Philadelphia Eagles: Looking at obituary from 2019 season

Hope Springs Eternal: What went right in 2019

Despite ending the season in such a disappointing way by coming up short against the Seahawks, I can’t help but feel optimistic about this teams prospects going forward.

Despite a season with so many failures and setbacks, I still think this team has a lot of redeeming qualities going into 2020 and beyond.

For starters, Wentz proved he is the answer in Philadelphia. Arguably, he proved this in 2017 when he went on his MVP run, but some Eagles fans are fickle. Many Foles-ophiles mourned the loss of Foles this offseason, but Wentz proved this year he has the right stuff to lead this team forward.

Wentz’s head injury against Seattle will give plenty of ammo to the Wentz-injury-truthers out there who say he cannot stay healthy, but Wentz looked clutch going into the final games of the regular season.

With an offense full of practice squad receivers, a banged-up offensive line, and a rookie running back, Wentz was able to win four must-win games in a row.

Wentz still seems to be apprehensive about letting go of the ball, preferring to attempt plays well past the point of when it is safe to.

When it works, Wentz looks like a genius, but with a likely concussion from the Seahawks game, along with two injuries in consecutive seasons, if he doesn’t learn now, I expect he never will.

Next, despite having a slow start, Sanders and Goedert look like they will have plenty of opportunities to shine for the Eagles moving forward. Both players performed admirably down the stretch and it will be exciting to see how they develop with more experience down the line.

The Eagles have a solid backup group who can perform when the chips are down. Boston Scott looked like he belonged in the games when he was asked to run. Ward served as a great replacement receiver in the last few games. They may never be starters again in the NFL, but for a few glorious weeks, the practice squad players were the heroes of this team.

The offensive and defensive line still look elite. Fletcher Cox single-handedly kept the Eagles in that Wild Card game by making Russell Wilson make throws that looked down right pitiful.

Long-time anchor of the offensive line Jason Peters could be done after this season, which is sad. He was arguably one of the best left tackles in the NFL during his prime and he will be missed, not only by the team, but by the fans.

Often, the offensive line is forgotten when success comes a team’s way, but Peters has kept the Eagles quarterbacks safe from blind side hits for so many years.

Because of that, the Eagles were able to be competitive nearly every game they played with him on the roster, even during the dark ages of Sam Bradford and coach Kelly.

Without question, Dillard will have massive shoes to fill when the time comes.

And finally, despite being potentially loyal to a fault, I still think Pederson is a great coach. At the end of the day, the head coach sets the tone and culture of a locker room.

For three seasons, this team had roadblock after roadblock placed in its way. It suffered massive amounts of injuries to starters. They were ridiculed by the media and opposing teams.

There have been hundreds of times the past three seasons where it would be easy for a team to give up, to put in less work and say “better luck next season.”

But no matter what, Pederson kept the team fighting. He kept them and the fans believing anything was possible.

Pederson took backups and practice squad players, only to find ways to make them successful.

Pederson was also willing to call risky plays and trust his guys could accomplish them on numerous occasions.

And besides a little smirk, he never became smug or condescending (unlike some other gum-chewing coaches who strut around the sidelines after a win).

Through all of the success and failures, Pederson stayed classy and was loyal to his players. We should all be so lucky to be described as such one day.

Prescription for the future is simple, which is it’s time to say goodbye to some of the Super Bowl winning players who have stayed past their prime.

Jeffrey and Agholor were great in Super Bowl 52, as their highlights will always be fun to watch. But they both look cooked this season.

With rumors that Jeffrey was the leak to two Wentz smear pieces this past offseason, he needs to leave. Agholor had one good year, and thank goodness it was in 2017 when the Eagles won it all.

Cornerbacks Darby and Mills should also leave in the offseason. They underperformed in the secondary and their injury history makes them unreliable.

In a league with record touchdown throws and quarterbacks expecting to throw more than 40 times a game, the secondary can no longer be a position that can be disregarded as something to address “next year.”

The team has a solid core of players and it will be exciting to see what the future holds for them in 2020. But this team will need to start focusing on building through the draft instead of free agency.

Build a solid core around Wentz and learn to develop players. Then, when it is contract time, let them go in free agency. It can be hard to say goodbye to fan favorites, and there is a degree of nuance here. Obviously, never let go of generational talent, but the players who stayed a season too long never looked like generational talents.

If anything, Philadelphia should look at the team that just beat them in the Seahawks as a model for how to build a team after signing a quarterback to a massive deal.

Every year, they have to say goodbye to players and every season they come in, without many big names to speak of.

But every year, they maximize their draft capital and every year they are competitive. They may never have a super team like the Legion of Boom again while Wilson is still under contract, but every season they are gearing up for a playoff push in December and keeping their fans excited and engaged.

The obituary for the Eagles 2019 season is full of heartbreak and close losses. Problems that started to surface in 2018 reared their head once again in 2019.

If the Eagles hope to stay competitive in the NFC for the foreseeable future, they will need to recognize their problems and address them in the offseason.