This Eagles offseason has no juice

Last week, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts changed his uniform number from No. 2 to No. 1.

Brandon Lee Gowton and Ben Solak did an outstanding podcast on that jersey switch as well as a breakdown of every other Eagles jersey number change on a recent special edition of BGN Radio. It was a fun bit of audio entertainment by BLG and Ben and is certainly more than worth your time.

Unfortunately, since the firing of Doug Pederson, the trade of Carson Wentz and the hiring of Nick Sirianni, it’s also been about the biggest news from the organization since free agency began last month, and the next few months don’t appear to hold anything more exciting for us, either.

I recently encountered a bit of Eagles-related writer’s block and I couldn’t figure out why. I now understand the reason... this Eagles offseason has had no juice.

Roseman has signed two free agents of “note” thus far, both veterans in their 30s to one-year deals: safety Anthony Harris and quarterback Joe Flacco. Harris’ skills were definitely needed at the safety position, but it was an otherwise minor move, and the Flacco signing was weird in that Flacco isn’t enamored with the idea of being a back-up QB. The team has made more waves with players they’ve let go (Wentz, DeSean Jackson, Alshon Jeffrey, and Malik Jackson) than anyone they’ve acquired in recent months.

And then there’s this month’s NFL Draft. The Eagles were in an intriguing position at the end of the season with the No. 6 overall pick but last month traded down to No. 12 in exchange for an additional first round pick next season and some extra capital this year. Sure, someone “good” will still be there at 12 (although Roseman’s ability to select said “good” player is a dubious proposition at best) and they’ve given themselves more ammunition to make a run at a QB either at the top of the 2022 draft or in the trade market, but there’s no doubt trading down in the NFL Draft is always a bit of a bummer.

None of this is a surprise, however. The Eagles are a rebuilding organization mired in salary cap hell. They had no room to add additional pieces this spring and have gone about the necessary path of shedding older, veteran contracts/players and acquired as many draft picks as possible in the hopes of adding cheap young talent to a roster that is largely bereft of it.

It all makes sense. It’s the right thing to do.

It’s also super boring.

But we knew that’s what this offseason would be. With the Wentz/Pederson drama behind them, the organization has embarked on an uncertain future, with a quarterback no one is sure of, a coaching staff no one has ever seen before, and a roster with more holes than a 36-hole golf course. The road to contention is paved with bland scenery, but maybe that’s OK. Drama, while interesting to write and talk about, doesn’t make for the best football team.

If blandness is the quickest way back to the postseason, then sign me up for a year or two of a dry toast football franchise.