Add in the uncertain quarterback situation and the fact that the team is getting older, and the Eagles have the most offseason work to do to return to being a contender in the NFC East.
Washington Football Team
Record: 7-9
Quarterback situation: This is the worst quarterback situation in the NFC East. Alex Smith is a solid veteran who would be better as a backup. Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen are not players with whom a team can expect to win long-term. Smith went 5-1 this year as a starter and made a remarkable comeback from a gruesome leg injury, but he can’t be counted on as a 16-game starter.
Biggest questions: Can Washington improve at quarterback? Washington might look in the draft, but should also see about acquiring a veteran. The WFT could go into next season with Smith as the starter, but as well as he has done overcoming the leg injury, one has to wonder if he can hold up an entire season. ... Washington also needs to build its receiving corps. Terry McLaurin has proven to be a dependable receiver, and tight end Logan Thomas enjoyed a quality season. The offensive line also needs a significant upgrade.
Estimated salary cap space: $49,559,205
First round pick: At this point, it is No. 19, but draft order for playoff teams is determined by postseason results.
Key unrestricted free agents: OG Brandon Scherff, K Dustin Hopkins.
Pro Bowl players: G Brandon Scherff, DE Chase Young,
Outlook: There is a lot to like about Washington, especially the way it responded to first-year coach Ron Rivera. Yet, until the quarterback situation is remedied, Washington will be struck in neutral. The fact that Washington won an embarrassingly weak NFC East with such poor play at quarterback is a credit to Rivera and the players, but the WFT can’t keep going this route. If an upgrade is made, then Washington will be a division contender.
What you need to know about the Eagles
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Marcus Hayes writes that GM Howie Roseman needs more power if the Eagles are to survive.
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Among his game observations, Hayes wasn’t convinced that Pederson was playing to win.
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Les Bowen has the details of the season-ending 20-14 loss to Washington.
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Paul Domowitch writes about an ESPN report stating that the relationship between Wentz and Pederson is “fractured beyond repair,” and that the quarterback plans to ask for a trade.
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If the relationship between Wentz and Pederson is fractured beyond repair, Mike Sielski writes, the Eagles have no choice but to trade Wentz.
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With Sunday being defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz’s final game, Domowitch looks at his five years with the Eagles.
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EJ Smith and Damichael Cole recap the Eagles game as it happened, with many video highlights.
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Wentz was inactive for the final game, and Bowen wonders whether he will ever wear an Eagles uniform again.
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Jeff McLane says that the Eagles clearly didn’t want to win Sunday’s game.
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Pederson insists that he played the game to win, despite pulling Hurts in the fourth quarter when the Eagles were only down three points.
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Domowitch has already started working on the draft. With the No. 6 pick, he has plenty of suggestions at various positions of need.
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Domowitch gives his grades for the game, with the Eagles pass defense showing best.
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Twitter let Pederson have it for pulling Hurts. The social media reaction included some from New York Giants players who would have made the playoffs had the Eagles won.
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Here is the photo gallery of the game, provided by Elizabeth Robertson and Steven M. Falk.
From the mailbag
Why did Doug Pederson bring in Nate Sudfeld when they were only down 3 pts going into the 4th quarter he’s been here 4 years , also, you have next year’s preseason to see him in a actual game — Deiter Tunstall on Facebook
Thanks for the question, Deiter. After the game, Pederson explained that he planned to give Sudfeld time all along. Even if we take him at his word, it was a bad decision. Sudfeld doesn’t figure in the Eagles’ future. It would have been better for Hurts’ development to play a fourth quarter in a tight game against a team that needed the win to go to the playoffs.
So regardless of whether people believe that Pederson was sincere when he said he planned to play Sudfeld all along, it was bad judgment. Hurts could very well be the future, and he needs as many reps as possible. This was no time to do Sudfeld a favor.
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