Don’t blame Jalen Hurts for the Eagles’ underwhelming offseason | Jeff McLane

It would be simple to draw a line between the Eagles’ inability to attract top available talent and their quarterback Jalen Hurts.

But that would be like blaming the symptom rather than the illness.

Hurts as the likely starter for the coming season is an Eagles construct. They got to this point following a series of events that can be traced directly back to their original evaluation of Carson Wentz. There was some misfortune along the way. But if the Eagles had done a better job of getting inside the head of their former first-rounder, they would not find themselves in quarterback purgatory.

Ironically, their assessment of Hurts has proven to be, so far, the better of the two. But the Eagles drafted him in the second round to be Wentz’s backup and maybe someday a starting-caliber commodity they could either flip or, if necessary, keep as the No. 1.

And so, here they are: with a soon-to-be 24-year-old quarterback who has exceeded their projection, partly out of need, but who has also hamstrung them in terms of their market desirability.

The Eagles have made the effort to upgrade at the wide receiver position. One can question their thinking when they have so many defensive needs. But they were linked to four receivers, either in free agency or via trade, and were unable to land one.

It’s hard to fault them for missing out on acquiring Calvin Ridley, who was suspended for gambling shortly after they reportedly held trade talks with the Falcons. And it’s understandable if they fell short on Christian Kirk, who signed a whopping four-year, $72 million contract with the Jaguars.

But they lost out on Allen Robinson, who chose the Rams and a three-year, $46.5 million offer, and they had interest in Robert Woods, who was given the leeway to pick Los Angeles’ trade partner, and went with the Titans.

While it may seem obvious why Robinson opted for the defending Super Bowl champions, or why Woods selected a perennial-playoff team -- aside from the quarterbacks -- receivers weren’t the only players who chose destinations other than Philadelphia.

The Eagles made a competitive offer for safety Marcus Williams, NFL sources close to the situation said. But he signed with the Ravens for five years and $70 million.

In free agency, you win some, you lose some, and the Eagles were likely in on other players before either bowing out or falling short. But that they were able to lure only local product Haason Reddick and Nick Sirianni favorite Zach Pascal lends credence to the notion that the team and its prospects aren’t viewed favorably around the NFL.

The Eagles were unlikely to bag either Russell Wilson or Deshaun Watson, for various reasons, but they couldn’t even get on the line/in line for either available quarterback.

Their interest in Wilson and Watson suggests they are internally honest about Hurts. The Eagles view him positively and see his potential for improvement, and are, ultimately, prepared to have him under center again when the season opens in September.

But they will continue to exhaust all resources in finding an upgrade. That may include selecting a quarterback in next month’s draft. But the opinion here is that they will pass on using one of their three first-rounders on the position, and trade one of the picks to increase their capital for next year’s draft when more talented prospects are obtainable.

Could the Eagles love Kenny Pickett or Malik Willis enough to draft either with their first pick? It’s possible. But considering the variables at play – Hurts’ age/development and the expenditure of taking a quarterback that high – the Eagles seem more inclined to address their many other needs.

It’s likely that general manager Howie Roseman doesn’t view the 2021 season through a rose-colored prism. The Eagles went from 4-11-1 to 9-8 and in the playoffs, but a lopsided first-round exit was additional evidence that their second-half success was abetted by subpar competition.

While Roseman has retained more than half of his free agents, with the three most prominent -- defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, defensive end Derek Barnett, and safety Anthony Harris -- brought back with contracts at cheaper per-year averages.

It can be argued that it was time to move on from all three. Roseman has been guilty of either overvaluing his own moves or getting too attached to certain players. But in each of the above cases and in lesser examples, the GM was resetting their value.

Cox still got a questionable one-year deal worth $14 million. But his contract is no longer a monolith and he will likely give snaps to second-year defensive tackle Milton Williams. Barnett will be a rotational edge rusher behind Reddick and Josh Sweat. And Harris will be in the mix at safety.

Roseman is merely covering his basis so that he doesn’t have to press needs in the draft. But it would be a shock if the defense, especially the line, wasn’t addressed with multiple first-round picks.

