Philadelphia Eagles: No, Philly shouldn’t go after Larry Warford

While the Philadelphia Eagles should be looking for upgrades regardless of position, Larry Warford is not the guard they’re looking for.

In a move that wasn’t all that surprising, the New Orleans Saints have released their long-time starting guard Larry Warford to free up a roster spot for 2020 first-round draftee Cesar Ruiz.

Warford, a third-round pick of Kentucky, is coming off of three straight Pro Bowl appearances and should potentially be in high-ish demand on the open market for teams still in need of help at guard.

However, that team should not be the Philadelphia Eagles.

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I know, I feel like this shouldn’t even be a conversation but I’ve seen a non-insignificant number of fans online linking Philly to Warford to presumably take over for Isaac Seumalo at left guard.

Only, here’s the thing, Warford isn’t a particularly good fit in Philly.

You see, the Eagles utilize a zone-blocking scheme that revolves around athletic linemen opening up holes and pulling to lead block in space. Sure, they’ll run the occasional power concepts too from time to time, especially when utilizing a power runner like LeGarrette Blount or Jay Ajayi, but for the most part, the Eagles are at their best when their offensive line is opening up holes for shifty runners to weave through.

While running a fast 40-yard dash isn’t a requirement to be a solid fit in said scheme, it’s telling that four of the Eagles’ current five starters – Brandon Brooks, Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson, and Andre Dillard – all ran sub-5s at either their Pro Days or at the combine.

Warford ran a 5.58 40 at the 2013 combine. Granted, he did so at 332 pounds, 15 pounds more than his current listed weight, but still, it’s hard to imagine Warford even beating Seumalo, the Birds’ slowest offensive lineman, in a foot race.

Ruiz is a clear downgrade from Warford, but by rolling with the 24th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft over their incumbent starter, the Saints’ line got younger, faster, and more athletic all the while saving $7 million against the cap.

In case you haven’t noticed, the Eagles are in a really, really rough spot financially going into the 2021 season, as they are already $50 million over the cap before any reductions associated with playing games without fans (more on that here). Even if Warford opted to sign the exact same deal he had in New Orleans, a four-year, $34 million deal he agreed to before pulling off a string of Pro Bowl appearances from 2017-19, the Eagles would still have to get creative to fit the soon-to-be 29-year-old under their cap in 2021, let alone into his mid-30s.

I guess Warford could, in theory, sign an inflated one-year deal to bounce from one NFC title-contender to another, but why should he do that when this could be his best chance to score one last long-term, big-money contract elsewhere before he turns 30.

And then there’s also the concept of Jason Peters‘ potential return for the 2020 NFL season.

According to Jon Marks & Ike Reese of WIP, it’s becoming more and more likely that Peters will return to the Eagles for one (maybe more) last ride with the Eagles to end out his Hall of Fame-worthy career. If their reporting is true, the 38-year-old has turned down other offers and is a borderline lock to continue on as the Eagles’ starting left tackle for what would be his 13th year with the organization.

Bad news for Dillard’s development, as he’ll once again be a one-position backup barring injury, but an upgrade none the less.

Assuming the Eagles land Peters on another one-off contract in the realm of the deal he signed in 2019 – a one-year, $5 million deal – they’ll have less than $10 million in available cap space once they sign their 10-man 2020 class to four-year rookie contracts.

Would Warford theoretically perform better than Seumalo in a vacuum? Potentially, though the duo had a near-identical average value in 2019, but it’s hard to compare the duo straight up, as Warford is, was, and will probably always be a right guard.

Since his rookie season with the Detroit Lions, Warford has started every game he’s appeared in at right guard and likely won’t want to learn a new position almost a decade into his professional career. He’s obviously a really good right guard, as you don’t make three straight Pro Bowls for nothing, but the Eagles already have arguably the best right guard in the NFL in Brandon Brooks and he’s not going to change his position any time soon either.

If a premier left guard like, say, Quenton Nelson, became available then yeah, totally, why not sign him to improve the Eagles’ interior depth across the board, but Warford just doesn’t check enough boxes to make him a big enough upgrade to risk upsetting the chemistry of one of the best individual units in the NFL.

In summation, Larry Warford is one of the best guards in the NFL. He’s also a slow, soon-to-be-29-year-old who will all but certainly request a deal in the seven-figure range a year moving forward. The Philadelphia Eagles should always be on the lookout for upgrades across their roster, but their resources would probably be better utilized on pretty much any position other than offensive guard.