Philadelphia Eagles Q and A with InsidetheIggles

Leading up to the draft we’ll be chatting draft with experts that cover every team in the N.F.L. Recently I set down with the editor of Insidetheiggles–a place to check out if you’re an Eagles fan…or even just a football fan.

1). What does the loss of Jason Peters mean for the Philadelphia Eagles?

Jason Peters was arguably the best left tackle in football last season. When you look at size and athleticism, few left tackles can rival what Peters brought to the table. The Eagles struggled last season, but it was no fault of Peters. He allowed only three sacks all season and was a big reason why LeSean McCoy emerged as one of the game’s elite running backs.

Obviously, the Eagles went out and signed Demetress Bell to replace Peters. Bell is an interesting player. He’s battled injuries, but has been productive when on the field. It’s not unreasonable to suggest Bell has his best football ahead of him. Remember, Michael Vick is a left-handed quarterback, so Bell won’t be responsible for protecting the blindside. The Eagles were in good cap position, so they aren’t in a financial bind by making the deal. It’ll be interesting to see how they handle the Bell/Peters situation when Peters returns in 2013.

2). After free agency what are the Eagles needs?

Most people wouldn’t look at the Eagles’ defensive line and view it as a need, but I’d be shocked if that isn’t the spot they utilize their first-round pick. Michael Brockers and Fletcher Cox are the two players that I believe they truly covet. As for their needs, they really need help at safety and I’d like to see them address the strong side linebacker position at some point to add some competition there. They’ll almost certainly need to bolster their offensive line depth and perhaps draft a quarterback that they can groom over the next couple of seasons.

3). Would you say that the Eagles have a core organizational draft philosophy?

I would. The Eagles value the draft more than they do free agency (2011 aside). They want to stockpile picks and they’re very aggressive in the draft. They aren’t afraid to move up to grab a player they really like and they aren’t afraid to trade back if they see value by doing so. The Eagles have had their share of misses in the draft, but they generally stick to their guns–they aren’t worried about how fans or Mel Kiper Jr. are going to react to a given pick. So I’ll give them credit there. The team, however, has been much more successful with its selections after the first round.

4). Are there some young players the team might be counting on to step up and fill the perceived needs (from Q2)?

Yes. The Eagles need to find out if safety Jaiquawn Jarrett is the answer at safety. He was taken with the 54th overall pick in the 2011 Draft, but was a non-factor last season. Brandon Graham, the team’s 2010 first-round selection, has battled injuries and really needs to prove his worth if he wants to stick around. It’s a make or break year for him.

5). Why do the Eagles continue to flirt with quarterbacks in the draft?

Andy Reid has had a long-standing obsession with quarterbacks. They’ve reportedly met with Robert Grifftin III and worked out Ryan Tannehill, and Nick Foles, so it appears once again that the team is interested in adding a young quarterback to the mix. Michael Vick is one of the better quarterbacks in the league, but the Eagles know that with Vick’s age and vulnerability to injury that they must protect themselves long term. The sooner they get a young player with a big upside into the fold, the better. They don’t want to go through the growing pains or a five-year stretch where they don’t have “the guy” at quarterback.

6). Is there a player the Eagles seem to have taken a liking too?

They’ve had in Dontari Poe and Michael Brockers, among other players. I think they’re intrigued by Tannehill, but won’t move up to take him. The Eagles like to use lots of smokescreens and don’t reveal much, but I think that Brockers is probably the guy they like the most for where they draft. I will say this–had the Eagles finished 4-12 last season and held a top-5 pick that they’d be all over RGIII.

7). How about the fans, who are they rooting for the Eagles to draft?

I think people would be fine with Cox or Brockers, but linebacker play has been so porous here. So even with the trade for DeMeco Ryans, fans would like to see Luke Kuechly taken and moved onver to the SAM spot.

8). Are the Eagles poised to gel and dominate this year they way people expected them too last year?

I don’t want to sound like a homer, so allow me to balance myself out here. Obviously, the team underachieved last year, so you’d think there’s no place to go but up. But that’s not necessarily true. That four-game winning streak to close the season was meaningless. The Eagles have the talent and pieces in place to win the NFC East–something they almost did in spite of themselves last season. But if Michael Vick doesn’t bounce back and the Eagles can’t figure out a way to better utilize their secondary talent, they’re going to once again struggle. I don’t expect that to be the case because Andy Reid never has had back-to-back down seasons, so we’ll see.