Risk Aversion Is A Thing Of The Past For The Philadelphia Eagles
By Matt Giraldi
Many Philadelphia Eagle loyalists are going to say: “Who cares?”, “That’s in the past”, and “I only care about what they do on the football field”. That’s their prerogative to warrant these selections. As a firm believer of rehabilitation and second chances I tend to agree. I love the value of each of these picks, particularly Mills and McCalister.
Having said that, the Eagles are taking on unnecessary risk with a completely new coaching staff. Has Pederson earned the respect of NFL veterans yet? Will Jason Peters, Fletcher Cox, or Connor Barwin respect his decisions? Can Jim Schwartz demand accountability on defense? If veterans cannot commit to the team’s vision for the future, like Bradford, will younger players?
There are no appropriate draft grades immediately following the NFL draft. Prior to the players putting on pads and engaging in actual football activities, the talk is meaningless. What is meaningful is the actions of a franchise.
The Eagles have made it clear that regardless of perception, they’re looking to put football players on the field with immense upside. The inherent cost and risk of those moves is systematically tied together. Win, and the price paid is all worth it, but should the team be mired in failure, the risk taken by the Eagles this offseason will forever haunt the franchise.