The Philadelphia Eagles have a huge amount of questions they need to answer in the upcoming offseason. After a disappointing 4-11-1 finish and the firing of head coach Doug Pederson, the Eagles have a lot to figure out in a hurry.
Just two years after winning a Super Bowl, the Eagles decided to move on from Pederson. They interviewed many candidates for the job before deciding on Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni. The Eagles also brought on Jonathan Gannon as the new defensive coordinator as Gannon was also with the Colts.
While the quarterback controversy was the talk of the town in Eagles country, it seems that Sirianni will decide on whether he wants to stick with Carson Wentz or roll with the rookie Jalen Hurts.
Nonetheless, the Eagles have work to do in free agency as they look to compete once again in the NFC East.
3. Yannick Ngakoue, Defensive End
The Eagles defense needs improvement in just about every area and adding a pass rusher like Ngakoue would be a huge addition for them.
The Eagles and Ngakoue were linked in many trade rumors before he was shipped from the Minnesota Vikings to the Baltimore Ravens in October. Nevertheless, Philly could still use him.
While the Ravens could bring him back, it seems that they have to decide between Matt Judon and Ngakoue, so the decision would almost certainly be to stick with Judon.
Ngakoue has recorded at least eight sacks in every season as a pro and the Eagles desperately need the ability to bring pressure on the quarterback, and it sure seems that Gannon would love to have him in the defensive front for the next few seasons.
The price might be high for Ngakoue but if the Eagles want to compete, they will spend what they have to in order to make this team better.
2. Joe Thuney, OL
Whether it's Carson Wentz or Jalen Hurts playing quarterback next season, the line needs an upgrade by all means. The Eagles gave up the most sacks in the NFL, and that is not good news for anybody under center for Sirianni and the crew in 2021.
While Thuney isn't as big of a name as Brandon Scherff and Trent Williams, he might come a bit cheaper and allow more flexibility for the Eagles to construct the rest of their roster.
Thuney is just 28 years old and played nearly every game for the New England Patriots in his four-year career. He was thrust into the center role after the injury of David Andrews, so his versatility could be highly beneficial to any team, especially the Eagles.
Thuney played every single snap for the Patriots from 2016 to 2018 and has lots of Super Bowl experience playing in New England.
He was 2nd-team All-Pro in 2019, and the Patriots decided to place the franchise tag on him in 2020. While New England has a lot of question marks, it seems as if Thuney is set to hit the open market in 2021 and the Eagles should be one of the first to call.
Taking care and protecting the quarterback is a necessity, and Howie Roseman should do whatever he can to protect his guy- whether it's Hurts or Wentz.
1. JuJu Smith-Schuster
You can probably put any of the wide receivers here, like Allen Robinson or Kenny Golladay, but Juju is the best of the bunch.
It's no surprise that the Eagles desperately need a pass catcher, especially after their misses in the recent drafts. Jalen Reagor could very well pan out and become the big-time player everyone thought he would be, but Alshon Jeffrey and Desean Jackson are hanging on by threads.
JJ Arcega-Whiteside has been up and down, and Travis Fulgham caught the league by storm for a few games before falling back down to Earth. Greg Ward isn't a starting-caliber wide receiver, and tight end Zach Ertz is almost certainly playing elsewhere come September.
Here comes JuJu, and the Eagles franchise and fanbase would be ecstatic.
While a wide receiver in the first round might make sense for them, JuJu is the safer bet by all means, especially after the most recent draft blunders by this front office.
He suddenly became the third option on the Pittsburgh Steelers and still put up huge numbers. He finished 2020 with 91 catches for 766 yards and eight touchdowns, including a monster 13-catch, 157-yard performance in the Wild Card loss to the Cleveland Browns.
He is just 24 years old and is just barely going to enter his prime and would become the immediate number one option for Philadelphia.
Regardless if it's Hurts or Wentz, they need a top-end pass catcher, and this is the year to grab one with names galore available for wide receivers.
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