The Philadelphia Eagles took major strides in the 2021 season. After embarrassingly finishing the 2020 season, leading to the firing of head coach Doug Pederson, the Eagles got right back on track in 2021 under Nick Sirianni.
Jalen Hurts became the unquestioned starter, as the team moved on from Carson Wentz. Wentz was traded to the Indianapolis Colts, with Gardner Minshew being acquired to be the backup to Hurts.
He was the driving force behind the Eagles having the No. 1 rushing offense in the NFL and earning a Wild Card berth. However, that Wild Card matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers showed just how much more work there is to do.
The Eagles were unable to get their running game going, which put pressure on Hurts to succeed through the air. He was unable to do it, as the Buccaneers led 31-0 heading into the fourth quarter and ultimately came away with a 31-15 victory.
While Hurts has work to do in the passing game, the Eagles need to provide him with some more weapons to get the ball to. J.J. Arcega-Whiteside and Jalen Reagor, their second and first-round picks from 2019 and 2020, have fallen woefully short of expectations. Those whiffs are even harder to stomach when you account for the fact that Arcega-Whiteside was selected ahead of D.K. Metcalf and Reagor was selected before Justin Jefferson.
They look to have hit on 2021 first-round pick, former Heisman trophy winner, DeVonta Smith. He broke the Eagles’ rookie record for receiving yards, which was previously held by DeSean Jackson. He is a keeper, along with tight end Dallas Goedert.
But, beyond those two, there is not much for Hurts to rely on. That is why Glenn Erby of Eagles Wire believes the No. 1 target for the team in free agency this year should be wide receiver Mike Williams of the Los Angeles Chargers.
Williams would bring an added dimension to an Eagles offense lacking size on the perimeter. Standing 6’4”, the physically imposing Williams would provide Philadelphia with a big-bodied red zone presence and someone that can excel in one-on-one contested ball situations.
Prying him from the Chargers will not be easy, as they have a good thing going with Justin Herbert at quarterback and Keenan Allen running opposite of Williams. The Eagles would offer him a similar situation, as he would be the No. 1 option in some situations, just as he is with the Chargers.
With the strong running game that they have, the Eagles offense would be very difficult to slow down adding Williams along with Smith.