The Eagles still have holes at safety, cornerback, and inside linebacker, and they still have time to fill them. But they were unable to acquire a top talent at one of the positions, at least, and in having to turn to secondary and third markets, opted to go with free agents they have lived with either here or in Indianapolis.

Pascal might have been a target no matter how the Eagles’ previous attempts at receivers went. He’s getting paid like a reserve. Hurts needs more weapons, but Roseman has already invested significantly in receivers.

A sequence of miscalculations set the Eagles back at the position and kept them from allocating necessary resources to other spots. The extension and subsequent guarantees Roseman gave Alshon Jeffery has the receiver still on the books in dead money for 2022 ($5,435,706) even though he’s been long gone.

The trade and extension for DeSean Jackson three years ago was an unmitigated failure. And the drafting of JJ Arcega-Whiteside in the 2019 second round and Jalen Reagor in the 2020 first round still have repercussions.

While DeVonta Smith, and to a lesser extent Quez Watkins, have helped offset those mistakes, Roseman expended far more in capital to get the former -- the No. 10 overall pick and a third-rounder -- than he typically would for a receiver.

The NFL’s tilt toward passing has increased the value and sway of receivers -- Tyreek Hill’s and Davante Adams’ contract demands essentially instigated trades to the Dolphins and Raiders. The Chiefs and Packers have highly paid quarterbacks and an understanding that there are other positions of more importance.

The Eagles may still deal for a receiver, but why when the draft continues to be stacked with talent, and if you wait, at much less cost? Are they really going to surrender multiple picks to the Seahawks for the seemingly available DK Metcalf and ink him to a deal that surpasses every other player on the team?

Miami has gone all-in on Tua Tagovailoa, but the Dolphins essentially have no choice but to find out if the former first-round quarterback is worth an extension as he heads into Year 3. The Eagles have built around Hurts, but they aren’t as pot-committed, and their defense has only one under-26 projected starter in Sweat.

Roseman’s early-round misses on offense (e.g., tackle Andre Dillard) have had a crippling effect on both sides, and while he’s done well to mitigate some of the whiffs in later rounds (e.g., tackle Jordan Mailata), the damage done on the field and to the salary cap has been lasting.

The Eagles have the most dead money against the cap ($99,918,689) from 2021-22 in the NFL. Roseman didn’t make splashes in free agency because he extended four of his 2018 draft picks, or even because he didn’t have cap space. He had money and tried. But he didn’t have enough to outbid teams like Jacksonville.

Only the Texans are remotely close ($99,788,460) in terms of dead money over the last two years. While that may be dubious company for the Eagles to keep, both teams have high numbers partly because their young quarterbacks wanted to be traded.

Roseman, to his credit, did his best to salvage a respectable return and the Colts have already moved on from Wentz. Houston’s haul for Watson and a sixth-rounder -- three firsts, a third, and two fourths -- was considerable.

And the Browns gave the 26-year old, despite 22 allegations of sexual misconduct that have yet to be fully resolved, an unprecedented five-year, fully guaranteed, $230 million contract.

But they have arguably a top-five quarterback, the team sport equivalent of bluefin tuna. The Eagles have Hurts, a promising, young talent, but one who may not have enough time to prove that he can consistently execute the two most important traits for the position: making quick decisions and throwing with accuracy.

If Hurts is the starter by Week 1, he should be given the season to make his long-term case. But the uncertainty at the position, the likelihood that the offense will remain run-based, and the overall doubts about the team have made the Eagles a less desirable franchise.

Does that mean they haven’t improved the team or won’t have other opportunities? Hardly. It’ll be interesting to hear Roseman’s, Sirianni’s, and owner Jeffrey Lurie’s interpretation of their tepid offseason when they meet with reporters next week at NFL meetings in West Palm Beach, Fla.

It’s likely they know that Hurts is only a symptom. But if they fail to recognize that their quarterback factory was a cause, it stands to reason they’ll eventually find the cure.