The Sports Insanity Network

Chargers Season In Review/Offseason Preview

By: Mike Rifkin

The 2021 Los Angeles Chargers had an opportunity to clinch a playoff spot with a win or tie vs the rival Raiders in the final week of the regular season. Thanks to a dubious mistake by first year coach Brandon Staley the Chargers lost the game and missed out on the playoffs with a record of 9-8 finishing third in the AFC West. The Chargers have already made some big splashes this offseason.

The Major reason they are able to make these splashes is that quarterback Justin Herbert is still on his rookie contract. Herbert in his second season had a 65.9 completion percentage, was second in the NFL with 5,014 yards, 38 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. Herbert is one of the young premiere quarterbacks in the NFL, but the Chargers understand that their window to win is soon because after next season they are going to have to pay Herbert big money.

Herbert has a very good supporting cast starting with Running Back Austin Ekeler who in 2021 was the lead back for the first time, following the departure of Melvin Gordon who signed with division rival Denver. Ekler had 911 yards and 12 touchdowns rushing. Ekler is also one of the best pass catching running backs in the NFL, in 2021 he had 70 receptions for 647 yards and eight touchdowns. The 70 receptions were third on the team. All Pro receiver Keenan Allen led the team with 106 receptions (7th in NFL), 1,138 yards and six touchdowns. Former first round pick Mike Williams had a breakout season with a career high 76 receptions for a career high 1,146 and nine touchdowns (not a career high). Williams picked the right year to break out because before free agency began the Chargers signed Williams to a three year 60 million dollar contract. Tight end Jared Cook and receivers Jalen Guyton and Joshua Palmer combined for 112 catches for 1,365 yards and 11 touchdowns. The Chargers offense averaged 27.9 points per game which was fifth in the NFL.

The Ch The Chargers defense gave up 27.0 points per game and already this offseason they have worked to fix that. Last week the Chargers acquired All Pro Edge Rusher Khalil Mack from the Bears in exchange for draft picks. Mack in seven games due to a foot injury in 2021 had six sacks. Pairing Mack with former first round pick Joey Bosa who had 10.5 sacks in 2021 should give the Chargers a dynamic pass rush, after having 34 sacks as a team in 2021. The Charger defense gave up 4.6 yards per carry and 138.9 rushing yards per game and they beefed up the defensive line by signing Sebastian Joseph-Day from the Rams. Joseph-Day has 137 tackles and six sacks in three seasons. The Chargers defense had 21 takeaways but still managed a -1 turnover differential. They should get a boost after signing J.C. Jackson from the New England Patriots on a massive five year contract. Jackson was second in the NFL with eight interceptions in 2021. Jackson has 25 interceptions in his career. Putting Jackson with Chris Harris will kick Asante Samuel Jr. into the slot along with Derwin James and Nassir Adderley should give the Chargers one of the better secondaries in the NFL.

Draft

RD 1 (17) Garrett Wilson Receiver : Ohio State : This would have been Jordan Davis before the signing of Day. Wilson adds an element of speed to the offense. Wilson is a good route runner. Other names to watch: Drake London USC, Jordan Davis DT Georgia, Trevor Penning OT Northern Iowa.

RD 2 (48) Jalen Wydermyer : Tight End Texas A&M: Needs to work on run blocking but can give the Chargers another weapon to help Herbert.

RD 3 (79) Deangelo Malone: Edge Western Kentucky : Even with the addition of Mack the Chargers can use more pass rush especially in a division with Patrick Mahomes, Derek Carr and now Russell Wilson. Malone would benefit from learning from two of the best pass rushers in the league. Malone is also good at stopping the run.

The AFC West has had one heck of a start to the offseason, but with that said the Chargers need to win with Herbert on his rookie contract. The pressure is on Brandon Staley now with all the moves the Chargers have made.

Jacksonville Jaguars Season Review/Offseason Preview

By:Noah Trombley

The Jacksonville Jaguars season can be summed up in two words, Urban Meyer. The first year head coach had the absolute worst one season a head coach as ever had. The Jaguars went 3-14 for last place in the AFC south division and another number one overall pick. To list all the reasons why Urban Meyer is the worst coach in NFL history would take way too long for this article, just google anything on Urban Meyer’s time in Jacksonville and you will find many many articles discussing this very fact. Talking about number one overall picks, quarterback Trevor Lawrence had a rough year and did not look like the hot prospect he was made out to be. He finished the season with a 59.6 comp %, 3641 yards, 12 TD and 17 Int’s. To be fair to Lawrence the play calling and schemes that head coach Meyer introduced were absolutely dreadful and did not play to Lawrence’s strengths at all. He was sacked 32 times during the season, the receivers constantly dropped passes and the running game was almost nonexistent. Lawrence will need plenty of more help in order to ascend to the level many people believe he can achieve.

