Franchise tag will dictate Philadelphia Eagles’ offseason

By Matt Giraldi | Feb 19, 2017

Nov 13, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery (17) against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. The Buccaneers won 36-10. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /

The Philadelphia Eagles are not going to use the franchise tag. As much as Bennie Logan brings to the defense, he is not a franchise player. The franchise tag still is a big component to how the Eagles approach the 2017 offseason, however.

What would the most pressing need for the Philadelphia Eagles be this offseason? The team needs a wide receiver, corner, offensive lineman, pass rusher, and likely a running back (no I’m not going to mention Le’Veon Bell here). Free agency is not going to solve all these problems. Depending on which teams decide to use the franchise tag, or more importantly don’t use it, the Eagles could plug a couple of those holes.

Let’s begin any pipe dream with a forewarning: The Eagles don’t have a lot of cap space right now. Howie Roseman will need to manipulate the salary cap in order to be aggressive in free agency.

Asking Roseman to fudge numbers is also like asking Donald Trump to upset the mainstream media. An effortless and seamless process, the Eagles should have some room to work in free agency. Who they go after is the hard part.

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Most of the names that have been getting Eagles fans’ hopes up are also the most questionable to receive the franchise tag from their respective teams. Alshon Jeffery, Terrelle Pryor, A.J. Bouye and Stephon Gilmore are prime examples. All four could hit free agency market or could never even sniff the market.

Of the four aforementioned names, Bouye is the most likely to hit free agency. The Houston Texans have plenty of depth available at cornerback, and will be getting Kevin Johnson back next season. Wouldn’t it be nice to have that luxury Eagles fans?

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Of course, signing Bouye (or Gilmore) would mean that the Eagles are getting another free agent cornerback. When’s the last time that worked out for this team? Nnamdi Asomugha, Byron Maxwell and Leodis McKelvin are all classic examples of a position that the Eagles just can’t get right in free agency. No thanks. It would be ideal if the Eagles could draft some talent at cornerback. I don’t know, maybe use a second round pick on one?

As for the wide receivers, Jeffery is the only “franchise player” I really think the Eagles should take a look at. Pryor had a terrific year last season, but can he repeat that performance? More importantly, is he the “number one wide receiver” that everyone says Jordan Matthews isn’t? I don’t think he is personally. So the team would still need to upgrade the receiving corps. There’s no doubt that Jeffery is that type of player.

With fewer than 20 days until the start of free agency, the Eagles are finalizing their plans for how to address team needs. They might not have a player worthy of the franchise tag on their team this year, but in just 10 short days they’ll find out whether a player from another is good enough for midnight green. How those other teams come to their own determinations is going to dramatically shape the offseason in Philadelphia. Hold onto your butts.

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