4 former Philadelphia Eagles this team could really use right now

Moving on from Big V made sense, but the Eagles could definitely use him now.

When the Eagles parted ways with Halapoulivaati Vaitai during the 2020 offseason, the move made sense. They had a young star (or so they thought) in Andre Dillard. They had just drafted both of Auburn’s starting tackles from the 2019 college football season (Jack Driscoll and Prince Tega Wanogho). One of the best players in franchise history, Lane Johnson, was set to anchor the right side of the offensive line for an eighth season.

Giving a reserve tackle, even one as gifted as Big V, $10 million per season like the Lions did (or any number close to that) didn’t make a whole lot of sense. There’s a saying that goes ‘hindsight is seen in 20/20 vision’ though, and a little over a year after Philly waked into the 2020 regular season feeling great about things, their situation has changed.

Dillard is approaching bust territory. He spent the entire 2020 season on the injured reserve and was beaten out for the starting left tackle job by a guy that never played American football before 2018. Both of Driscoll’s first two seasons have ended with trips to the IR. Prince Tega Wanogho plays for the Kansas City Chiefs now.

There’s a theory that Brandon Brooks will be back by Week 15’s game, but he’s been out since Week 2 after we were told he had an eight-week injury. Isaac Seumalo is also out. Big V may never be seen as a Jon Runyan equivalent, but swing tackles that can also play inside are invaluable.

Again, Philadelphia’s decision to move on from Vaitai at the time made sense, but as this team continues to deal with injuries on the O-line, it’s hard not to believe that Big V could have served the Eagles well this season. Come on. Who would you rather have on reserve duty, Vaitai or Nate Herbig?