The Jaguars have hired former Eagles head coach Doug Pederson as their new head coach to pair with Lawrence. Pederson brings a lot to the table as he is a former SuperBowl winner and two time NFC East champion. He worked with Carson Wentz while in Philadelphia and made Wentz the best in his career and he was on his way to being an MVP candidate in 2017 before going down with injury. While Pederson’s time in Philly and with Wentz ended very badly you can’t deny he brings a steady presence to the sideline of the Jaguars, which is exactly what they needed, and with this change of scenery Pederson could possibly recapture the magic he had during the Eagles 2017 SuperBowl run.

The Jaguars finished last in points per game (14.9), 28th in points given up per game (26.9), and finished with the worst turnover margin in the league with a -1.2. Both sides of the ball need a lot of work down in Jacksonville.

Free Agents:

Sign Allen Robinson to pair with Christian Kirk and create a great WR duo to give Lawrence two amazing weapons

All the moves the Jags have already done have been fantastic, such as signing Kirk at WR and Brandon Schreff to protect Lawrence.

Draft Day:

Rd 1 (1): Ikem Ekwonu, Offensive Lineman North Carolina State, this is as simple as it gets, take the best lineman available and protect Trevor Lawrence even though youve signed multiple lineman already the whole line needs to be rebuilt completely

Rd 2 (32): George Karlaftis, EDGE, Purdue, pair him with Josh Allen and watch the front seven soar next year

Rd 3 (65): Calvin Austin III, WR, Memphis, add a number 3 option to the kirk/robinson duo

Rd 3 (70) via CAR: Quay Walker, Linebacker, Georgia, keep adding pieces to get that defense back to 2015 elite form

NEWS OUT OF METS TRAINING CAMP

By Mark Halpern

The season hasn’t begun yet, and the Mets are filling the headlines by making trades, signing new free agents to the team, Steve Cohen not caring that he has a luxury tax built in for him. However, yesterday one of the Mets premiere players had a brush with death. Mets All-Star first baseman Pete “The Polar Bear” Alonso was on his way to Spring Training when a car ran a red light and t-boned Alonso’s car, causing it to flip over three times. Pete’s wife and family were following in the car behind and witnessed the wreck and still are all in shock of what happened next. After the car stopped, Alonso kicked out the windshield and walked away unscathed. The pictures of the wreck were horrifying, and Pete was going to be checked out by local area hospital and Mets training personnel. Many times, Alonso said that he is surprised he is alive today.

On other news, Jacob DeGrom was straightforward with reporters this morning, saying that he fully plans to opt out of his contract at the end of this season. Now before all of us Mets fans go and commit Harry Carey just yet. Players of his high caliber have these clauses built-in for many reasons. First and foremost is the money. I don’t care who the player is; money is the big part. With Scherzer signed for more than DeGrom this, it makes sense for Jake to opt-out so he can leverage himself to be making the most money a pitcher has ever been paid. The second reason is that players might not be getting along with the organization and wants to leave. Putting opt-outs in contracts after a short period in a contract lets players choose where they want to play. DeGrom was quoted that he would love to remain a Mets for the rest of his career. So, we have that going for us. Finally, destination plays a big key. Players want to play in more important markets for the opportunity and the Marketing aspects so they can make as much off themselves as possible before they are told they can’t play the kid’s game anymore. If DeGrom wins the Cy Young this year and the Mets win the World Series, Mike Trout’s contract number will look very small, and that is how the old man sees it.

Browns Season In Review/ Offseason Preview

By: Mike Rifkin

The 2021 Cleveland Browns were one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL. After going 11-5 in 2020 and being competitive with the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round of the playoffs the Browns took a step back by going 8-9 and missing the playoffs.

In 2020 Baker Mayfield had a 62.8 completion percentage 3,563 yards 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions. After that season there were people in the media who were talking about the Browns giving Mayfield a major extension, the Browns declined to do so and Mayfield will play this upcoming season on his fifth year option. In 2021 Mayfield posted a 60.5% completion percentage 3,010 yards 17 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 14 games. Mayfield was limited to 14 games due to a torn labrum. 2022 will be a make or break year for the Browns whether it’s for the Browns or some other team.

