For long suffering fans of the Philadelphia Eagles, Super Bowl Sunday is always met with a sense of sadness. How can a franchise that has enjoyed a relatively successful tenure in the NFL still be without a Super Bowl victory? Well maybe, just maybe, that will change in the near future.
During Andy Reid’s time with the Eagles, they were a perennial playoff team that made it to a Super Bowl in 2005. After Reid’s time in Philly, I think most Eagles fans would agree that the Chip Kelly experiment was a failure and actually set the team back during his 3 years in Philadelphia. Now with new coach, Doug Pederson, in place and the seemingly smart move to draft a potential franchise Quarterback in Carson Wentz, the Eagles fortunes have certainly begun to look up.
The Eagles front office has expressed an interest in clearing significant salary cap space by parting ways with some long-standing veterans. Names like Connor Barwin, Jason Kelce, Jason Peters, Brent Celek and Ryan Matthews have been mentioned as those who could very well be on their way out. With that needed cap space, the Eagles would have the ability to address some of the most glaring areas of need on the team for 2017.
If you even watched one quarter of an Eagles game this year, you probably noticed the Eagles wide receivers rarely caught a pass this year. Addressing the need for sure handed wide receivers who can not only catch the ball but also spread the field with additional speed, may signal a potential return of former fan favorite, DeSean Jackson. The former Eagles wide receiver was famously cut by Chip Kelly and ended up playing the past several seasons for the Washington Redskins. While not the dynamic player he once was, Jackson is still a big play receiver who would be welcomed back by the fans of Philadelphia to help improve our receiving corps.
The Eagles also shrewdly acquired a first round pick for serial under-performer, Sam Bradford, right before the start of the 2016 season. That pick has now become the number 14 pick in the draft and will allow the Eagles to pursue other areas of need on the team such as Cornerback and an edge Defensive player who can help apply more pressure on opposing Quarterbacks. Interestingly enough, the draft is being held in Philadelphia this year, so perhaps that is a sign of good luck for the Eagles.
Despite the fact that the Eagles missed the playoffs again this year, it is interesting to note that they beat the Super Bowl bound Atlanta Falcons in November in Philadelphia and also famously let a few other games slip away from them over the course of the year. Perhaps with an improved roster and a coach and QB who have gained more experience, the prospect of the Eagles making the playoffs next year look very good.
When will the Eagles actually win a Super Bowl? It’s hard to say…..let us know what you think by visiting our Facebook page and voicing your opinion.
