Kenny Britt too expensive for Eagles, but Torrey Smith makes sense
At the right price, Kenny Britt made sense.
At this price, Torrey Smith is fine.
Reports on Wednesday that the Eagles agreed to terms with big, physical, free-agent receiver Kenny Britt were premature. Free agency officially begins at 4 p.m. Thursday and the Cleveland Browns reportedly will claim Britt for four years and (gasp) $32 million, more than half of that guaranteed. At that price, the Eagles could not have been interested. At a more reasonable rate – say, four years, $26 million, maybe $14 million guaranteed – maybe, then.
Moving away from Britt indicated that they have a sensible plan. That plan includes Smith, 28, who agreed to a deal with the Eagles, with the terms reported to be three years and $15 million. Smith flopped as a $40 million free agent in San Francisco the past two seasons. Of course, it (ital) was (end ital) San Francisco, lately the Cleveland of the West.
Alshon Jeffrey, overpriced and coming off a PED suspension, made no sense.
Terrelle Pryor was intriguing, but is $12 million annually a good investment for a guy who has played receiver for one season and carries all sorts of character baggage? This was not a locker room fortified by exceptional leaders last season. Nigel Bradham, Josh Huff and Nelson Agholor each found trouble last year. Connor Barwin, a strong veteran voice, was actually with Agholor at some point during Agholor's incident at the strip club, and the Eagles just cut Barwin to save money. Adding a young diva like Pryor to grow with second-year quarterback Carson Wentz could be ... problematic.
Smith, meanwhile, was the Walter Payton Man of the Year in Baltimore in 2014 and in San Francisco in 2016.
Barwin's release and the economical signing of Smith gives the Eagles more cash to make more of a splash. They need lots of help, remember.
Smith's arrival seems to erase the chance that the Birds trade for Brandin Cooks, whose asking price by the Saints seems absurd. But the Eagles had to try.
They needed at least one wide receiver, but they need at least two cornerbacks. This draft has astounding depth at corner, but after the first two or three on the board the prospects come with troubling drawbacks, mainly size.
This draft also has five or six tantalizing receivers, but after Clemson's Mike Williams, there are no sure things. Even John Ross, the Washington receiver who ran a 4.22-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, is small and has injury issues.
All of that considered, it is smart for the Eagles to stay sane. General manager Howie Roseman said the club has been putting "Band-Aids" on the problem at cornerback. However, unless the Eagles believe A.J. Bouye was more than a one-year wonder in 2016 for Houston, there doesn't seem to be a corner worth really big money. The Birds seem locked into taking a corner in the first round, and that might mean they cannot trade for Cooks.
Issues at receiver remain. Britt, 28, is 6-foot-3, 223-pounds. He spent the last three seasons with the Rams but still averaged 16.0 yards per reception. That's more than four yards better than any Eagles' receiver with at least 30 catches the past two seasons ... and he's still not worth $17 million in guaranteed money.
With Smith, the Eagles are simply gambling that his declining production resulted from his depressing surroundings. Smith caught 53 passes the past (ital) two (end ital) seasons. Agholor had 59.
It can't be overlooked that the Eagles still have a pair of tantalizing third-year receivers who have yet to play well. Roll your eyes if you like, but Agholor and Dorial Green-Beckham have remarkable potential; more, perhaps, than the second tier of receivers in this draft.
If the Birds believe they can land two long-term starting cornerbacks between picks No. 14 and No. 43, that wouldn't be out of the question, either. In 2002 they took Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown 26th and 59th, respectively.
Two years later, Sheppard and Brown started in the Super Bowl.
But then, so did problematic diva receiver Terrell Owens.