In 2020 the Browns were third in the NFL in rushing and Nick Chubb had 1,067 yards and 12 touchdowns. In 2021 Chubb was second in the NFL in rushing with 1,259 yards and eight touchdowns. Kareem Hunt added 386 yards and 5 touchdowns but was limited to 8 games due to calf and ankle injuries. The Browns were fourth in the NFL in rushing averaging 145.4 yards per game.

The Browns will look somewhat different at receiver. During the season they released Odell Beckham Jr. who went on to win the Super Bowl with the Rams and they have given Jarvis Landry permission to seek a trade. But the Browns did trade for former first round pick Amari Cooper who in 2021 with the Cowboys posted 68 catches for 865 yards and eight touchdowns. Four times in his career Cooper has posted over 1,000 yards. 2021 was a breakout season for Donovan Peoples-Jones who posted 34 catches for a career high and a team high 597 yards and three touchdowns. Cleveland also put the franchise tag on tight end David Njoku who had 36 catches for 475 yards and four touchdowns in 2021. Even though Cleveland has added Cooper, watch them address receiver in free agency or through the draft.

The Browns defense in 2021 was fifth in yards allowed allowing 311.5 yards per game, ninth in sacks with 43, and had a -3 turnover differential. The defense starts with Myles Garrett who was third in the NFL in sacks with 16.0. Garrett has posted 58.5 sacks since being the number one overall pick in 2017. Last offseason the Browns signed another former number one overall pick in Jadeveon Clowney to a one year contract to team up with Garrett. Clowney had nine sacks, a number he hadn’t reached since 2018. Former first round pick cornerback Denzel Ward and free agent addition safety John Johnson tied for the team lead with three interceptions each.

The Browns have a little over 23.5 million dollars in cap space prior to the Cooper trade. Trading Jarvis Landry would open up some room, as would restructuring the contract of tight end Austin Hooper.

Free agency

Sign a veteran quarterback : If the Browns are not sold on Mayfield they should bring someone in who can challenge him for the starting job.
Sign Dante Fowler Jr : Jadeveon Clowney had nine sacks last season and will want to get paid big time. Fowler has moved around the league but did have five sacks for the Falcons last season.
Re-sign Rashard Higgins : Higgins numbers went down significantly in 2021, whether that was because of Mayfield’s struggles or not remains to be seen. With Odell Beckham gone and Jarvis Landry potentially being traded, keeping a guy Mayfield is familiar with could help both parties.

Draft

RD 1 (PK 13) : Treylon Burks Wide Receiver Arkansas : I want to preface by saying if one of the two elite pass rushers are here they are the pick. Burks is a big, fast receiver who is dangerous in the open field and will be very helpful for Baker Mayfield.

RD 2 (PK 44) : Nik Bonitto Edge Oklahoma : Quick Athletic edge opposite Myles Garrett which could help the undersized Bonitto.

RD 3 (PK 78) Christian Harris Linebacker Alabama : Pairing Harris with Jermiah Owusu – Koramoah would give the Browns an exciting linebacker duo with a lot of speed.

RD 3 (PK 101): Jalen Tolbert Receiver: South Alabama: Excellent route runner who can make plays in the middle of the field. If Landry is traded Tolbert could be an interesting option to replace him.

Carolina Panthers Season Review/Offseason preview

By:Noah Trombley

To call the Carolina Panthers season a mess would be putting that lightly. The Panthers finished with a 5-12 record for last place in the NFC south. The biggest reason for this record was the inability of the QB position throughout the entire year. Carolina went through 3 QB’s during the season and none of them played up to the standards for what this team was expecting. Sam Darnold played 12 games and finished with a 59.9 comp %, 2527 yards, 9 TD’s/13 Int’s, P.J Walker played 5 games and finished with a 54.5 comp %, 362 yards, 1 TD/3 Int’s, and returning former superstar Cam Newton played 8 games and finished with a 54.8 comp %, 684 yards, 4 TD/5 Int’s. With the news that Tom Brady will be unretiring and returning to the Buccaneers for another season and likely rule the NFC south for another year the Panthers need to the future. If head coach Matt Rhule wants to keep his job in the Queen City then he’s gonna have to find either a steady veteran or a hot prospect QB in order to keep the fans at least somewhat optimistic about the future.

