Eagles face challenge in LB search
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Eagles face challenge in LB search
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
On Monday afternoon, the Browns announced a new five-year deal for inside linebacker D'Qwell Jackson, which is worth $42.5M with $19M guaranteed, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
We are two weeks away from the official start of free agency (March 13), and the linebacker market will continue to develop as teams try to re-sign their own players and make decisions on the franchise tag.
The question for the Eagles is: Where can they find a linebacker to solidify the middle of their defense and fill a hole from last season?
The team has three avenues to explore: free agency, a trade and the draft.
The Inquirer's Jeff McLane did a good job on Sunday of breaking down the potential free agent class. One name that's been discussed since the season ended is Falcons linebacker Curtis Lofton. There had been reports that new defensive coordinator Mike Nolan didn't view Lofton as a three-down linebacker, but apparently that's not the case.
"I spoke to the team and they told me it’s ridiculous to say Lofton isn’t a three-down linebacker," said Lofton's agent, Todd France, in an interview with D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Ledbetter indicates that the Falcons would like to sign Lofton to a long-term deal before he's able to hit the open market.
The tough part for the Eagles is deciding if free agency is really their best option for upgrading the position. Free agency allows them to target players and pursue them aggressively. But with that likely comes a high price tag. Jackson got $8.5M per year with $19M guaranteed. It's reasonable to assume Lofton, who turns 26 in June and finished fifth in the league with 147 tackles last season, will be looking for at least something in that neighborhood.
Stephen Tulloch signed a one-year, $3.25M deal with the Lions last year, and head coach Jim Schwartz sounds like he wants the middle linebacker back in 2012.
"Stephen is a guy that fits our system very well," Schwartz told Anwar S. Richardson of MLive.com. "He's young. He's tremendously durable, he's tremendously productive. I think he can be a big part of what we're doing in Detroit. I think our linebackers were much improved last year."
Tulloch, 27, will likely be looking for some long-term financial security after settling for a one-year deal last summer.
The draft presents another option, and in some ways, a more attractive one. While someone like Lofton might cost around $8M per year, last year's 15th overall pick (Mike Pouncey) reportedly cost the Dolphins about $2.3M per season. Someone like Boston College's Luke Kuechly, who has been linked to the Eagles in many mock drafts, would be a less expensive option and still could potentially offer a major upgrade.
Of course, the problem with waiting for the draft is that it's risky. If Kuechly's gone by the time the Eagles pick at No. 15, there may not be another middle linebacker who the team views as a "plug-and-play" prospect.
The final option would be to trade for a linebacker. The Eagles have Asante Samuel as a potential chip, and DeSean Jackson could be one too if they use the franchise tag and deal him.
Whichever path the Eagles choose, they need to find a three-down player. It doesn't make sense to use a first-round pick or pay a free agent big money if he is going to come off the field in sub packages.
The focus around these parts is on stopping the run behind the wide-nine, and that makes sense, given the issues from a year ago. But don't forget about the athletic tight ends who provide matchup problems on a weekly basis. And remember that the Eagles ranked 29th in covering running backs in the passing game, according to Football Outsiders.
I took a look at Jamar Chaney's splits from Week 3 on last season, after he returned to the middle linebacker position. Here's how the plays were split up, according to Pro Football Focus:
| Stopping the Run | Blitz | Pass Coverage | |
| Jamar Chaney | 45% | 5% | 50% |
Half the time he was on the field, Chaney was in coverage. And keep in mind he was replaced in nickel situations during the final month of the season, or the numbers would lean even more towards pass coverage.
The point is the Eagles need a middle linebacker who can shed blocks and get to the ballcarrier against the run, but also someone who has enough athleticism to provide an upgrade in coverage. They could look to upgrade at the SAM or WILL positions too.
As the market plays out in the next two weeks, we'll find out which free agents actually become available and which path the Eagles choose to upgrade at linebacker.
