One of the worst-kept secrets in football is the Philadelphia Eagles’ search for a wide receiver. Acquiring a veteran wide receiver was on the Eagles’ shopping list this offseason, as a Calvin Ridley betting suspension prevented the franchise from finding that receiver to pair with DeVonta Smith.
The Eagles were in the market for Christian Kirk, but the Jacksonville Jaguars reset the wide receiver market by giving Kirk $18 million a year. There was a chain reaction of wide receivers wanting to get paid, leading Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill to seek — and win — trades for lucrative contract extensions elsewhere.
Philly has essentially sat on the sidelines (aside from signing Zach Pascal) in the wide receiver market this offseason. The Eagles could use a veteran wide receiver to pair up with Smith, or invest their draft capital and select a wide receiver in the first round for the third straight year.
Deebo Samuel is available as he is the latest wide receiver to seek a raise elsewhere. The Eagles have the draft capital to acquire a player of Samuel’s caliber, a decision that general manager Howie Roseman will contemplate over the next week.
The Eagles are in an interesting position here, choosing to stay the course and build the foundation from scratch or trying to make sure Jalen Hurts has a veteran to help him take his game to the next level.
“I think every year it becomes a position. I like that word, ‘the boom’. It’s like the new mining town, right? You’ve got pass-rushers, you’ve got offensive linemen and now you’ve got wide receivers,” Roseman said Wednesday of receivers getting massive contracts this offseason. “So, I think at the end of the day, and we talked about this a little bit when we were in league, it’s just that you have to make a decision about what your team-building priorities are, are you going to go with the flow or are you going to find out what’s most important to your team and if there’s any value in being different and figure out what the next area is now.
“I think we spent a lot of time, coach (Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni) and I talk about this all the time, if we’re going to be the same as everyone else, we’re probably going to end up in the middle.” from the pack Sometimes you have to take risks and you have to stand out and do something different from everyone else.
“So that doesn’t mean you don’t have to make the right decisions in that role. But at the same time, if you’re doing the same thing as everyone else, you’re probably a step behind.”
So would the Eagles look for a player like Samuel now that he’s available? Roseman has to decide if he wants to get into the mix for a proven player like Samuel and give him a big deal, knowing the Eagles could get a productive player in the first round of the draft (a benefit of having two first-round picks). The Eagles are often in the business of paying their own players massive contracts, so finding your own local talent and not having to pay him a massive deal before the time is right is a better option.
Roseman and the Eagles like to keep things between the vest as leaky as possible, so there’s no telling if they’d want Samuel to be Smith’s veteran complement, and the guy who can help Jalen Hurts carry his game to the next. level.
The Eagles remain a team in transition, not looking for a quick fix (even if they need upgrades at wide receiver). You can find that solution in the draft if you want. That’s the dilemma Roseman faces over the next seven days, if he’s ready to raise the bar on a team that’s probably a year or two away from actually competing in the NFC.
His decision to pursue Deebo Samuel will show the direction the 2022 Eagles want to go.