Philadelphia Eagles 5 most fascinating offseason storylines on defense

1. What do the Eagles do about Malcolm Jenkins’ deal?

This may be the most important offseason decision that the Philadelphia Eagles make that relates to the defensive side of the ball. To be honest, there’s only one reason not to give Malcolm Jenkins the extension that he desires, and it’s because of how old he is.

’27’ turns 33 on December 20th. That means he’s almost ancient for the safety position by NFL standards. Plus, we all keep referencing something that Howie Roseman said. This team needs to get younger, but here’s the strange thing about that and about Malcolm Jenkins.

He’s the exception to the rule. Jenkins wasn’t being referenced when that statement was made. ’27’ is a freak of nature. Either that or he’s found the fountain of youth somewhere, and he’s drinking from it during the regular season.

Since arriving in Philadelphia on March 11th of 2014, he’s been on the field for every single defensive snap minus the 2017 season when the coaches gave him much of Week 17 off so he could rest for what turned out to be a championship run. Then, he played every single defensive snap of that postseason and 25 snaps on the special teams unit.

Jenkins is Philly’s most reliable starter on both sides of the ball because he never leaves the field and there have been no major chinks in his armor to think of. Some of us as fans don’t just want Philly to give Jenkins his due. We should expect that the Eagles will give him his due.

It’s time they do right by him and give him a deal that’s representative of a guy that’s played at a high level since 2014 and that he’s dependable. Jenkins is one of the game’s best safeties, but he’s paid like he’s in the second tier. Anew deal for Jenkins doesn’t need to be a six-year extension. Two to three seasons will do just fine, but if the goal is truly to field the best team possible in 2020, how can ’27’ not be a part of that? He needs to be in the fold, and he needs to be taken care of financially.