Free agency sprung into action for the Philadelphia Eagles on March 9, when they signed wide receivers Alshon Jeffery, Torrey Smith, as well as quarterback Nick Foles, and offensive lineman Chance Warmack.
Formerly of the Chicago Bears, Alshon Jeffery was the splash playmaker that Eagles fans were praying for this offseason.
When speaking to the media after free agency started, Vice President of Football Operations, Howie Roseman talked about the signing of Jeffery.
“He was a target from the beginning.” Said Roseman, he continued on by explaining, “We thought it was a great opportunity to get a talented player that has something to prove, and also has something to prove.”
With the addition of Jeffery, second year franchise quarterback Carson Wentz will have a huge target to find while driving his offense down the field, especially in the end zone.
Although Jeffery has battled hamstring issues and a PED suspension last season, he is looking towards this season with Carson Wentz to prove to the NFL that he can be a number one wide receiver.
When addressing the media after being signed, Jeffery said, “My job is to help him (Carson Wentz) win an MVP.” He went on to say, “This city needs a championship, it wants a championship, it’s a must.”
Torrey Smith had turned the heads of the Eagles personnel department at the end of the trade deadline last season, when ultimately no deal was made and Smith suffered on a 2-14 San Francisco 49ers team.
Much of Smith’s success however, has occurred when he first came into the league, winning a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens in the 2012 season.
Smith compliment’s Jeffery’s skill set on the other side of the football by being able to take the top off of the defense, making huge plays downfield.
When talking to the media, Torrey Smith said, “I haven’t lost a step, and I can still play, so don’t be surprised.” He went on to say, “I can still run, people think I’m super old because of the success in Baltimore early on, but I’m 28, and I’m ready to go.”
Offensive line was not a major concern for the Eagles coming into the 2017 season, but they have made any concern irrelevant by the addition of Chance Warmarck, formerly from the Tennessee Titans, and also retaining Stefen Wisniewski.
A former tenth overall selection of the 2013 NFL draft, Warmack has struggled to live up to his hype in the league as a run blocking lineman.
Another question mark of Warmack came last season, when he publicly criticized his coaches for a lack of teaching.
But, the addition of Warmack to the Eagles makes sense considering his college offensive line coach, Jeff Stoutland, is now in Philly as the Eagles offensive line coach and hopes to pull the talent back out of him.
When addressing the media after his signing, Warmack said, “This is a great team, a great organization, and I feel like we can really make something happen here.”
Nick Foles was welcomed back to the Eagles squad after the Kansas City Chiefs declined to pick up his player option for 2017.
Foles of course was drafted to the Eagles in the third round of 2012 and eventually worked his way up to becoming the Eagles starter before being traded for Sam Bradford.
But, Foles will not be looking for a starting position this time in Philly. Foles understands that the Eagles are Carson Wentz’s team and hopes to do anything he can to help the organization win.
In addition to their free agent acquisitions, the Eagles managed to retain linebacker Najee Goode, along with offensive lineman Stefen Wisniewski who both managed to play valuable snaps as back-ups for the Birds last year.
With the free agency period still looming, the Birds are most likely done spending and on the flip side, most likely looking to cut and or trade players.