Philadelphia Eagles: Claim Jayron Kearse for today and tomorrow
The Philadelphia Eagles should get a jump start on the future.
Welp, pack it in friends; the Philadelphia Eagles‘ season is all over but the crying… and a Week 17 bout against the Dwayne Haskins-less Washington Football Team.
With only 60 minutes of meaningful football left to play this season, though calling it meaningful may be a tad much, the Eagles will surely be looking to give youngsters like K’Von Wallace, Shaun Bradley, Jason Huntley, and Quez Watkins well-deserved looks.
But hey, just because the Eagles are eliminated from playoff consideration doesn’t mean they can’t still keep an eye on the future, right? Even if they can’t extend their season past the first weekend of January, there are still some 140-ish snaps to be played against Washington, with a full week of practice to come together one last time.
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If Doug Pederson is smart, he’ll use this opportunity as a chance to prove he’s willing to adapt his scheme to best fit the strengths of his players (more on that here). And as for Howie Roseman? Well, he would be wise to push all of his chips to the table to see which peripheral players may be worthy of a longer look in 2021.
Heck, if the right player comes along who isn’t technically on the team yet, why not utilize this final week of the season as a glorified tryout?
That’s why, in my humble opinion, the Eagles should still claim Dwayne Haskins Jayron Kearse off waivers despite having less than a week left in their season.
In theory, the move makes sense. After watching Rodney McLeod tear his ACL in December, it’s incredibly unlikely that the team’s Man of the Year candidate, who will be 31 when the 2021 season opens up, will be available to go in Week 1. Assuming the Eagles don’t use a Day 2 pick on any sort of safety, a move Roseman hasn’t pulled off since returning to power in 2016, they’ll need someone to push Marcus Epps for snaps at free safety.
Kearse fits that bill.
Measuring in at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, Kearse played free safety alongside Epps and former Eagle Andrew Sendejo before transitioning to a box role with the Detroit Lions in 2020 under recently fired head coach Matt Patricia. Kearse is also one of the better special teams players in the league right now, as evidenced by being named the Vikings’ special teams captain in 2019. Though his career stat line leaves a bit to be desired, as the former Clemson seventh-rounder has only amassed 138 total tackles and 10 passes broken up in 75 total games of action, Kerse has only played 2,176 career snaps split over defense and special teams and has a bit more tread left on his tires than your average 27-year-old.
Oh yeah, Kearse is also the nephew of ‘The Freak’ Jevon Kearse, who played for the Eagles from 2004-17. With the Eagles having a bit of a soft spot for second-generation players as of late, most notably Jalen Reagor, whose father Montae played for the Birds in 2007, the case for Kearse as a versatile safety with special teams experience and a familial connection to the organization becomes all the more compelling.
Honestly, even if Kearse didn’t play a snap for the Eagles in Week 17, which he may not anyway considering he was already listed as questionable for the Lions’ bout against the Vikings, just getting him in the building for a few days before free agency is the kind of leverage play few teams will be able to pull off in March, where COVID-19 restrictions will surely still hang over the visitation process.
And hey, even if the Eagles opt to move on from Jim Schwartz for a radically different defensive scheme like that run by ex-Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn, Kearse is versatile enough to fill a Keanu Neal-esque role as a quasi-linebacker box safety, so it’s all good.
dark. Next. It’s adapt or die time for Doug Pederson
Will the Philadelphia Eagles claim Jayron Kearse off of waivers? In all likelihood, no; no, they won’t – but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t. With Week 17 set up to be a perfect testing ground for the team’s young players – even if Doug Pederson instead opts to run his usual offense without much of an eye to the youngsters – the Eagles would be wise to try to see what they have and what they need heading into the offseason. Even if Jayron Kearse doesn’t play a snap, just having him in the building, connecting him with another former Clemson Tiger in K’Von Wallace, and seeing how he meshes with the team’s current collection of players would give Howie Roseman a leg up on free agency.