The Panthers offense finished with an average of 298.9 yards per game which put them at 30th in the league only ahead of the Texans and Giants. Their leading rusher, rookie Chuba Hubbard, only rushed for 612 yards on 172 attempts and superstar Christian McCaffrey could only add 442 yards as injuries yet again continue to plague his career. 4th year receiver D.J Moore was really the only bright spot on this Panthers offense as he pulled in 93 receptions for 1157 yards and 4 touchdowns. The Panthers next leading receiver was Robby Anderson who only managed to pull in 53 receptions for 519 yards and 5 touchdowns. This Carolina offense needs a spark if they want to start competing for a playoff spot in the coming years.

The defense for Carolina in 2021 was actually somewhat decent throughout the year. They finished 2nd best in yards given per game (305.9) and gave up an average of 23.8 points per game which ranked them at 21st. The reason for the discrepancy between the points and the yards was that the offense occasionally put them in short fields and they were unable to keep offenses out of the end zone. With that being said there were some players who really stood out for the Panthers including safety Jeremy Chin who finished with 107 tackles, 6 of them for losses, 5 passes defended and one interception, linebacker Hassan Reddick who finished with 68 tackles, 12 of them for losses and added 11 sacks, and linebacker Shaq Thompson who finished with 104 tackles, 9 of them for losses, 2 sacks, and 2 interceptions.

The Panthers currently have 28 million dollars in cap space.

Free Agent checklist:

Need to re-sign Hassan Reddick, as mentioned he was one of the major bright spots of this team in 2021 and he’s only 27 years old so he can be a long time anchor for this defense.
Trade Christian McCaffrey, he has become to much of a liability with his health and the Panthers need to trade him now and recoup draft picks while he still has some value on the market
Sign Christian Kirk, Kirk is a solid number two option alongside D.J Moore and they can form a very good WR duo in the Queen City

Draft Day:

RD 1(6): Sam Howell QB from North Carolina, yes i know this might be a little high but fans in Carolina need someone who gives them hope for the future and these fans have been watching Sam for the last three years grow as a player, keep the kid in the state where he became famous and let him receive the love and encouragement from the Carolina faithfull.

MLB TEAM SONGS

By Mark Halpern

During football season I did a post about NFL Teams and what their team song represents them before the season. Well, this is the Baseball version.

National League East

New York Mets: Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes

Atlanta Braves: We are the Champions by Queen

Washington Nationals: The Cheap Seats by Alabama

Miami Marlins: Good Vibrations by The Beach Boys

Philadelphia Phillies: Under Pressure by Queen

National League Central

Chicago Cubs: 99 Problems by Jay-Z

Cincinnati Reds: Summertime Blues by Eddie Cochran

Milwaukee Brewers: Bridge over Troubled Waters by Simon & Garfunkel

Pittsburgh Pirates: Born To be Wild by Steppenwolf

St Louis Cardinals: Rock the Casbah by The Clash

National League West

San Francisco Giants: Here comes the Sun by The Beatles

San Diego Padres: I can Make your Hands Clap by Fitz and the Tantrums.

LA Dodgers: I Love LA by Randy Newman

Colorado Rockies: Call me Maybe by Carly Ray Jaspen

Arizona Diamondbacks: Surrender by Cheap Trick

American League East

New York Yankees: My Way by Frank Sinatra

Boston Redsox: Walk This Way by Arrowsmith

Toronto Blue Jays: I’ve got the Power by Snap

Baltimore Orioles: Wannabe by the Spice Girls

Tampa Rays: I wanna Rock and Roll all Night by Kiss

American League Central

Chicago Whitesox: Don’t you Forget about me by Simple Minds

Cleveland Guardians: Cleveland Rocks by The United States Presidents of America.

Detroit Tigers: Mama said Knock you out by L.L. Cool J

Kanas City Royals: We are the Kids of America by Kim Wilde

Minnesota Twins: Zombie by the Cranberries

American League West

Houston Astros: I’m Sorry by Brenda Lee

Los Angeles Angels: Hungry Like the Wolf Duran Duran

Oakland Athletics: The Show by Lenka

Seattle Mariners: One Fine Day by The Chiffons

Texas Rangers: I fought the Law by The Clash

TIGER WOODS HALL OF FAME INDUCTION

By Mark Halpern

TIGER WOODS HALL OF FAME INDUCTION

What does Tiger Woods have in common with Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Arnold Palmer, and Bobby Jones? He was inducted into the PGA Hall of Fame last Wednesday night before the Players Championship, which is currently going on. Tiger Woods is one of the best golfers ever to play the sport. You felt his tiger growl the moment he steps into a tee box until he picks the ball up out of the 18th hole. Tiger had off PGA issues with certain things, including a scary car accident last year when it was unclear if he would play golf again. This was an easy decision, and let’s look at why.

