Philadelphia Eagles: Dave Caldwell should bet on Myles Jack once more

After fielding a deceptively competent defense in 2021, the Philadelphia Eagles‘ back seven isn’t looking too promising at the moment. Gone are Rodney McLeod, Anthony Harris, Steven Nelson, Genard Avery, and Alex Singleton – at least for now – and in their place, the pre-draft homegrown depth isn’t all too promising.

I mean what, you aren’t excited about the prospects of Marcus Epps, K’Von Wallace, Zech McPhearson, and Davion Taylor, starting alongside T.J. Edwards, Avonte Maddox, Haason Reddick, and Darius Slay?

… yeah, I don’t think the Eagles should be either.

Now granted, even if the month of March turns to April and Howie Roseman holds off on making another defensive signing, that doesn’t mean disaster for the Eagles. With 10 picks in the 2022 NFL Draft and a few choice trade chips, it’s entirely possible the defensive front could look very good indeed when the season opens up in five-ish months, but goodness, wouldn’t it be nice to actually land a veteran performer who can steady the waters so to speak? I mean goodness, after signing and then cutting L.J. Fort, Zach Brown, and Eric Wilson midway through their first season in midnight green, it sure would be nice to land a performer who can actually stick around.

Enter Myles Jack, a dynamic coverage linebacker with deceptive ties to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Myles Jack does everything the Philadelphia Eagles need.

According to Pro Football Reference, Myles Jack’s nickname is “Jack of all trades.” Does anyone actually call him that? I mean, probably not, but if you’ve been keeping up with Jack since his days at Wildwood, the nickname is beyond apt.

A two-way player in High School, Jack won the Pac-12 Defensive and Offensive Rookie of the Year awards during his debut campaign with the UCLA Bruins, where he picked up 76 tackles, a sack, and two interceptions to go with 267 rushing yards and seven(!) touchdowns as a change of pace running back behind Paul Perkins. Though his run under Jim Mora was even more premature than some folks expected, as Jack tore the meniscus in his knee during practice in the lead up to the team’s fourth game of the season, the Scottsdale, Arizona native was still considered one of the premier performers in the 2016 NFL Draft, even if the long-term prospects of his knee slid him down a few draft boards.

Fortunately, Jack didn’t have to wait too long to hear his name called on draft day, as the Jacksonville Jaguars selected him with the fourth pick in the second round to serve as a significant upgrade to their front seven.

Though he only played under two different defensive coordinators over his six-year run with the Jags, Jack played strongside, weakside, and middle linebacker for defensive coordinator Todd Wash and later Joe Cullen and was often one of the few bright spots of an otherwise ugly defensive unit. Jack played well against the run, played well in coverage versus the pass, and parlayed a 107 tackle season into a new four-year, $57 million contract negotiated by then-GM Dave Caldwell to remain in “Jack”-sonville through the 2023 NFL season.

But unfortunately, that wasn’t meant to be.

Caldwell was fired in 2020, as was head coach Doug Marone, and after a 2021 season that Pro Football Focus graded very poorly, Jack was released from his contract to make way for Foye Oluokun on a three-year, $45 million contract.

Does the name Dave Caldwell sound familiar to you? If so, it’s likely because he was hired by the Philadelphia Eagles to serve as a Personnel Executive under Howie Roseman. Caldwell was the general manager who drafted Jack despite his knee injury, the general manager who signed Joe Schobert to move Jack off the ball, and the general manager who made Jack one of the highest-paid off-ball linebackers in the NFL. If there was ever a front office executive who could help to persuade a free agent like Jack to give a new team a try, it would likely be Caldwell, which is good because the pride of UCLA would be a wonderful fit in Philly.

Measuring in at 6-foot-1, 244 pounds, Jack is a prototypical outside linebacker who can attack the box, drop into zone coverage, and even matchup on opposing tight ends in man coverage. Though Jacksonville seldom asked him to blitz, he’s more than capable of doing so and even provides utility as a position-less playmaker, as he’s recorded two touchdowns on his career so far, one off a fumble another via a pick-six. Whether tasked with playing on the weakside next to T.J. Edwards and Haason Reddick or deployed on the strongside in the nickel package as a coverage specialist, folding Jack into the fray would unquestionably make the Eagles a better team and considering he already has $4.8 million coming his way from the Jaguars, it might not even cost that much to bring him to town, especially if he’s willing to accept a one-year deal.

Goodness, could you imagine Nick Sirianni giving Jack some run as a short-yardage back around the goal line a la Darius Slay on the jet sweep? I watched Jack excel at that role during his time at UCLA, and goodness, it was showtime.

The Philadelphia Eagles have been reticent to invest heavily in their linebacking corps for years now. They let Jordan Hicks walk in free agency, cut Mychal Kendrick, and released Nigel Bradham one season into a five-year, $40 million extension, and have since suffered through a string of ill-fitting stopgaps who never seem to make it through the season or, in Jadavious Brown’s case, make it into the season at all. Would Myles Jack magically paint over those issues like a landlord? Not necessarily, but there’s certainly a better chance he’s the answer than, say, bringing back Alex Singleton or signing a sub-$2 million linebacker on a budget. No, between Jack’s coverage abilities, his relationship with Dave Caldwell, and the fact that he’s somehow only 26, the former Bruin is a bet worth placing, as when he’s on, he’s one of the best linebackers in the NFL.