The Philadelphia Eagles' 2021 campaign was a rather unexpected roller-coaster ride for fans. The addition of the seventh seed in the playoffs allowed them to sneak into the postseason during a supposed rebuilding year. However, they were thoroughly outclassed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round.
Despite the embarrassing loss in the playoffs, there's plenty to like about the Eagles for next season. Hurts was one of the best running quarterbacks in the league. His passing is still questionable, but it's nothing that can't be improved upon with an offseason training. The Eagles also boasted the best ground attack last season.
This offseason, Howie Roseman needs to figure out ways of building upon their decent 2021 season. Let's look at the best free agents the Eagles should target in the 2022 NFL free agency period.
Eagles Free Agency Targets
The wide receiver position has been a rather big problem for the Eagles in the last few seasons. DeVonta Smith lived up to his billing as a top-end wideout in his rookie season, but Jalen Reagor's struggles stand out, as he has failed to make an impact for the team on offense and has a major drops problem.
Because of this, the Eagles will likely be looking at their options at wide receiver. JuJu Smith-Schuster is a player who can potentially help them in that department. He hasn't been the same guy who electrified opponents in his rookie year, but the wideout still has the potential to improve as a player. He's also still relatively young, which could allow him to develop alongside Hurts if the Eagles decide to keep him.
Darius Slay stood out as one of the best players on the team last season. The lockdown corner earned his stripes last season with his stellar defensive play, narrowly missing out on an All-Pro selection. However, outside of Slay, the Eagles' secondary is rather lackluster, which is unfortunate.
Enter Tyrann Mathieu, the Kansas City Chiefs' standout safety. Despite being a valuable piece on that roster, many analysts project him to leave the team. His cryptic tweets recently all but add fuel to that fiery rumor. Pairing two talented players in Mathieu and Slay would be wonderful for the secondary, as they would wreck havoc on opposing offenses.
Christian Kirk, WR
If you couldn't tell, wide receiver is a rather big issue. Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert were the team's top receivers last season. Outside of them and young WR Quez Watkins, though, no other receiver garnered more than 20 yards per game.
Christian Kirk is one of the more highly coveted players in free agency. The wideout had a breakout 2021 season for the Arizona Cardinals, getting 77 catches for nearly a thousand yards. Like Smith-Schuster, he's also on the younger end, which projects well with Hurts. The Eagles landing Kirk would be massive for their offense.
Emmanuel Ogbah, DE
One of the biggest weaknesses of the Eagles' defense last season was their pass rush. They ranked near the bottom of the league in quarterback pressures, and it was generally a non-factor in most games. It's one of the biggest reasons why they got blown out of the water by the Buccaneers in the playoffs.
Because of that, Roseman has reiterated that they would be looking at options to improve their pass rush attack. Emmanuel Ogbah, should the Miami Dolphins not keep him, would be an interesting option. He has developed into a solid pass rusher over the last few years and would be a clear upgrade over the other members of Eagles' current defensive front.
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