The Philadelphia Eagles had a comeback season in 2021, finishing 9-8 before losing in the Wild Card Round versus Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a significant improvement over the 4-11-1 mark in the previous year.
It also marked the team's first season without Carson Wentz as the starting quarterback since 2015. Because of that, the team is still trying to find a bit of its new identity with Jalen Hurts under center.
Following the conclusion of the season, the Eagles' front office made some big moves while also making some decisions that were questionable, which could come back and bite them later in the year.
Here are two offseason moves that Philadelphia might regret for the 2022 NFL season.
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Eagles' Worst 2022 Offseason Moves
2. Not addressing the punting situation
Although not something fans are looking for during the offseason, special teams are crucial for a team's success, especially in close games.
Last year, punter Arryn Siposs finished 27th in the league in expected points added per punt and the worst in open-field punting. He also finished 24th out of 29 qualified punters in net average at 38.8 and dropped only 17 out of 55 punts inside the 20.
In the last six games last season, including the Wild Card Game versus Tampa Bay, Siposs only averaged 37.0 yards per punt, the worst in the league during that span, according to NBC Sports.
If there is one position the Eagles should have paid more attention to this offseason, it was punter. The team originally had 12 picks in the 2022 NFL Draft that were in the fourth round or lower, but only made two selections, trading away most of them. Philadelphia should have considered keeping at least some of those picks or used one of the remaining picks to select a punter who would at the very minimum challenge Siposs' spot on the roster.
Georgia's Jake Camarda was available in the fourth round, and Matt Araiza in the sixth round. Both were All-American players last season, with Araiza receiving the Ray Guy Award for most outstanding punter in the country.
As Siposs is still relatively new in football while both Camarda and Araiza can also handle kicking duties, it begs the question if the Eagles played too safe here.
1. Not upgrading the safety depth
Pro Football Focus considered the safety position the “most glaring concern” of the Eagles' roster. The team currently has Marcus Epps and Anthony Harris as the most likely to play the majority of snaps, but who can take their place if one of them goes down or underperforms?
The team ended up signing Jaquiski Tartt away from the San Francisco 49ers. Although he started 14 games last year, he is most likely remembered for dropping a critical interception that could have taken San Francisco to the Super Bowl. Tartt was left off the list of best safeties entering free agency by NBC Sports and Pro Football Focus.
Philadelphia also has K'Von Wallace (played just 16% of the defensive snaps), Andre Chachere and Jared Maiden (combined for 156 total snaps last year), and undrafted rookie Reed Blankenship.
With the last line of defense being considered a problem in Philadelphia, the Eagles should have been more aggressive in free agency to try to upgrade the position. The front office could have gone harder after Marcus Williams or Tyrann Mathieu, to name a few players who could have helped Philadelphia.
Now, the Eagles need to hope none of the main safeties get injured, otherwise it could become a major problem down the line.
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