Tiger Woods during is amazing time on the tour had 20 hole in ones in his great career (3 that were on tour.) I have played golf for 20 years and have come very close, but it hasn’t happened. Over his career, Tiger won 82 PGA tournaments which ties Sam Snead for the most ever. Tiger has won 18 major PGA events, two shy of the Golden Bear at 20 wins. Tiger has 20 holes in one in his lifetime (3 came on the tour). Another stat that stands out is that he made 142 consecutive cuts passing Byron Nelson with 113. Tiger likes breaking Nelson’s record as he beat his lowest actual score of 68.33 strokes a round, and Woods finished with 68.17 per round. These are just a handful of records he owns. He has the Green Jacket, the Grand Slam (winning all four major tourts in a year), and countless others.

I don’t condone driving drunk/impaired and getting into an accident, and a few other discretionary things while off the tour. I am sure it put a sour taste in a lot of people’s mouths and counted him out, but I believe he has seen his ways and now must be the mentor to his son just like his dad was to him, and that is how the old man sees it.

BASEBALL IS BACK

METS UPDATE

By Mark Halpern

Well, Baseball is back, and things are already heating up in New York. After a long 99 day lockout due to the CBA not being done. Both sides finally agreed, and Baseball resumed operations last Thursday. We here at The Sports Insanity Network are thrilled.

Now that that’s out of the way, Mets fans are finally going to see Jacob DeGrom and Max Scherzer pitch in the same rotation. This is the scariest 1-2 punch since Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling. So, the excitement begins.

The question on every Mets mind is what Steve Cohen and company will do. At the lockout, the Mets needed at least 1-2 starting pitchers, 1-2 bullpen relievers, and two-position players. The Mets, after four days of lockout, ended made a big trade with Oakland for SP Chris Bassitt and Traded J.T. Ginn (who was a high prospect) and Adam Oller. Bassitt is an all-star pitcher with an impressive fastball, curveball, and changeup. He also mixes in a slider now and then. That was a great trade for both sides, and the Mets now have a 5-man rotation. The Mets also have Tyler McGill and David Peterson, who could earn spot starts, and 1 of them will go down to AAA, whereas one will go to the pen. The Mets also just signed Adam Ottavino today givining them an exrta right arm in the pen. Mike Rifken and I are awaiting a lefty bullpen hand.

I was hoping for starting pitcher Kikuchi to join the Mets, but Toronto signed him last night. I look at the field of free agents, and I am hoping the Mets get Kyle Schwarber. He would primarily be fixed at the DH, but he can play first and the outfield. With Kris Bryant looking like he could be headed to Seattle, this would be the move for a DH spot with other gains. The movement has been slow on the free-agent market, but I expect things by as early as today for many signings, and that is how the old man sees it.

DALLAS TRIMS THE FAT

CUT COOP LOOSE

By Mark Halpern

With the new season on the brink of starting, many top players from around the league have been cut/released due to the salary cap. At the start of the new season, Dallas was over the cap limit by 20 million. That doesn’t seem like a lot for a football team, but it can mean two good players.

The first thing that Jerry and company did was take the high-value contracts of Dak Prescott and Zack Martin and convert a chunk of their salary into a signing bonus. This is nothing new all teams do this to free up cap space. That was enough to get under the cap. However, they still needed more cap room to make plays on re-signing their players, sign a free agent or two and then have the rookie contracts to contend with. Dallas had to do more, and they sure did.

Like every #1 receiver in Dallas over the last 10-12 years, they have had problems with Wide Receivers and their rants on and off the field. We lived through the Terrell Owens and Dez Saga, and the Cowboys weren’t going to live it again with Amari Cooper. When he came over from the Raiders, Amari Cooper was hungry and wanted to prove that he deserved to be the #1 in Dallas, and he did. He played as best as anyone could, making tough catches and dominating the field. However, sometimes this gets to their heads, and they act out. So, to prevent this, Dallas traded Cooper last night to the Browns for a 5th and 6th round pick, and Cleveland gets Cooper and a 5th. This just freed up 20 million, and every Cowboy fan is watching one thing: free agent Bobby Wagner who has been making goo-goo eyes at Jerry Jones. He is not cheap, but he is still one of the top 5 linebackers in football. So we will see what happens on that front.

