Eagles free-agency preview: Five offensive players who could make sense for the Birds | Early Birds

Good morning, Eagles fans! Happy Wednesday morning. We’re officially one week away from the start of free agency, although it might not be the most exciting free-agency period the Eagles have had in recent memory.

If you can’t tell from the slight uptick in temperatures this week, we’re about to get into the thick of the offseason. Ahead of the feverish start to the new league year, the Dallas Cowboys have made some marquee moves, including signing quarterback Dak Prescott to a four-year, $160 million contract extension that will put him among the top earners in the league. Don’t expect the Eagles to dole out any contracts of that magnitude; more on that later.

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— EJ Smith (earlybirds@inquirer.com)

Last week, we went through five defensive free agents who could make sense for the Eagles, who will have very limited cap space but several needs to address.

This week, we’ll go through five offensive free agents who, for the most part, fit the following criteria: Young, low-cost players with at least some upside.

Rashard Higgins

Higgins, who will turn 27 in October, is an intriguing receiver who flashed solid efficiency last season with the Browns. The Eagles front office, which values advanced statistics more than most, would likely appreciate that Higgins was ranked 23rd in yards per route run by Pro Football Focus last year. The Eagles’ best receiver in that category was DeSean Jackson, who ranked 50th.

Higgins has yet to catch more than 40 passes and played only 47% of the Browns’ offensive snaps last year, so his production and playing time should keep his market value reasonable this offseason, especially with the possibility of quality starting receivers getting released by cap-strapped teams. The Eagles can offer Higgins a much bigger role on a short-term deal that could appeal to both sides. Higgins would get a chance to show he can flourish with a starting job, and the Eagles would get to see if his efficiency carries over as a bigger part of an offense.

Tyrod Taylor

No matter what you think of Jalen Hurts, the Eagles will need to add somebody else to the quarterback room before next fall. Taylor, soon to be 32, could serve as a veteran backup capable of mentoring Hurts, competing for a starting job, and/or getting guys up to speed with new offensive coordinator Shane Steichen’s scheme. Taylor played for Steichen in Los Angeles for the last two years and was a bridge to Chargers rookie Justin Herbert last year.

Taylor is a dual-threat quarterback who could offer a seamless transition from Hurts if called upon as a backup. Whether the Eagles could actually land Taylor remains to be seen, though. The veteran, who has been replaced by rookie quarterbacks — Baker Mayfield and then Herbert — in each of his last two stops, might be tired of being a babysitter. There’s also the chance his price as a quality backup is too rich for the Eagles.

Breshad Perriman

Perriman is in the same tier as Higgins as a low-cost receiver with a chance to realize some untapped potential. The former first-round pick will turn 28 next year and has showed promise at times. He was plagued a bit last season by the dysfunctional Jets offense, but had 36 catches, 645 yards and six touchdowns with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2019.

At 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds with elite speed, Perriman has physical tools that will still be appealing for teams such as the Eagles that will be looking for inexpensive downfield threats. Perriman signed a one-year, $6.5 million contract last offseason and should be in line for around the same this time around, which might or might not be too much for the Eagles, depending on how much salary they’re able to shed.

Marlon Mack

Would this list be complete without a few former Colts? Mack, a once-promising running back who just celebrated his 25th birthday Sunday, has plenty of experience with new head coach Nick Sirianni, playing for him each of the last three seasons. He had 1,091 rushing yards in 2019 and 908 the year before, but tore his Achilles last season in Week 1 and is now a bit of a question mark. Mack isn’t much of a receiving threat, either, which will hurt his value even more.

Still, Sirianni knows Mack well and could view him as a quality, low-cost depth piece behind Miles Sanders. Mack has averaged 4.4 yards per attempt in his four-year career and has been productive around the goal line, scoring 20 rushing touchdowns.

Jacoby Brissett

Another former Colt! Brissett, 28, is another quarterback who could serve at the very least as a quality backup and possibly even compete for a starting job. Brissett started a full season in Indy with Sirianni as his offensive coordinator in 2019 and finished 21st in QBR before taking a backseat to Philip Rivers last season. There’s a chance he will land a starting opportunity elsewhere in free agency, but he will likely end up being one of the better backups in the league.

As with Taylor, Brissett’s familiarity with the Eagles’ new coaching staff, particularly Sirianni and passing-game coordinator Kevin Patullo, could be valuable in addition to his providing mentorship to Hurts. Also like Taylor, he’d likely require a decent chunk of money to be a backup on a team that’s not expected to contend for anything next year.

Tell me which you’d prefer:

A. Pitts/Chase

B. Trade back for Smith/Waddle + Pick #40

C. Trade back twice for Jaycee Horn + Pick #40 + Pick #48

— from Chris (@cdb224) on Twitter

Good question, Chris. In essence, you’re asking if the Eagles should trade down in the first round for an extra second-round pick. Depending on the Eagles’ evaluation of Kyle Pitts and Ja’Marr Chase, I’d argue that making sure you get an impact player with the sixth pick is better than having an extra pick or two in the second round.

If Chase and Pitts are graded similarly to DeVonta Smith and/or Jaylen Waddle, then it definitely makes more sense to see if you can add a Day 2 pick, but based on most draft analysts’ takes on the class, Pitts and Chase are much better prospects.

The Eagles’ lack of young, talented players is glaring. Sure, you could argue that trading back to bring in an extra top-50 prospect would be worthwhile, but it’s hard to understate how important Roseman’s coming decision with this first-rounder is going to be. It’s more important they get that pick right than what happens on Day 2, although they’re both incredibly important. Because of that, I’d take the best player at six before trading back.