Philadelphia Eagles: Making sense of the Chandler Jones rumors

The Philadelphia Eagles are a weirdly composed team.

Their best players are (almost) all either over 30 or under 25, and in between are a ton of missed opportunities and decisions that look bad in hindsight.

I mean, need I say more than the fact that the team only has one player under contract from their draft classes from 2014-17 in 2016 third-round pick Isaac Seumalo? That’s rough. Want to know what else is bad? How about the fact that over that period of time, the Birds had the same number of draftees who didn’t play a single NFL game as they had players who signed extensions with the franchise.

That’s just nuts.

Now granted, Howie Roseman righted the ship somewhat in 2018, with four of the team’s five selections now signed to long-term extensions, but when folks wonder why the Eagles’ post-Super Bowl run failed to produce a “dynasty,” poor drafting, when mixed with a lack of cap space played just as big a role as on-field regression and any qualms folks have with Doug Pederson and Carson Wentz in 2020.

So naturally, with some money to spend and more than a few holes on the roster to fill with proven NFL contributors, the Philadelphia Eagles would look to right their wrongs and secure some talented performers who can pick up the slack and grow with the team moving forward, right? Or they could blow their entire free agency budget on Chandler Jones, who will turn 33 just after the next Super Bowl. That’s… certainly a choice.

The Philadelphia Eagles shouldn’t break the bank on a win-now rusher.

Chandler Jones is, like, really good.

A four-time Pro Bowler, two-time All-Pro, one-time Super Bowl champion, and member of the Hall of Fame’s All-2010s Team, Jones is one of the most prolific rushers in the NFL of this current generation and has the stats the back up his reputation.

Do you want sacks? Well, since entering the NFL as the 21st overall pick in the 2012 draft out of Syracuse, Jones has recorded 107.5 sacks in 139 games, including seven double-digit sack seasons. He notoriously picked up five sacks in a single game versus Tennessee last September and has the rare distinction of having two four-sack games in the same season back in 2019.

How about elite-run defense? Well, that isn’t Jones’ bread and butter per se, but hey, when you can generate 2.4 pressures per game over a four-year period, people are going to overlook some business decisions on your typical 2nd-and-7 run for three yards.

On a team with serious playoff aspirations like the Buffalo Bills, the Miami Dolphins, and the new-look Denver Broncos – all three of whom have been linked to Jones – having an elite quarterback hunter like Jones is an asset worth paying a premium for. According to Jordan Schultz, the co-host of the podcast “Pull Up with C.J. McCollum,” insiders expect to see Jones sign a contract worth $15-18 million, and considering how the market for pass rushers has developed over the past few seasons, that seems like a fair number.

Could the Philadelphia Eagles surrender that sort of scratch for Jones’ services? I mean yeah, if the Eagles want in on the second-best player Syracuse has produced in the last 25 years, they’ll sort of have to, but considering the team’s current status as a developing playoff squad and their needs across the rest of the roster, is paying a premium for an edge rusher the best way to make it back to the Super Bowl?

I sort of doubt it.

Now don’t get me wrong, Jones would look nice in midnight green. The Eagles haven’t had a reliable double-digit sack artist off the edge since Trent Cole a decade ago, but in the modern-day NFL, sacks alone aren’t indicative of production. I mean goodness, Jason Babin recorded the third-most sacks in a season by any Eagles player in history back in 2011, and he was released midway through the second season of a five-year contract.

Is Jones Babin-esque? No, he’s a legit threat off the edge every time he puts his hand in the dirt and can generate pressure like few others in the NFL today, but his green light go style of play, when coupled with his age and desire to play for a ready-made contender makes his fit in Philadelphia a confusing one, even if Roseman comes correct with the best offer on the market.

Remember, Jones has pretty much every accolade one could want in an NFL career and has already made north of $98 million over his career, according to Spotrac; this next contract is about maximizing the remainder of his career.

Could/should the Philadelphia Eagles pursue an upgrade coming off the edge? Yes, defensive end is one of the hardest positions to draft and get production out of right away, and considering the team’s poor luck at developing a homegrown guy save Josh Sweat, signing a ready-made rusher wouldn’t be a bad use of assets. But Chandler Jones just feels like the wrong player for the team’s short and long-term outlook. Better to spend money on a free agent like Emmanuel Ogbah, Charles Harris, or Temple product Haason Reddick, who can grow with the team long-term, than a more expensive immediate upgrade who might just be retired before the team is ready to compete for Super Bowls again.