Hayes: Eagles opt for Band-aids to save jobs
SOMEBODY'S SO worried about their job security that they're using Band-Aids again. At the right price, Kenny Britt made sense.
SOMEBODY'S SO worried about their job security that they're using Band-Aids again.
At the right price, Kenny Britt made sense.
At this price, Torrey Smith is fine.
And then there's Alshon Jeffery.
Reports on Wednesday that the Eagles agreed to terms with big, physical, free-agent receiver Kenny Britt were premature. The Browns reportedly claimed Britt on Thursday for 4 years and (gasp) $32.5 million, more than half of that guaranteed.
Instead, they snagged Smith, 28, who reportedly agreed to 3 years and $15 million. Smith flopped as a $40 million free agent in San Francisco the past two seasons. Of course, it was San Francisco, lately the Cleveland of the West.
And then . . . Jeffery? Well, sure, if you have everything to lose.
General manager Howie Roseman and coach Doug Pederson, each facing a make-or-break season, reportedly spent $14 million to rent Jeffery. Roseman criticized himself in January for using "Band-Aids" to remedy serious personnel problems.
This is building with Band-Aids.
This is what happens when the GM and the coach are desperate. Not only do they chase Jeffery but they also retain players such as 35-year-old left tackle Jason Peters, who is constantly injured and who will count more than $11 million against the salary cap. Roseman and Pederson are not building something sustainable; they're constructing a castle on sand. They have no choice.
If the Birds miss the playoffs for a third consecutive season, neither Roseman nor Pederson is ever again likely to occupy his current role in Philadelphia or anywhere else. Desperate times . . .
Jeffery is 27, but he missed 11 of the Bears' last 32 games. His 106 catches and six touchdowns the last two seasons sound pedestrian, to be sure; but they sound even worse when compared with the 158 and 11 by Eagles receiver Jordan Matthews. Is Matthews worth $14 million?
Add to the equation that Jeffery is one bad batch of protein powder from being Lane Johnson. Remember, the Eagles' right tackle who missed 10 games last season after he said he unwittingly using a supplement laced with a banned substance - a $7.7 million waste that very likely cost the Birds a playoff spot.
Perhaps now you recognize the gamble that Jeffery is.
Also consider that no other team saw fit to convince Jeffery that their place was better than Philadelphia. One report claimed that the Vikings wooed him with more money and security but that Jeffery turned them down . . . for less money and security.
Sounds a lot like alternative facts.
Terrelle Pryor was intriguing, but he's played receiver for one season and he carries all sorts of character baggage. The concept of trading for Saints speedster Brandin Cooks had merit, partly because they would control him for the next two seasons. However, if it took a first-round pick to land Cooks from the Saints, did that make sense?
The Eagles needed at least one wide receiver, and this draft has plenty of intriguing names, but they need at least two cornerbacks. This draft has astounding depth at corner; starters will emerge from the third round.
Sure, signing Jeffery and Smith will cause some excitement, but both have a lot to prove. With Smith, the Eagles are simply gambling that his declining production resulted from his depressing surroundings. Smith caught 53 passes the past two seasons.
Nelson Agholor had 59 in his first two seasons.
Roll your eyes if you like, but Agholor and Dorial Green-Beckham, each entering his third season, have remarkable potential; more, perhaps, than the second tier of receivers in this draft.
Probably not more than their two new teammates; certainly, not this season.
Better to use a Band-Aid.
@inkstainedretch