Overall I loved Amari Cooper, but I saw a decrease in his abilities over the last year. Yes, he was injured, and it slowed him down, but there were times this didn’t seem right and listening to his mouth on and off and his stupid comment about Dak. I wish Amari nothing but the best in Cleveland, and I hope Baker and him make some good connections, and that is how the old man sees it.

Eagles Season In Review/ Offseason Preview

By: Mike Rifkin

The Philadelphia Eagles finished the 2021 regular season with a 9-8 record, good for second place in the NFC East and wound up with a wild card. In the Wild Card round the Eagles lost to the Buccaneers 31-15. After going 4-11-1 in 2020 the Eagles fired Super Bowl winning coach Doug Pederson. Pederson was replaced by Colts Offensive Coordinator Nick Siriani. The Eagles also decided to make a change at quarterback, trading former second overall pick Carson Wentz to the Colts and riding with former second round pick Jalen Hurts.

In 2020 the Eagles averaged 20.8 points per game, in 2021 Philly averaged 26.1 points per game. Hurts and Siriani led the NFL’S best rushing offense averaging 159.7 yards rushing per game. Hurts in his first full season as the starter had 61.3 completion percentage 3,144 yards 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Hurts also added 784 rushing yards averaging 52.3 yards per game and 10 touchdowns on the ground. There were a lot of talks heading into this offseason that the Eagles had the ammunition to get an elite quarterback like Russell Wilson or Deshaun Watson. As of this writing Wilson has been traded to Denver, but Watson is still available. If I was Howie Roseman I would build around Hurts. He deserves the opportunity to continue to start.

As mentioned earlier Hurts led the Eagles in rushing with 784 yards and 10 touchdowns. Miles Sanders ran for 754 yards in 12 games. Boston Scott had 373 yards and seven touchdowns in 16 games. Rookie receiver Devonta Smith led the team with 64 receptions, 916 yards and five touchdowns. Tight end Dallas Goedert had 56 receptions, 830 yards and four touchdowns. Goedert signed a new contract after the Eagles traded Zach Ertz to the Cardinals. One receiver the Eagles are hoping breaks out is Jalen Reagor who had 33 catches for 299 yards and two touchdowns. The reason why the Eagles need Reagor to break out is because right after Reagor was selected in 2020 the next pick was Justin Jefferson who has been sensational for the Vikings.

The Eagles defense gave up 22.6 points per game. The Eagles were tenth in the NFL in yards allowing 328.8 yards per game. One position the Eagles are going to have to upgrade is their pass rush as they only had 29 sacks in the regular season which was the second fewest in the NFL. 15 of the 29 sacks belong to Javon Hargrave and Josh Sweat. The Eagles defense forced 16 turnovers but had a turnover margin of 0.

The Eagles have 21 million dollars in cap space. The Eagles could create more cap space by restructuring the contracts of Javon Hargrave and cornerback Darius Slay. Trading offensive lineman Andre Dillard could also create some space.

Free agent Targets

Sign Allen Robinson/ DJ Chark: Philly can use another receiver to pair with Devonta Smith, Quez Watkins and Jalen Reagor. Robinson brings a veteran presence and Chark brings another solid option.
Sign Xavier Rhodes – Rhodes played for Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon in both Minnesota and Indianapolis. Rhodes and Slay would give the Eagles a veteran cornerback duo.
Sign Hasson Reddick : Eagles need to improve their pass rush and Reddick has had 23.5 sacks combined in the last two seasons.

Draft :

RD 1 (15) : Jordan Davis Defensive Tackle Georgia : The Eagles are reportedly listening to offers on Fletcher Cox. Davis, who was great for the Bulldogs on their way to the National Championship can be a great replacement. Also Davis ran a 4.78 40 yard dash at 341 pounds (just had to get that in there).

RD 1 (16) : Jermaine Johnson Edge : Florida State: Philly was 31st in the league in sacks. Johnson needs to improve in certain areas and is raw but has a ton of upside that can help the Eagle defense.

RD 1 (19) Andrew Booth Cornerback Clemson : Philly can use someone to go opposite Darius Slay. Booth brings in good size and length for a team that can use the help on the backend.

RD 2 (51) Darian Kinnard Offensive Tackle Kentucky: Excellent run blocker who needs some work on pass protection.

RD 3 (83) Jeremy Ruckert Tight End Ohio State: Has the ability to block and play receiver. Pairing him with Goedert could be big for Hurts development.

RD 3 (102) : Dylan Parham Center Memphis : Jason Kelce will return for 2022, but who knows beyond that. Parham also has the ability to move to guard.