Every year, the NFL schedule release is like a holiday for football fans. It's the first day fans can analyze their schedule, make traveling plans, do wins and losses, and start dreaming about the upcoming season. It's the first day where fans allow hope to creep in, even when their teams suck, and fans talk themselves into thinking their team could potentially be great. When it comes to the Eagles, I'm not telling fans they should root against their team when the games are on, but I will tell you it would be for the best if the Eagles had another bad season.
Right now the Eagles are an organization still trying to figure out exactly what they have. Are new head coach Nick Sirianni and defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon any good? Is Jalen Hurts the answer at QB? Can Jalen Reagor showcase the speed he did in college? Can Jordan Mailata play at a high level for a whole season at LT? Can any of the other young WRs step up and take the reins on a starting role? And so many more questions I could point to.
However, depending on how the 2021 NFL season plays out, the Eagles could be in total command of the 2022 offseason, and their collection of draft picks and assets could be the envy of the NFL. They could potentially have three 1st round picks in the 2022 draft, and obviously depending on how the Eagles, Colts, and Dolphins finish, the positions of those picks could make a significance difference in their value. Even if the Dolphins and Colts have successful seasons, and say, pick in the 20's, if the Eagles have another bad season record-wise that allows them to pick in the top 5, they would essentially have the opportunity to do whatever they wanted in the 2022 offseason. Virtually all options would be on the table for them.
If Hurts impresses and they feel good about him leading the team going forward, they'd have three 1st round picks available to them. One being a top 5 pick. They could stand pat and take the best players available, hoping at least their pick is a blue chip prospect, and put more talent around Hurts. They could trade down with any of the picks and stock up on more future draft capital to keep momentum going, stringing together drafts with multiple 1st round picks.
If Hurts doesn't impress, they could select a QB in the top 5 they liked to succeed him. If there is someone they like who's projected to draft ahead of them, they have the ammo to move up and draft a QB they love. And if DeShaun Watson(legal issues not withstanding) and/or Russell Wilson hit the trade market, they'd have all the draft capital they need to outbid any other team vying for their services. If the Eagles play their cards right and a few things go their way, they could turn their future from murky to glowing overnight. Oh, and they'd have plenty of cap room on top of it, to fill in some other needs on the roster.
There really is nothing to be gained by winning 7 or 8 games in 2021. The only argument one could make, would be that if they win that many games, it means a handful of their key players had strong seasons, which would make their future brighter. But I don't think this is a guarantee. DeShaun Watson had a major season in 2020, throwing for 5,000 yards and about 70% completions, and his team only won 4 games. The Eagles, ideally, could have players like DeVonta Smith, Jalen Reagor, Jalen Hurts, and Dallas Goedert play well, but the team still stink enough to win 4 games.
Still not sold? Close your eyes and envision this. Once the season ends, the Eagles enter March with a ton of cap room, three 1st rounders, one being a top 5 pick, and multiple star QBs on the trading block. Now try and tell me you wouldn't be as excited as you've ever been for an offseason in your life. It's only one more year. You dealt with The Process, you can bite the bullet here to catapult your team back on the path to NFL contention.
makes alot of since
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