We've reached the end of the mailbag line. You guys gave me enough Eagles questions to split this into three parts.
Part 1:https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/eagles/eagles-mailbag-sidney-jones-jay-ajayi-early-round-rbs
Part 2:https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/eagles/eagles-mailbag-faith-nate-sudfeld-vinny-curry-signing-spreading-it-around
And, now, here's part three:
What will the Eagles do to address RB? Thoughts on taking Josh Jacobs at pick 25? Or will the Eagles look at a Bruce Love type in the second?— David DeOrnellis (@daviddeo1995) March 21, 2019
If I had to guess between Josh Jacobs and the field, I'd still choose the field by a wide margin. But I also wouldn't be completely stunned if the Eagles were on the clock at 25 and they deemed him to be the best player available and went that way. Ultimately, I still think they end up with a lineman there, but Jacobs is an intriguing fit for the Eagles. He would fill their greatest need on offense and could become a true three-down back in the NFL. He really could step in and be a starter in his rookie season.
Philadelphia Eagles
Complete coverage of the Philadelphia Eagles and their NFL rivals from NBC Sports Philadelphia.
As for Love, I think the second round is too early for him. If he's there in the fourth round or later, that would be an option. Remember, the draft is about value. You don't draft someone in an early round if you think they'll be there later. It's hard to figure out where injured players will go, but Love isn't a sure thing to me. I'll get into other running back options in a bit.
Did Chris Long have a down year last year? Would you bring him back now that we signed Curry?— Tim (@tffeagles) March 21, 2019
Nah, I thought Long had another pretty good year. He had 6 1/2 sacks, two forced fumbles. He's played in every game since coming to Philly. I don't know if he'll be back, but the Eagles should want him back. Without Long, they're down to Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett, Vinny Curry, and Josh Sweat. There's a really good chance they draft a defensive end with a high pick too, but with the rotation, the more the merrier. Long has a $5.6 million cap hit in 2019, but I can deal with that. I think he's worth keeping around.
are you hearing if the #Eagles are showing any interest in T.J. Yeldon or other FA RB's or trade options? Also, could you give your list of the top 3-4 RBs in the draft that best fit the Eagles? Thanks!— Phil Braxmeier (@pbraxmeier) March 21, 2019
There aren't many running backs still left on the open market, but Yeldon would be a good fit. He's a big back but can also be used as a receiver out of the backfield. He's still just 25 too. The trade options are also open and it wouldn't hurt the compensatory pick formula, something that's been important to Howie Roseman this offseason.
In the draft, we already talked about Jacobs. He would fit. In the second round, the two players I like most are David Montgomery and Miles Sanders. Montgomery didn't put up a great 40 time, but I don't care. His tape says enough to me. I think he has star potential in the NFL. And the Eagles have shown a lot of interest in Sanders. He is quicker than Montgomery, but is also a little more unproven after sitting behind Saquon Barkley for two years. But that means he has less mileage too.
Why is Howie bucking philosophy and signing so many guys at or over 30 y.o.?— Ianbot5000 (@ianbot5000) March 21, 2019
It's interesting because this has been the way the Eagles have used free agency in the last few years. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. The Eagles have signed guys like Chris Long who worked and guys like Mike Wallace who didn't. The important thing for the Eagles is making sure these old guys still have some sort of fire left in them, that they're not collecting paychecks. It's not always easy to tell.
These contracts show the Eagles are clearly in a win-now mode (as they should be), but most of them don't really change the organization's longer-term plans. It does, however, put even more emphasis on nailing their draft picks. That's how the Eagles need to get younger now, so there's a lot of pressure on Joe Douglas and his team.
Click here to download the MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Flyers, Sixers and Phillies games easily on your device.
