For Doug Pederson, time kept on slippin slippin slippin into the future. A future that no longer includes being the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. It was a tumultuous ending for Pederson as the Eagles finished the season 4-11-1 in the historically bad NFC East. Not to mention the smelly cherry on top of this awful season…the pulling of starting quarterback, Jalen Hurts, in the final fifteen minutes of the season with a playoff spot on the line for the opposing team. He lost the locker room and there was no coming back.
With Pederson gone, the Eagles have a plethora of talent to attract top tier talent. Two intriguing quarterbacks in Carson Wentz and Jalen Hurts. Top five running back in yards per carry, Miles Sanders. 2020 first-round pick Jalen Reagor at wide receiver. Finally, emerging star tight end Dallas Goedert will look to officially take the reins from Zach Ertz, who will most likely find a new team this offseason.
Let’s dive into how each of them performed with Pederson at the helm. And whether or not you should expect these Eagles to soar or come crashing down now that he’s gone.
Quarterbacks
I said before that the Eagles should be able to attract top talent with their talent. However, the biggest selling point from the coach’s perspective may come down to selling the idea of building around the correct quarterback. Who is the correct quarterback? This is a question we may not have an answer to until next preseason. The Eagles may look to shop Wentz quietly. If they can’t find a trade partner, the money tied into Wentz could lead to pressure from ownership. Ensuring he gets the first crack at the starting gig once August comes around.
Carson Wentz
Wentz was relieved of his starting duties in week 13 of 2020. Despite starting only three-quarters of the season, he still managed to lead the league in interceptions. To the former MVP’s defense, he was thrown to the wolves this year. With a completely injured offensive line, a group of receivers with no experience and no offseason, and dealt with his safety net tight ends, Dallas Goedert and Zach Ertz, missing a combined 10 games. I am a betting man and I’m willing to bet leadership isn’t going to give up on Wentz after this year. Plus, they’ll never recoup any portion of their investment in him unless they allow him to show the league he is still worth it.
Jalen Hurts
Hurts did what he could with what he had over the last quarter of the season. He brought a spark to the team when things looked bleak. His mobility allowed him to make plays with the inevitably collapsing pocket. Unfortunately, six touchdowns, six turnovers, alongside two games above 300 yards passing and three games under 150 yards passing aren’t enough, in my opinion, to make him a clear starter. He’ll be in the wings, learning and growing, but unless this team falls apart again next year, I believe Wentz will be the starter.
Both quarterbacks need the entire Eagles offensive line to get healthy first before either can be trusted with any consistency. Tread lightly with this situation.
Running Backs/Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Miles Sanders
Sanders finished top five in yards per carry with a busted up offensive line and bland play-calling from Doug Pederson. The Eagles finished 24th in rushing attempts per game this year. While finishing with the 11th most rushing yards per game. Last year as a rookie, Miles Sanders took over the last half of last season and the team finished with the 11th most rushing yards on the 8th most attempts per game. Sanders received a lot of hype coming into the 2020 season. But a lack of attempts and injuries to himself and the offensive line led to a disappointing season where he finished as the RB24 with four games missed. He needs to be healthy and Doug Pederson leaving won’t fix that. A new head coach might realize the star they have in the backfield and give him more touches per game. Health seems to be the key factor here, but a new coach may give him the shot in the arm he needs.
Jalen Reagor
The former first-round pick had an awful statistical year: 31 catches for 396 yards and one touchdown in 11 games played. I can only hope that Pederson being fired helps Reagor. Reagor has plenty of potential and talent. A lot of dynasty managers are hoping whoever comes in will find a way to get Reagor the ball and let him use his speed and agility to make plays in space.
Travis Fulgham, John Hightower, Desean Jackson, Quez Watkins, Alshon Jeffrey
It was Fulgham, then it was Watkins, then it was Jeffrey and Jackson toward the end of the season. The Pederson firing doesn’t have an impact on any of these players. They were long shots to be valuable in fantasy by the end of the year anyway. I expect them to invest even more in the position in the draft after not finding consistency in any option this past year. Quez Watkins is the one receiver in this group I have any interest in moving forward.
Zach Ertz
Ertz was seen hanging around Lincoln Financial Field after week 17’s game against Washington until around 1 am. The reason being that his time seems to be coming to an end in Philly. The Eagles will save 5 million dollars in cap space by letting Ertz go and with the next person I’ll be talking about coming into his own, there’s no reason to pay a premium for a second tight end.
Dallas Goedert
Goedert has shown flashes in the past both while playing alongside Zach Ertz and when Ertz has been out with injury. Goedert finished the season with 11 games played, averaging 4.2 catches for 47.6 yards and 0.27 touchdowns per game. It’s not the most impressive, but overall it was a down year for the passing game as Philly finished 26th in receiving yards per game. Once again, a new coach that wants to utilize the talented players currently on the roster will be exactly what they need.
Conclusion
Doug Pederson getting fired does not immediately help any Eagles players, outside of Carson Wentz potentially. The franchise needs to revamp the strength and condition team as well as their trainers so they can keep their players on the field. If they can get a little luckier with the injuries and bring in a coach that utilizes the talent they have, everyone that invested in the risky Eagles players this offseason will finally profit. However, there is a lot of risk in their future that may not be baked into any acquisition costs, which will keep me from gambling on them as the offseason progresses until we know more about the head coach.
What do you think about the Philadelphia Eagles and the firing of Doug Pederson? Hit me up @DFF_JoeMem on Twitter to let me know what you think about the AFC East. Be sure to sign up for the DFF monthly subscription so you can have access to my Dynasty Rankings and always be one step ahead of the competition!