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It might be more accurate to say that the Eagles need THREE linebackers 'who can shed blocks and get to the ballcarrier against the run, [and] who [have] enough athleticism to provide an upgrade in coverage'.
— critias- You fail to mention the primary reason the Eagles are in trouble looking for LB's...BECAUSE REID HAS NEGLECTED THE POSITION HIS ENTIRE TENURE!— THE-KID (WI)
- Is there any good information from within the Eagles organization that they really are serious about going after a high profile LB (either in free agency or the draft) this year, or is this all just useless speculation? We all know LB is a huge area of need for them, but with the draft under Andy they have a history of making picks that nobody saw coming. I wouldn't be surprised if with their high draft picks they pick a QB for the future or players in other position they don't really need right away just because they were "the best player available" on the board.— BigRed1
- Sheil, it is not a sound principle to rely on the draft for fill an immediate need. There's no such thing as a plug and play draft prospect. The great majority of first round picks don't become big impact starters in their rookie season. It's smarter to look to free agency to fill immediate needs. The Lions have problems with their salary cap because of the high draft picks they've had in recent years. The Eagles are in position to outbid them for Tulloch.— soulman386
- Linebackers are not a premium position in our scheme.That's what AR said in the past and has proven that statement over and over for 13 drafts.The eagles will try to get some obscure LB from some team like the browns or the chiefs and say he will be great because he just needs a chance to start and prove himself,he's got a great motor.They will then draft O-line or D-line with their 1st and trade their first 2nd rnd for a 4th and a 5th,can't have enough extra picks and so on and so on and will be 6-10 for the season with this schedule and not win the SB again and all the koolaid drinkers will make their excuses AGAIN about the refs and bad calls and the league screwed them in scheduling and blah,blah,blah.No SB again this year or EVER with this FO,HC and coaching staff.What a bunch of suckers you are.— sewell guy
- With ( injury prone) D'Qwell of the board, the next FA linebacker the Eagles should go after is Jonathan Goff. He's coming off an ACL injury which would make him fit in nicely here.— Geno D
- You said it Sheil. The Eagles don't want to pay top dollar or waste a 1st rounder on a guy who will come off the field in certain packages, and their defense calls for many rotations and substitutions. I don't know if we will get the big splash at LB we are looking for as fans, but we may see them provide the position with some more depth.— otown philly fan
- Here we go, the NFL's silly season!!!! Sheil, I saw more than one post combine mock with Kuechly going before pick 15. If I have to sit through three hours of Mel Kiper's hair to watch the Eagles trade down and take a DT from nowhere state...I...I don't know what I'll do.— dragoon6
- The Eagles will sign or draft a high motor fastball of a DE, try to convert him to a LB and will fail miserably. The Tonner has history on his side here.
- Stick with the draft for LB. Every FA we bring in at LB is a bust.
- The refs, bad calls and the league? I don't recall many if anyone making excuses for the Eagles other than the fact that they stunk. Seems to me the blame went to the FO, Reid and JC...right where it belonged. And we definitely are running short of "high motor" references...— tpizza
- Under Reid, the eagles have spent 5 draft picks in the first 3 rounds on LB's and only Bradley played well before injury. They are:
• Gardner- 99- 2nd round
• Caver- 01- 2nd round
• McCoy- 05- 2nd round
• Gocong- 06- 3rd round
• Bradley- 07- 3rd
This is not ignoring the position, it is not knowing how to spot a good one. BTW, they have only used 4 picks in the first 3 rounds on O-line and that includes trading a pick for Peters.— ErikS527 - Send "Wiff" Samuel to Detroit (aka Siberia) for Tulloch. Tulloch played the wide-9 system in Tennessee and he knows what is expected of him.— NC Eagle Fan
Comment removed.- the LB's we draft are a bust. The LB's we bring in FA are a bust. Maybe it has to do with the evaluators and scouts and not the players? Coaches should coach and GM's should evaluate and acquire talent. I am fine with AR as a coach, but AR should not have a say in the War Room.— LJ14
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