Philadelphia Eagles: Reunite Jordan Whitehead with Avonte Maddox

For the first time since 2017, the Philadelphia Eagles could be legitimate players in free agency.

Now sure, technically, the team has been active in free agency in every single season Howie Roseman has been at the helm of the franchise, and in basically every season before that, too, for that matter, but outside of a few key pickups like Javon Hargrave and… Steven Nelson(?), the Eagles really haven’t landed many legit, long-term contributors in free agency since riding down Broad Street for the Super Bowl parade.

Will that change in 2022? Goodness, I certainly hope so, but for the Eagles’ free agent woes to finally come to an end, the team needs to secure the correct kind of players on long-term contracts who are both on their timeline – 24-27 – and able to grow with the team moving forward.

Goodness, when only one(!) member of the team’s draft classes from 2014-17 are still on the team heading into the spring of 2022, you have to supplement the roster with free agents of all shapes and sizes, right?

With the start of free agency a few days away, the Philadelphia Eagles have been linked to a number of quality young players who fit that bill, from Calvin Ridley to Justin Reid and JuJu Smith-Schuster – plus Chandler Jones, who doesn’t fit the bill but is just too good to pass up – but one soon-to-be free agent that hasn’t been linked to the team but really should is none other than Jordan Whitehead, who once formed a formidable one-two punch with Avonte Maddox across the Keystone State.

Jordan Whitehead is the exact kind of player the Philadelphia Eagles should sign.

If Jordan Whitehead had been allowed to leave the University of Pittsburgh after his sophomore season, some, like Fox Sports, considered him a player worthy of a late first-round pick.

The top-ranked recruit out of Pennsylvania in 2014 according to 247 Sports, and a native son of the Steel City, Whitehead played both sides of the ball at Central Valley High School before committing to play for Pat Narduzzi and his hometown Panthers over similarly interested schools like Penn State and West Virginia. While he continued to play offense on occasion during his time at Pitt, rushing the ball 43 times for 362 yards and three rushing touchdowns to go with four receptions for 17 yards, the magic of Whitehead’s game came in the defensive backfield, where he formed a diminutive yet formidable defensive duo with fellow sub-6 foot defensive back Avonte Maddox.

Does that name sound familiar?

Over three seasons of action, Whitehead amassed 235 total tackles, three interceptions, three forced fumbles, and 12 passes defended. Are those the sort of numbers a team expects from a future first-round safety? No, probably not, and Whitehead didn’t help his case all that much by getting suspended for the first game of his junior season and turning in underwhelming measurables at his Pro Day, but hey, whatcha gonna do? While I’m sure Whiteside would have liked to be selected in the first, second, or even third round, he ultimately fell to the fourth – eight picks before Maddox came off the board – and put some first-round caliber play on his highlight reel.

Since breaking into the Bucs’ starting lineup as a rookie under defensive coordinators Mark Duffner/Mike Smith and retaining the role once the dynamic duo of Bruce Arians and Todd Bowles came to town, Whitehead has been a reliable option at the back of Tampa Bay’s back seven. His game has improved alongside his team’s record, and after four years in the Sunshine State, Whitehead has produced 292 tackles, 22 tackles for a loss, two sacks, and two forced fumbles, to go with five interceptions, and 25 passes defensed.

Whether tasked with playing free safety, strong safety, or a hybrid slot/safety role just off the line of scrimmage, Whitehead held up fairly well in coverage, allowing no more than 373 passing yards and two touchdowns in any of his professional seasons. In 2021, Whitehead turned in his best coverage seasons as a member of the Buccaneers. He allowed a career-high 36 catches on a career-high 57 targets but only allowed 309 total yards per completion – good for a career-low 8.6 YPC – and didn’t surrender a single touchdown for the first time in his career.

All in all, not too shabby, but how, you may ask, would Whitehead fit on the Philadelphia Eagles? Pretty darn well, regardless of how the rest of the team’s free agency shakes out.

If, for example, the Eagles bring back Rodney McLeod, Whitehead could slot in as the team’s strong safety. If, instead, the team opts to roll with Anthony Harris and lets McLeod go, which is probably the better decision if one has to stay, Whitehead could fill the role McLeod played last season, only with a bit more experience in a two-high set and a better set of skills for the specific requirements of the position.

Heck, if the Birds really go nuts and want to upgrade both of their safety spots, with Whitehead filling one and Justin Reid – a player they’ve been linked to earlier this month – filling the other, Jonathan Gannon could finally have a pair of interchangeable playmakers who can man the back of the field, provide support versus the run, and, most importantly of all, grow with the team moving forward.

I mean hey, considering Whitehead doesn’t turn 25 until March 18th, his addition, even at the three-year, $23.6 million evaluation Spotrac projects, would be money well spent to finally secure the next McLeod, Walter Thurmond, or Malcolm Jenkins.

Because the Philadelphia Eagles had such little luck in the draft between 2014-17, the team’s roster is either filled with older players on the tail end of their primes, or younger guys who are either about to earn extensions, have just earned extensions, or are a year or two away from a massive payday. That leaves a hole for good players in the 24-27-year-old range who should be the “next guard” who pick up the mantles for players like Jason Kelce, Brandon Graham, and Zach Ertz when their playing days are done. With some money to spend and more than a few positions that need addressing, the 2022 free agent market is a perfect opportunity for Howie Roseman to right his and Chip Kelly’s wrongs and add some building blocks for both now and the future. Though far from a household name among non-football-obsessed psychos, Jordan Whitehead is that sort of player, and the Eagles would be lucky to bring the former best prospect in Pennsylvania back to the state that made him a Wikipedia-worthy person.