It’s no secret that the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense underdelivered in a big way last season. Perhaps it was Chip Kelly’s offense, perhaps it was the lack of coordination between quarterback and players, or maybe their receivers just aren’t as good as thought.
Whatever the case may be, the Eagles are going to have to add some receiving firepower this offseason. All eyes are on the wide receiver front looking at free agents and draft picks, but I’m starting to think the Eagles might be better off adding another tight end.
This isn’t a knock against Brent Celek or Zach Ertz at all — I think both are going to be just fine in 2016 and beyond. It’s more that I’m a believer in the fact that if you can’t beat defenses with talent, you beat them with mismatches. Last season, Jordan Matthews and Nelson Agholor had flashes but never put it all together. And Josh Huff, well, all this potential he’s supposed to have hasn’t shown up yet. Perhaps at this point it never will, but the Eagles have no choice but to keep him around and find out.
Meanwhile, the free agent pool of wide receivers isn’t exactly enticing, especially when you factor in how much money they’re going to cost. It’s money the Eagles technically could spend, but really could be smarter with. And the draft is tough to peg down when you count all the big needs the Eagles have to address and their draft pick situation. They’ve absolutely got to hit big on their first-round selection — wide receiver may not be the best bang for their buck.
But tight ends are going to be much easier to get and will bring better value. A guy like Tyler Higbee in the draft, probably a fourth-round pick at best right now, would add an excellent wrinkle to the Eagles’ offense. Line that third tight end on the line next to Celek, put Ertz in the slot, and the Eagles will be able to attack vertically with size as well as run the ball. Those extra players on the line could come in extremely handy, especially if the offensive line struggles to gel and needs the help. That also gives the advantage to the Eagles with the short and intermediate passing game, which works well too if they’re going with Sam Bradford or a rookie quarterback.
It would mean carrying four tight ends along with Trey Burton, but the beauty of it is that Burton can move to fullback. At 235 pounds, Burton could become an adequate blocker for the running game, but his versatility would give the Eagles another solid advantage like they had with Leonard Weaver.
This approach wouldn’t do much for the deep passing game everyone’s chomping at the bit to get back, but it could be a less expensive alternative that suits the roster the best. The Eagles could always spend a later pick on a speed receiver to get that element back. It’s not a flashy approach, but it could be a very effective one.
