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The Philadelphia Eagles are going to be busy in free agency this offseason, working on revamping a defense that was one of the worst in the NFL last year. The defense played a significant role in the franchise losing six of their last seven games and bowing out of the wild card round.
Philadelphia finished 26th in yards allowed per game (356.1), 24th in yards per play allowed (5.5), 31st in third down conversion rate allowed (46.4%), 29th in 10+ yard plays allowed (228), 30th in successful play rate (56.2%), 29th in opponent passer rating allowed (97.6), and 24th in sack rate (6.2%). The Eagles fired Sean Desai and allowed Matt Patricia to move on, hiring Vic Fangio to fix the defense and call the plays.
The Eagles also have a new offensive coordinator in Kellen Moore, looking to install new concepts in an offense that gotten stale over the second half of last season. Philadelphia will be active in free agency with $41.9 million in salary cap space (per Over The Cap) while also having three draft picks in the top 53 slots.
In what should be a busy offseason for the Eagles, here’s a blueprint for what’s to come.
1. Revamp at safety
The Eagles already made safety a priority based on the decisions they made and their current situation at the position. Philadelphia released Kevin Byard last week, saving $14 million in cap space with the move. The Eagles just have Reed Blankenship as the only healthy safety on the active roster as Sydney Brown is rehabbing from an ACL injury. Tristin McCollum and Mekhi Garner are on futures deals, but ended up playing a combined 56 snaps last season.
Needless to say, safety is a priority for the Eagles. Blankenship could start next season, but the Eagles can justify making him a No. 3 safety and pave the way for a free agent signing or draft pick. Kamren Curl, Geno Stone or Julian Blackmon would be ideal signings for Philadelphia — and a reunion…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/five-offseason-moves-eagles-should-make-safety-top-priority-in-revamping-defense-address-rb-and-wr/
Author : Jeff Kerr
Publish date : 2024-03-06 14:06:07
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